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How to change your mouse's DPI to make the cursor move faster or slower

Mar 5, 2021, 02:18 IST
Business Insider
It's easy to change your mouse's DPI settings on your PC.RyanKing999/Getty Images

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  • You can change your mouse's DPI in several ways, but the easiest is through the Settings menu.
  • DPI, or "Dots Per Inch," is a stat used to measure how fast your on-screen cursor moves when you move your mouse.
  • Using the computer's settings to force a slow mouse to go faster can occasionally cause glitches, and make the cursor inaccurate.

DPI, or dots per inch, is the measure of a computer mouse's sensitivity. The higher your DPI, the farther your on-screen cursor will move for every inch your move the mouse.

This is why many people choose to change the DPI on their computer mouse. Lowering the DPI can help with tasks that require precision, like drawing with a mouse; raising the DPI is ideal if you need faster movement for games or other apps.

More advanced mice often have sliders or buttons that allow you to adjust the DPI in the mouse itself. Some have dedicated computer apps that will let you do it too.

However, if your mouse has neither of these things, you can still artificially adjust the DPI using your computer's settings menus. Just note that while using this method is safe, it can make your cursor seem buggy or less accurate. This is especially true if you try to make a slow mouse go much faster.

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How to change your mouse DPI on a PC

  1. Click on the "Start" menu and select the "Settings" icon.

    Click on "Settings" in the Start menu.Ryan Ariano/Business Insider
  2. On the Settings page, click on "Devices."

    Go to "Devices."Ryan Ariano/Business Insider
  3. On the Devices page, click on "Mouse."

    You'll find "Mouse" in the menu on the left.Ryan Ariano/Business Insider
  4. On the Mouse page, click on "Additional mouse options" under "Related settings."

    Changing mouse DPI is done in "Additional mouse options."Ryan Ariano/Business Insider
  5. In the "Mouse Properties" pop-up, click on "Pointer Options."

  6. Use the slider under "Select a pointer speed" to adjust DPI. Sliding it to the left lowers DPI while sliding it to the right increases DPI.

    Drag the "Pointer Speed" slider to adjust your DPI, then test it.Ryan Ariano/Business Insider
  7. When the slider is where you want it, click "Apply" at the bottom. When the "Apply" button turns gray, meaning there are no additional changes to confirm, click on the "X" in the top right corner to close it.

How to change your mouse DPI on a Mac

  1. Open the System Preferences app. The easiest way to find it is to click the Apple icon in the top-left corner of your screen, and then select "System Preferences..."

    Open the System Preferences menu.William Antonelli/Business Insider
  2. In the menu that opens, click "Mouse."
  3. You'll see a number of sliders and options. The slider that controls your mouse's DPI is "Tracking Speed." Move the slider to the position you want and test it out. When you're done, you can just close the window to save it.

    Move the slider to the left to decrease your DPI, and to the right to increase it.William Antonelli/Business Insider
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