MOUSE DPI / LOOKUP GUIDE

Check the active DPI—not just a cursor-speed number.

Start in the mouse maker’s app and read the active profile or DPI stage. If there is no app, use the exact model’s manual and identify the stage that is actually selected.

macOS Tracking speed and Windows Mouse pointer speed change cursor behavior. They do not reveal the mouse sensor’s configured DPI. A browser ruler test can provide an estimate, but it is a different kind of result.

CHECK THE NUMBER YOU HAVE

Is this value ready to use?

Choose where the number came from. The conclusion changes with the source.

YOUR CONCLUSION

Tell us where the number came from.

You will get a direct answer, the evidence level and the next action.

SOURCE → MEANING → NEXT ACTION

Four paths that should not be mixed.

The same number can mean something different depending on where it came from. The highlighted path follows your latest selection above.

BEST FIRST SOURCE

Active device profile

Read the selected DPI value in supported manufacturer software. Record the profile if it changes by game.

Configured input

CONDITIONAL SOURCE

Exact-model stage

Match the manual’s stage or indicator to the stage that is actually selected on the mouse.

Documented input

MEASURED APPROXIMATION

Browser ruler result

Repeat the same physical-distance run and compare the middle result and spread. Keep the estimate label.

Estimated input

DIFFERENT CONTROL

Operating-system speed

Tracking speed and pointer speed alter cursor response. They are not a sensor-DPI readout.

Not a DPI input

FIND THE ACTIVE SETTING

Use the path for your exact mouse.

Select the detected device, then check the active profile and stage. A list of available stages does not prove which one is active.

LOGITECH G

G HUB

Select the connected mouse.
Open Sensitivity (DPI).
Read the active value and profile. Check On-Board Memory Mode if the mouse is using stored settings.

Onboard support and available slots vary by model.

G HUB guide ↗Onboard mode ↗

RAZER

Synapse

Select the detected mouse.
Open Performance.
Read the selected Sensitivity Stage or numeric slider; check separate X/Y values if present.

A DPI button cycles stages. A notification requires supported software and settings.

Synapse DPI guide ↗DPI button guide ↗

CORSAIR

iCUE

Select the mouse on the iCUE home screen.
Open DPI.
Identify the active stage, numeric value and indicator color.

Corsair’s current instructions are for iCUE 5.14 or newer; older layouts may differ.

iCUE DPI guide ↗

OTHER / NO APP

Exact-model manual

Find the full model name on the underside label, box or maker support page.
Find that model’s DPI/CPI stage table.
Match the current stage or indicator before recording a value.

Do not apply another model’s default table, even from the same brand.

Model-specific stage example ↗

DO NOT CONFUSE THESE NUMBERS

DPI, pointer speed and sensitivity answer different questions.

Number or setting	What it describes	Can it supply DPI?	Where it belongs next
Active configured DPI	A numeric stage/profile set for a supported mouse	Yes, for that active profile	Record it; use it in a sensitivity calculation
Documented default stage	A model-specific mapping for a button stage or indicator	Only if the active stage is identified	Confirm the current stage first
Browser ruler estimate	Reported movement units divided by physical inches	Estimate only	Repeat under the same conditions; keep the uncertainty
macOS Tracking speed	Operating-system cursor response	No	Use it only to reproduce Mac cursor behavior
Windows Mouse pointer speed	Operating-system cursor response	No	Use it only to reproduce Windows cursor behavior
Polling rate	How often reports or browser movement samples arrive	No	Test it as a separate timing/frequency question
In-game sensitivity	A game-side multiplier or scale	No	Combine it with DPI and the game’s rotation model

Mac: System Settings → Mouse (or Trackpad) → Point & Click → Tracking speed. Apple also documents Pointer acceleration under Mouse → Advanced on supported configurations. Apple guide ↗

Windows 11: Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Mouse → Mouse pointer speed. Enhance pointer precision is another pointer-behavior control. Microsoft guide ↗

NO SOFTWARE OR KNOWN VALUE

Recover the evidence in this order.

Stop as soon as you can tie a number to the active configuration. If the chain breaks, the correct conclusion is that DPI remains unknown.

01
Identify the exact model.
Use the underside label, receiver/device name, box or manufacturer support page. A family name alone may cover several sensors and default profiles.
02
Check the maker’s app and manual.
Look for DPI, CPI, sensitivity stages, onboard memory and profile switching. Use a support page for the exact model.
03
Identify the active stage.
Use the software highlight, on-screen notification, indicator color or a documented stage sequence. Do not record every listed stage as the current one.
04
Leave it unknown if the stage cannot be proved.
A guessed 800 or 1600 value can make a sensitivity conversion precise-looking and wrong. A repeated ruler estimate is a separate fallback, not a recovered firmware setting.

reported movement units÷physical travel in inches=estimated DPI

WHAT A BROWSER CAN ESTIMATE

One ruler run is evidence—not firmware access.

A browser method compares movement units with a physical ruler distance. Repeat the same one-direction run, use a median or other stated center, and keep the spread. If pointer capture fails, the page should return no number and explain how to recover.

movementX units can be physical, logical or CSS pixels depending on browser and operating system. Pointer Lock can avoid screen-edge clipping, but raw movement requests are not supported everywhere. Even a stable estimate does not read the active firmware profile directly.

Method boundary: MDN movementX · MDN requestPointerLock · MDN Pointer Lock.

WHEN THE VALUE IS QUALIFIED

Use the number with its profile and conditions.

Enter a configured or positively identified stage value into the sensitivity converter. If you use a browser estimate, keep the estimate label and repeat the physical check after conversion.

Open the sensitivity converter

METHOD, DATA AND LIMITS

This guide qualifies a source; it does not inspect the sensor.

The decision aid classifies only the source, value and optional note you enter. It does not read USB reports, firmware, operating-system settings or the physical mouse. A configured or documented value can still differ from measured physical CPI, and a browser estimate remains an estimate.

The form result stays in this open page and is cleared when you edit, reset or reload. This page does not need an account, file upload or clipboard access. Production hosting, edge logs and analytics remain outside this local source review.