How to Turn Off Mouse Acceleration Completely in Windows & Mac

What is Mouse Acceleration?

Mouse Acceleration or Pointer Precision is a hardware feature that lets computer users move the mouse pointer across their displays at a faster rate than the default. This involves using the computer faster than you would normally do. 

When this aspect is enabled, your mouse pointer covers more Dots per Inch (DPI). Mouse Acceleration offers more precise control over your mouse movements, getting you from one point to another point on your screen. The faster you move your mouse; the faster it goes over your screen.

This feature is a great benefit to users who multi-task, making it faster to access the buttons and menus faster. Mouse Acceleration can be a very good friend to you if you have two or more monitors. But it can cause a lot of sensitivity problems while gaming. 

Why you should turn Mouse Acceleration off

If the Mouse Acceleration attribute is enabled while gaming, you may face a lot of problems, especially when you play First Person Shooters (FPS) games like Fortnite or Rainbow 6 siege. The default game settings are configured to have certain sensitivity configurations but when the mouse accelerator is activated, this will have a different impact on the game and the rate of DPI at which the crosshair and the camera move across the screen. 

This will make things quite difficult for you when you try to fire or just move around in-game.

The following image is an example of how much the camera moves in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla over a duration of two seconds, running on a computer with the feature enabled and then disabled. 

You should be able to see the difference between the gap between the character and the tree to his left, as the mouse (1000 DPI) was moved for a short period of two seconds with the default sensitivity settings. A collage containing two pictures of Eivor from Assassins' Creed Valhalla pictured to be in different distances away from a tree, with the titles Mouse Acceleration Enabled and Disabled, respectively

But if you are an office professional who keeps a lot of windows open while working, you might need the mouse acceleration. This aspect, when enabled, will let you work faster and more efficiently. 

Concluding, it depends on what you do and the way you use the Mouse Acceleration feature on your computer. If you use your computer primarily, for gaming purposes, you will have to turn off Mouse Acceleration so that you can have a better gaming experience. But if your computer is used to multi-task, you might need mouse acceleration.

Why should I be disabling Mouse Acceleration in Windows 10 off before I’m gaming?

With the Mouse Acceleration feature enabled, you will not be able to connect and aim your firing with the targets in the game. This depends on the speed at which you move your mouse over the mouse pad. 

When you disable the Mouse acceleration attribute, your pointer speed returns to normal, and the number of frames in which the games and the camera angles on the game offers you precise aim accuracy while hitting the target, right on spot.

When you turn off mouse acceleration, there are quite a number of benefits to disabling this feature. Character being accurately aimed at through the crosshair in a FPS video game

Without the extra cursor boost, your muscle memory increases a lot and your reflexes & gamer responses become faster. For example, you need really fast reflexes to perform a Minecraft MLG or to quick-scope an enemy in War Zone.

Minecraft character just having placed a block of water on the ground level to avoid fall damage, in the middle of the air

It is also known to have psychological benefits like helping your brain process your movements in the game and make needed adjustments that will help you move faster and in the correct direction. 

How to Turn off Mouse Acceleration

The Mouse Acceleration attribute can be enabled and disabled in Windows 10 and Mac Operating Systems. These are the steps for how to turn off Mouse Acceleration.

How to turn off Mouse Acceleration on Windows 10 computers

Step 1: Launch Windows Settings

Open your Settings. You can find it in the Start Menu, with a cog icon.

Windows settings in the Start Menu

Step 2: Go into the Mouse settings configuration

Click on the Devices settings.

Windows Settings window with the Devices option highlighted with a gray rectangle around it

Then, select the Mouse option from the left panel.

The mouse settings selected in the Windows settings' left pane

Step 3: Open the Mouse Properties window

On the right side of the window, select the Additional mouse options link under the related settings option.

The Mouse settings window containing the Additional mouse options setting This will show you the Mouse Properties dialog box.

Step 4: Remove the tick of the Enhance Pointer Precision checkbox

In the Mouse Properties tab, open the Pointer Options tab by clicking on it. Under the Motion section, below the Pointer speed slider, you will be able to see the Enhance Pointer Precision checkbox. Uncheck it.

The Mouse Properties window, with the Pointer Options tab open

Click Apply and then Ok to save the changes you just made. 

How to turn off Mouse Acceleration on Windows 7 Computers

Step 1: Launch the Windows Control Panel

Open the Control Panel, through the Start menu. Go to the Hardware and Sound menu in the main Control Panel window.

The Control Panel main window containing all the options to access all hardware and software components of the computer

Step 2: Go to the Mouse Settings

From this, you have to choose the Mouse settings under the Devices and Printer section. 

The Hardware and Sound window with the Devices and Printers option highlighted with a shade of blue

Step 3: Disable the Mouse Acceleration factor

You will find the Enable Pointer Precision checkbox in the Pointer Options tab. Uncheck this to disable the mouse acceleration attribute on your computer. 

How to turn off Mouse Acceleration on a Mac

Step 1: Launch the Spotlight search window

Open the Spotlight search toolbar on your Mac. One simply has to press the Command (Cmd) button and the Space bar on your keyboard together to start the Spotlight search.

Step 2: Open the Terminal and enter the command

In the Search bar, type in Terminal and hit the return key. In the Terminal window, type in defaults write.GlobalPreferences com.apple.mouse.scaling -1 and press enter again. Restart your Mac again, for this modification to be applied to your system.

Alternate Steps to turn off Mouse Acceleration on your Mac

Step 1: Open System Preferences

Double-click on the Apple icon and open the System Preferences menu.

Step 2: Go to the Mouse settings

In this menu, select the Mouse settings and navigate to the Tracking Speed option. 

Step 3: Adjust the Tracking Speed slider

You should be able to see the Tracking Speed slider. Adjust this slider and move the mouse around to see if you are comfortable with the speed the mouse pointer moves across your screen. 

Conclusion

Mouse Acceleration boosts your mouse movements. This is an excellent option for people in office environments when they try to navigate over many software windows in multiple monitors. 

If you are a gamer, who loves playing games like CoD: Warzone, Fortnite, and more, you do not need the mouse acceleration as it can be troublesome when you aim for the enemies in your game. Gaming without this will provide you control over your cursor movement, giving you accurate control over the game. 

On the other hand, if you are a streamer with many monitors, you can enable mouse acceleration and modify the game camera sensitivity, to your comfort. You can enable or disable this feature based on your needs in a Mac or Windows computer.

Happy Gaming!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I turn off mouse acceleration in Windows 10?

In Windows 10 computers, you can disable mouse acceleration in the additional mouse options in the Settings or the mouse options in the Control Panel. The control panel in Windows 7 can also be used to change the speed at which you move your mouse.

Is mouse acceleration bad for gaming?

Mouse Acceleration is bad for gaming as it will change the sensitivity settings of the gameplay. This means that you are used to a speed at which you move the game camera but you are required to play with an entirely different sensitivity when this feature is enabled, which is not optimal.  

How do I turn on mouse acceleration in Windows 10?

You can turn the mouse acceleration in Windows computers through the Windows Settings or the ControlPanel. You can move the mouse around to see if you feel good about the Enhance Pointer Precision.

How do I turn off mouse acceleration on Mac 2020?

You can change mouse movements’ settings in your Mac with the help of a Terminal command or the Disabling mouse acceleration setting in the Apple Preferences window. 

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