Windows 11 has no switch labeled "mouse acceleration." The setting you want is called Enhance pointer precision. Microsoft documents the path as Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse > Additional mouse settings > Pointer Options. Clear the checkbox, then select Apply and OK. The Microsoft Support page on mouse settings covers the same controls.
That takes about 30 seconds. Whether you should do it, and why it sometimes seems to do nothing in games, takes a little more explaining. This guide covers both, plus the cases where the setting keeps switching itself back on.
TL;DR
- Mouse acceleration in Windows 11 is the Enhance pointer precision checkbox, found under Additional mouse settings > Pointer Options.
- Turn it off for gaming, design, and any work where you need the same hand movement to give the same pointer distance. Leave it on if you like the way it feels for everyday desktop use.
- Many games read raw mouse input and ignore the Windows checkbox. Check the in-game settings too.
- If the setting reverts after an update or restart, check the pointer speed slider, mouse driver, and manufacturer software before touching the registry.
- Every change here is reversible: tick the box again and you are back where you started.
Table of Contents
- What mouse acceleration actually does
- How to turn off mouse acceleration in Windows 11
- Pointer speed is a different setting
- Should you turn it off? It depends on the work
- Why a game may ignore the Windows setting
- Perspective: measure first, then change
- If acceleration keeps coming back
- Why is my mouse suddenly slow in Windows 11?
- Where Tempered fits
- FAQ
- Sources
What mouse acceleration actually does
Without acceleration, moving your mouse one inch moves the pointer the same distance on screen, whether you take half a second or a tenth of a second to do it. With acceleration, the pointer travels farther when you move fast and less far when you move slow. The same physical motion can land in different places depending on speed.
Microsoft frames Enhance pointer precision as a feature that improves accuracy during slow pointer movement. It is not presented as a general speed boost. That is a fair summary of the tradeoff. Slow, small movements get finer control, but your muscle memory has to account for a pointer that behaves differently at every speed.
How To Geek points out that Windows has no option actually labeled "Mouse Acceleration", which is the main reason people cannot find it. You are looking for the pointer precision wording.
How to turn off mouse acceleration in Windows 11
- Select Start, then Settings.
- Go to Bluetooth & devices, then Mouse.
- Scroll to Additional mouse settings (under Related settings) and select it. The classic Mouse Properties window opens.
- Open the Pointer Options tab.
- Under Motion, clear Enhance pointer precision.
- Select Apply, then OK.
No restart is needed. Move the pointer in slow and fast sweeps across the screen and you should feel a more linear response right away.
If the Settings page does not show the link, use the old route: search for "Mouse settings" in the Start menu, choose Additional mouse settings, and continue from step 4. Lifewire's walkthrough describes this search-first method. Microsoft has also been moving some of these classic options into the modern Settings app, according to Neowin, so what you see may differ slightly by build.
How to turn it back on
Follow the same path and tick Enhance pointer precision again, then select Apply and OK. Nothing is deleted when you turn it off, so you can switch back and forth while you decide which you prefer.
Pointer speed is a different setting
The most common mix-up: the Mouse pointer speed slider on the main Mouse settings page is not acceleration. The slider scales how far the pointer moves overall. Enhance pointer precision changes how movement speed affects that distance. Microsoft lists them as separate controls on the same page.
That matters after you turn acceleration off. The pointer may feel slower than before, and the cause is usually that you lost the extra travel you got from fast flicks. Raise the speed slider a notch or two, or raise your mouse's DPI, rather than turning acceleration back on out of frustration. Change one thing at a time so you know what did what.
Should you turn it off? It depends on the work
There is no universally correct answer, and Microsoft does not claim one. Here is how we would decide.
| Your use | Suggested setting | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive shooters and aim trainers | Off | Same hand movement gives the same distance, so muscle memory builds |
| Photo, video, CAD, or design work | Off | Predictable pointer travel helps with precise placement |
| Office work, browsing, spreadsheets | Either | Judge by comfort and how reliably you land on small targets |
| Small trackpad or a mouse used in tight desk space | Try on | Acceleration lets short movements cross a big monitor |
For desktop work, the test is simple. Spend a day with it off. If you keep overshooting small buttons or reaching for the mouse pad edge, turn it back on. For gaming, don't judge by cursor speed. Use a repeatable aim test: the same sensitivity, the same drill, a few minutes with the setting on and then off.
Why a game may ignore the Windows setting
This is the part most quick guides skip. Microsoft's engineering documentation on high-definition mouse movement describes two input paths. WM_MOUSEMOVE is built for natural pointer control and applies pointer ballistics (acceleration). WM_INPUT delivers movement from the mouse hardware without ballistics.
Games built on raw input, which many modern shooters use, read the WM_INPUT path. For them the Windows checkbox may make little or no difference to in-game aim. Games and menus that use the standard pointer path do respond to it. Your desktop, launchers, and any game's menu screens always do.
So the practical approach is layered:
- Turn off Enhance pointer precision in Windows, so the desktop and non-raw games behave consistently.
- Open the game's settings and look for Raw Input, Mouse Acceleration, and Mouse Smoothing. Enable raw input if offered, and turn off the others.
- Set sensitivity in the game, not just through DPI changes, and test with the same drill.
- Don't assume the Windows change alone controls every title.
If you are building a broader gaming setup, our guide to optimizing Windows 11 for gaming covers the other levers, and fixing FPS drops with frametime traces helps when the problem is smoothness rather than aim. Overlays can also add input lag and conflicts, so see how to disable overlays on Windows.
Browser games
Web games face the same issue. Web developers can ask the browser for movement without OS acceleration, using the unadjustedMovement option of pointer lock. web.dev documents the request, and whether it succeeds depends on browser support and the app. If it is unsupported, the app falls back to ordinary pointer lock. This is a fix at the application level and does not replace the desktop setting.
For most browser play, the Windows checkbox is what counts. In online chess, for example, steady pointer travel helps you drop a piece on the square you meant, and there is a whole discussion about handling mouse slips in rated chess that starts with the basics of a predictable pointer.
Perspective: measure first, then change
We build Tempered around one rule: no change should happen to your PC without your approval, an explanation, and a way back. Mouse acceleration is a good example of why.
It is a setting with real tradeoffs, not a defect. A tool that quietly flips it "for performance" would be guessing about your hand, your mouse, and your game. Turning it off helps one person and annoys another. That is why we recommend the same sequence we use for any tweak: identify what is actually wrong, change one thing, test, and keep the original value on record so you can undo it.
We also see people blame acceleration for problems that are something else: a mouse whose DPI button was bumped, a driver utility overriding Windows, or a game that reset its sensitivity after a patch. If the pointer feels off, isolate the layers in order. Windows checkbox, pointer speed, the mouse's DPI or manufacturer software, the game's input mode, then driver persistence. Measure, change, verify.
— Ian
If acceleration keeps coming back
Some users report that Enhance pointer precision turns itself on again after a reboot or an update, especially after moving from Windows 10 to Windows 11. The Microsoft Q&A thread on this problem suggests the cause is often a driver, conflicting configuration, or registry values rather than Windows deciding to re-enable it. Work through these in order.
- Recheck the checkbox. Confirm it is actually cleared in Pointer Options after a restart.
- Check pointer speed. A changed slider can feel like acceleration returned.
- Open the mouse maker's utility. Gaming mouse software often stores its own profiles and can apply settings at login. Make sure the profile matches what you want.
- Update or roll back the mouse driver. If the problem began right after an update, a changed driver is a prime suspect.
- Check for conflicting software. Remapping tools and other input utilities can interfere.
- Registry, last. The thread points to the user-level values MouseSpeed, MouseThreshold1, and MouseThreshold2. Microsoft warns that incorrect registry changes can cause serious problems and recommends backing up first. If you go here, write down the original values before you edit anything.
Skip registry cleaners and scheduled registry scripts. They add risk and rarely address the real cause, which is usually the driver or software layer.
Why is my mouse suddenly slow in Windows 11?
Before blaming acceleration, rule out the quieter causes. A low DPI setting, a changed pointer speed value, a game that reset its sensitivity, a wireless connection with low battery, and a driver or utility override can all feel like sluggishness. Microsoft's guidance lists pointer speed on the same Mouse settings page, which is the first place to look. Then check the DPI button on the mouse and the manufacturer software.
If the whole system is lagging, not just the pointer, the cause is probably elsewhere: background processes, startup load, or power settings. Our walkthrough on how to reset power settings in a minute is a quick check worth running.
Where Tempered fits
Mouse input is one small piece of how a PC feels. When the whole machine feels slow, Tempered reads live CPU, RAM, GPU, disk, and uptime numbers, explains in plain language what is holding performance back, and proposes specific changes for you to approve. Each change comes with an explanation and a one-click Undo, and nothing is applied without your say-so. It does not do registry cleaning or invent problems, and it is built to be anti-cheat safe for gamers. You can start on the free tier with limited AI scans. Torque starts at $5.99 per month and Torque Max at $12.99 per month, and you can compare them on the pricing page.
FAQ
Is it better to turn off mouse acceleration?
For gaming and precision work, usually yes, because a fixed response lets muscle memory build. For ordinary desktop use it is a preference. Microsoft describes the feature as helping accuracy during slow movement, so some people like it on. Try each setting for a day and keep what feels reliable.
Does disabling Enhance pointer precision work in every game?
No. Games that read raw input receive movement without pointer ballistics, so the Windows checkbox may have little or no effect on them. Check the game's own settings for raw input, smoothing, and acceleration options, and test with a repeatable drill.
How do I turn mouse acceleration back on?
Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse > Additional mouse settings > Pointer Options, tick Enhance pointer precision, then select Apply and OK. It does not need a restart or any extra software.
Will changing this setting hurt my PC?
No. It is a standard Windows option that you can toggle at any time. The only risky route is editing registry values by hand, which Microsoft says can cause serious problems if done incorrectly, so back up first and only do it after the normal checks fail.
Sources
- Change mouse settings, Microsoft Support
- Taking advantage of high-definition mouse movement, Microsoft Learn
- Windows 10 to Windows 11 update keeps activating Enhance pointer precision, Microsoft Q&A
- Disable mouse acceleration for FPS gaming, web.dev
- How (and Why) to Turn Off Mouse Acceleration on Windows 11, How-To Geek
- Disable Mouse Acceleration in Windows 11 Easily, Lifewire
- Windows 11's Settings app finally gets two popular mouse options, Neowin