14 DAY TRIAL // As a basic input method, the mouse has greatly evolved throughout the years, and even if touch-sensitive devices are taking over, and virtual reality headsets are knocking at our door, the little device is sure to hang on for a little while longer.
It’s the virtual you use to control stuff on your computer, with Windows offering some enhancements by default, with some more or less helpful than others.
Managing your mouse is a simple task, but the fact that you knew about it probably made you overlook a few helpful features. Let’s go back to the Control Panel and review a few options you can use to your advantage.
There’s a feature called Enhanced pointer precision that Windows enables by default. It tracks the movement speed in an attempt to slow it up or make it go faster when trying to reach an area of interest, just so you don’t miss it. However, gamers are highly-affected by this feature, which sadly toggles itself back on after some time, with no option to permanently disable it, but registries can be tweaked in this regard.
Get rid of enhanced precision
Step 1: Go to the Control Panel and access Mouse under the Hardware and Sound category.
Step 2: In the Pointer Options tab, uncheck the Enhanced pointer precision box. Note that it gets enabled again after some time.
Step 3: Use Win + R and write down regedit to launch the registry editor.
Step 4: Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER -> Control Panel -> Mouse
Step 5: Look for the MouseSpeed, MouseThreshold1, and MouseThreshold2 fields. These determine extra mouse acceleration, but modify them at your own risk.
Step 6: Modify values until you find the ones that suit you best. It’s recommended to write down default values just in case something goes wrong.
In theory, this makes your mouse move exactly as much as you need it to. Oh, and while you’re in the pointer settings, remember the option to leave trails? How about the one that automatically places the cursor over an action button? We bet you also forgot you can view its location by pressing the Ctrl key.
