If you want to have clean headshots in your favorite shooting game then you landed on the correct page!
Don’t worry, because a few quick modifications in your mouse DPI or sensitivity will fix these issues.
What is Mouse DPI?
DPI stands for dots per inch. It is the measurement of Mouse sensitivity, which allows the user to make the tiniest movements with their mouse for moving the cursor farther. Mainly gaming mice have higher DPI, while other mice have the DPI capability range of about 1600.
Here, you will get to know about how to change your mouse dpi and what Mouse DPI is best for you.
So, let’s get started.
Why Change the DPI On Mouse?
Change in Mouse DPI is necessary for moving the cursor slower or faster than the usual movement. Many gaming mice have additional buttons on the mouse that can help adjust the sensitivity without even going to the Control Panel.
When you buy a mouse online, you’ll most likely see these DPI numbers in the product specifications page.
For buying gaming Mouse, you should keep in mind that:
The higher the DPI number, the more sensitive your mouse will be
I often get asked a simple question:
What is CPI in mouse?
The term CPI in the case of mouse stands for Count Per Inch, which generally means the mouse’s sensitivity, and it’s the same as DPI.
The products from steel series have such names for better marketing.
You might think, only gamers need DPI adjustment feature.
But that’s not true.
Many Graphic designers, architects, and other people who work on computers can immensely be benefitted by adjusting their mouse sensitivity.
I myself change the mouse DPI while surfing through the internet browser. It becomes a habit when you have awesome features like changing mouse DPI.
You might ask:
What are the advantages of Higher mouse DPI?
Higher mouse DPI lets you move the cursor further than it usually does for your normal mouse movements. If you are in a shooting game and need to move the shooting pointer very quickly, you’ll need to increase the DPI of your mouse.
What are the advantages of lower DPI in mouse?
Lower DPI means your cursor will move less for the normal movement of your mouse. This feature is useful for people who are doing precise tasks with their mouse-like using in photoshop or sniping in FPS games.
Sometimes, you don’t even know what you are missing until you try something fresh. So let’s get to know how you can change your mouse sensitivity easily.
How To Change Mouse DPI
If you have a gaming mouse, Then you can change the DPI of your mouse by pressing the DPI on-the-fly button or DPI button. Otherwise, you have to change it from windows settings (more on that later).
Here are the methods to change dpi of the mouse:
If you have a mouse that has the DPI on-the-fly button/switch, you can directly change the mouse DPI with that button. The mouse LCD will briefly display the new DPI setting.
Here are the steps to use the dpi changer button:
1. Locate the on-the-fly DPI button on your mouse which is normally on the top of the mouse body right below the scroll wheel.
2. Install the controlling app for the mouse. In this app you will find option to set different DPI settings according to your needs.
3. Press the button to change DPI for the mouse having a single DPI button. For pressing that button the mouse will cycle through the DPI settings
If your mouse has two DPI buttons then one is for increasing and another one is for decreasing the Mouse DPI which I think is more convenient than cycling through the settings.
Easy, isn’t it?!
Some mice provides a notification pop up feature that will tell you what’s the current DPI of your gaming mouse.
But what to do if you don’t have that button on your mouse?
Don’t worry.
Check the next method.
2. Adjust Mouse Sensitivity from Windows Settings
You can also change the mouse DPI in the mouse settings of the Control Panel. I have provided this step for mice that do not have any DPI changing button.
- Go to Control Panel and pick View by Small icons or View by Large icons.
- Click on the Mouse tab to open Mouse Properties.
- Select Pointer Options tab.
- Drag the slide to select a pointer speed suitable for your mouse from the motion box.
- Make sure you uncheck the box next to Enhance pointer precision.
- Move the pointer speed bar and hit apply to see if the DPI is suitable for you or not.
- Find your desire pointer speed, click OK to save changes.
Bonus: If you are in the settings page right now you can see that there’s a hide pointer while typing button.
You can enable it to reduce distraction form your day to day task.
What DPI Should I Use For Gaming?
It’s good to have a mouse of higher DPI if you are a Gamer. For most consumers, 6000 DPI should be enough. But It totally depends on a gamer’s choice whether he needs more DPI or not. So, the manufacturers keep the option of selling expensive gaming mice having a DPI over 10,000.
That’s insane!
But having the ability to change DPI is obviously a plus point.
On the other hand you won’t need to think much about the lower DPI a mouse can adjust to.
Most gaming mouse comes with the same lowest DPI range which is 200 dots per inch.
Again if you are interested to have a better shooting experience in FPS games.
Steps To Enable Mouse Acceleration In Windows 10
Enabling mouse acceleration is easier than turning it off.
Here are the steps to enable mouse acceleration on your Windows PC:
- Search for mouse in the search bar of cortana. Click on Additional mouse options.
- Go to the Pointer Options tab
- Check the Enhance pointer precision then hit Apply then OK.
And that’s it. You have enabled mouse acceleration of your computer.
How to improve mouse performance
A good mouse is needed in our day to day life. Not just for gaming, but for official works as well.
Suppose you are in an office delivering a presentation, and your mouse is not working as expected.
What to do?
Worry not! You can easily improve your mouse performance in seconds.
Here are the steps to improve the performance of your mouse:
1. Change Mouse Sensitivity Settings
This step is for gamers who wants to improve their mouse performances to improve their shooting skills.
Go to the in-game settings and change the X-axis sensitivity and Y-axis sensitivity of the mouse.
The settings will vary from game to game.
2. Update Mouse Drivers
An outdated or corrupted mouse driver can cause degradation of your mouse performance. So, it is better to keep all device drivers up to date.
Go to your manufacturer’s website and the latest version of the driver and install it on your computer. Restart the computer to save changes.
Fix Bad Aiming in Shooting Games
How can a gamer use mouse acceleration and not face problem while playing game?
I don’t have it’s solution.
But wait. I can provide you something else that can solve your problem.
You might be asking?
If you use a gaming mouse then you will have a DPI or a CPI button that will help you adjust the speed of the movement of the cursor. As a result you won’t need to use mouse acceleration you can simply control the speed of the mouse by using a dpi changeable gaming mouse.
As a result you will have precise movement as well as you won’t face any problem in moving your mouse. You will be able to adjust the speed of your mouse and also have accurate targets for disabling mouse acceleration at the same time.
Final Thoughts
It’s true that everyone does not need or want a higher mouse sensitivity. If you’re used to using your mouse with a low sensitivity, then altering your mouse sensitivity will only confuse you.
If you don’t want to change the mouse sensitivity, there is also a way to enhance your mouse performance.
You can check if your Mouse driver is up to date. This will increase the sensitivity of your mouse.
Still, not everyone needs an amazingly promoted mouse.
So my recommendation would be to figure out what type of mouse you need and set your preferences likewise.
