Primary tool

Mouse Lift-Off Distance (LOD) Tester

Move your mouse in the tracking area, lift and reposition it — the tool measures cursor displacement each time.

Mouse Lift-Off Distance Test

Q: What counts as a good LOD?

For competitive FPS gaming, very low LOD — shown as less than 5px cursor shift in this test — is ideal. Players who use low sensitivity and frequently lift to reposition benefit most. For casual use, medium LOD (15–30px) is perfectly fine and makes no practical difference.

Q: Why does my LOD vary between tests?

Lift speed, angle, and surface texture all affect LOD readings. A fast, straight lift produces less sensor drift than a slow angled lift. Test 10+ times at your natural lifting speed for an accurate average.

Move, lift, and reposition your mouse 5 times to get an averaged LOD classification

Instructions: Move your mouse inside the tracking area below. Lift it off your mouse pad and put it back down. Repeat 5 times — the tool calculates the average cursor drift on each lift.

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Avg Displacement (px)

Lifts Recorded

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Last Lift (px)

Move your mouse in this area, then lift off the mouse pad

Lift displacement history

This test runs entirely in your browser. No data is collected or transmitted.

No Hardware Tools

No ruler or sensor equipment — just your browser and mouse

Real Displacement Tracking

Measures actual cursor offset between lift and reentry point

5-Lift Average

Averages five lifts for a reliable, repeatable result

Works with Any Mouse

USB, Bluetooth, wired, or wireless — any pointing device

What Is Mouse Lift-Off Distance (LOD)?

Lift-off distance (LOD) is the height above a surface at which a mouse's optical or laser sensor stops tracking. When you physically lift your mouse off the pad, the sensor continues reading the surface briefly as the mouse rises — during this brief window the cursor can drift from where you intended to stop. LOD is often measured in millimetres of physical height, but the effect is better understood as cursor displacement in pixels: how far does the cursor move from your lift point to where it appears after you put the mouse back down A sensor with very low LOD stops tracking almost immediately when the mouse clears the surface — typically within 0.5–1 mm — so the cursor barely moves. A sensor with high LOD may continue tracking up to 3–5 mm above the surface, causing the cursor to drift unpredictably mid-reposition. Modern gaming mice with Pixart PAW3395, PMW3370, or HERO sensors tend to have very low LOD by default, while older or budget sensors can exhibit significantly higher LOD.

Why LOD Matters for FPS Gamers

In first-person shooters played at low sensitivity — a common setup for precise aim — players must frequently lift and reposition the mouse to stay within the physical bounds of their mouse pad. This motion is called a "flick repositioning" or "mouse lift." At low sensitivity settings the conversion from physical movement to in-game aim rotation is small, so even a few pixels of cursor drift during a lift translates into a visible aim jump when the mouse is returned to the surface. In a competitive match this drift can mean the difference between a pixel-perfect headshot and a miss. High LOD mice effectively create a random aim error on every repositioning lift, which undermines muscle memory built from thousands of hours of practice. Low LOD (<1mm / <5px in this test) eliminates this variable entirely. Casual gaming or mice used at high sensitivity are much less affected because repositioning lifts are less frequent and the proportional drift is smaller relative to the larger pixel-per-mm ratio.

High LOD vs Low LOD — Which Is Better?

The answer depends entirely on use case. For competitive FPS gaming at low sensitivity, lower is always better — a Very Low LOD rating (under 5px in this test) is the gold standard. The best gaming mice achieve this with tuned sensor firmware that aggressively cuts tracking at minimal lift height. For casual gaming and everyday desktop use, LOD makes no practical difference. The cursor drift during occasional repositioning is barely noticeable and has zero impact on productivity tasks. Some users actually prefer a slightly higher LOD because it smooths out accidental micro-lifts caused by wrist movement on thick cloth pads. Surface type matters more than you might expect: gaming mice paired with ultra-smooth hard pads (like Artisan or Hayate Otsu) often exhibit measurably lower effective LOD than the same mouse on a thick woven cloth pad, because the sensor angle relative to the surface changes less during the lift. This test measures your real-world LOD on whatever surface you use — which is the number that actually matters.

Avg Displacement	LOD Rating	Suitability
< 5 px	Very Low LOD	Excellent for competitive FPS gaming
5 – 15 px	Low LOD	Good for most gaming use cases
15 – 30 px	Medium LOD	Acceptable — casual gaming fine
> 30 px	High LOD	May cause aim drift — check sensor settings

How to Reduce Your Mouse's LOD

If this test shows High or Medium LOD and you want to improve it, there are several practical approaches. Switch to a hard mouse pad: hard pads (acrylic, aluminum, or glass) present a perfectly flat surface that the sensor reads at a consistent angle, which tends to produce lower LOD than thick woven cloth. Popular hard pads include the Artisan Zero, SteelSeries QcK Hard, and Glorious G-HardPad. Replace mouse feet: aftermarket PTFE (Teflon) feet are thinner than stock feet on many mice, which slightly lowers the sensor-to-surface distance and can reduce effective LOD by 0.3–0.8mm. Brands like Tiger Arc, Hyperglide, and Corepad are popular choices. Check mouse software/firmware settings: some gaming mice expose an LOD adjustment in their companion software — Logitech G Hub, Razer Synapse, and SteelSeries GG all include LOD sliders on supported models. Set this to the lowest option. Mouse bungee: a cable bungee lifts the USB cable off the desk so it does not create resistance or drag that causes unintended lifts during fast flicks. While not directly affecting sensor LOD, it reduces accidental micro-lifts caused by cable tension.

Frequently Asked Questions

What counts as a "good" LOD?

For competitive FPS gaming, very low LOD (less than 5px cursor shift) is ideal. For casual use, medium LOD is perfectly fine. Only players using very low sensitivity who frequently lift and reposition the mouse will notice the difference.

Why does my LOD vary between tests?

Lift speed, angle, and surface texture all affect readings. A fast straight lift produces less sensor drift than a slow angled one. Test 10+ times at your natural lifting speed for an accurate average.

Does mouse pad material affect LOD?

Yes — rough cloth pads can increase effective LOD compared to hard pads because the surface texture catches the sensor at a shallower angle. Hard pads provide a flatter surface that tends to give lower and more consistent LOD readings.

Can I test LOD on a laptop trackpad?

This tool is designed for external mice with optical or laser sensors. Laptop trackpads do not have lift-off distance in the same physical sense — they detect finger presence via capacitance rather than optical surface reflection.

My cursor barely moves when I lift — is my LOD very low?

Yes! Less than 5px average displacement means your mouse has excellent low LOD. This is ideal for FPS gaming. Most modern gaming mice with high-end sensors have very low LOD by default, especially when used on hard mouse pads.

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Mouse Lift-Off Distance (LOD) Tester

Mouse Lift-Off Distance Test

What Is Mouse Lift-Off Distance (LOD)?

Why LOD Matters for FPS Gamers

High LOD vs Low LOD — Which Is Better?

How to Reduce Your Mouse's LOD

Frequently Asked Questions

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