Double click test

The big number is how many of your buttons went down and came up without any bounce. For this page the more useful figures are in the details: how many times each button went down, how many possible bounces there were, and the shortest double click. Slow, single clicks are the real test. If you pressed five times, slowly, and the page heard five, your switch is behaving. If it heard six or seven, a press was counted twice.

A double click you made on purpose is two presses, and the page should show two. What matters is the case where you pressed once and the page shows two close together. Repeat the slow test a few times: one odd press can be a slip of the finger, but a button that does it again and again is wearing out. For orientation, the result sets your quickest pair beside the default limit of Windows, which counts two clicks as one double click when they come within 500 ms (as the documentation states it)^[1] of each other^[1]; anyone can change it, and other systems choose their own.

A mouse button sits on a small switch, and a worn switch can close twice when you press it once. The mouse sends two presses to the computer, so every program hears two clicks, and the page hears them too. That is why this page can show the problem. What it cannot see is why: dirt, wear and a driver setting can all give the same signs.

Another thing it cannot see is the double click speed of your system. Your computer decides how close together two clicks must be to count as a double click, and that setting is not the same on every machine. You can read about us to see who makes the site.

The classic sign is a click that does the work of two: a file that opens when you only wanted to select it, a drag that drops at once, or a game that fires twice. It is most often the left button, which gets the most use. If the page confirms it, you have found the cause, and these are the usual next steps.

• Clean around the button with a soft brush or compressed air, since dust can interfere with a switch.
• Check the mouse software of the maker for a setting that gives the button another job or changes how fast it reacts.
• Try the mouse on another computer to learn whether the mouse or the computer is at fault.
• If it is under guarantee, ask the maker to repair or replace it. The switch can often be replaced by someone who can solder.

Very quick clicking can look like a bounce. Two fingers taking turns, or one finger bouncing off the button, give presses very close together. If you are not sure, click again with a clear pause and a light touch. A bounce that appears even then is much more likely to be the switch. For the other buttons and the wheel, the mouse tester checks them all.