Frequently asked questions
How to run a scroll wheel test, how fast to scroll, why wheels go slow and how to change scroll speed or sensitivity.
How to test a scroll wheel?
Open this page, choose a duration and press Start, then scroll your mouse wheel up and down inside the test area at a normal, steady pace. The tool records every wheel event for the whole run and finishes with a 0-100 Wheel Health Score, reverse-spike count, stroke consistency analysis and encoder type. A 10 second run screens quickly; 30 to 60 seconds gives a confident diagnosis.
What is a scroll test?
A scroll test is a health check for your mouse wheel. The browser reports each wheel event with a vertical delta, a horizontal delta and a deltaMode, and the test measures how consistently those ticks arrive: whether any arrive reversed, whether each burst builds smoothly, and how tightly deltas cluster around the normal notch size of your wheel. The result is a score from 0 to 100, where 90 or above means a clean encoder.
How to perform a scroll wheel test?
Use a real mouse rather than a touchpad, hold the wheel between finger and thumb and scroll continuously while the timer runs. Scroll up and down as much as you like: deliberate direction changes are never held against you, and only an isolated opposite tick inside a consistent run counts as an encoder fault. Run the test a few times before and after cleaning the wheel so you can compare the scores.
How fast can I scroll test?
There is no target speed — record events at the pace you normally scroll, which is usually a few notches per second. Roll rather than hammer: flicking so fast that ticks blur together hides the bounce you are trying to detect. What matters is rhythm. Wheel speed should stay steady for the whole run, because sudden drops to zero events mean the encoder is skipping ticks.
Why is my scroll wheel slow?
Almost always a dirty encoder rather than a slow mouse. Dust, hair and skin oil build up in the wheel well, so the contacts miss notches and the page falls behind your finger. Wireless battery drain, a busy browser tab or a low lines-per-notch setting can add to it. Cleaning with compressed air and isopropyl alcohol restores most wheels in a couple of minutes.
Can I make my scroll wheel faster?
Yes. Raise the number of lines scrolled per notch in your operating system mouse settings, enable smooth or accelerated scrolling, and clean the encoder so no ticks are dropped. If your mouse has a free-spin or infinite-scroll mode, unlocking it turns small flicks into long glides. Vendor software on gaming mice also lets you set a custom scroll step.
How to reduce scroll wheel sensitivity?
Lower the scroll speed in your OS: in Windows set a smaller number of lines per notch under Mouse settings, and on macOS reduce scrolling speed in System Settings. On a gaming mouse, use the vendor software to set a shorter scroll step and to disable tilt-wheel or acceleration. If the jumps come from reversed ticks rather than a setting, the encoder needs cleaning, not reconfiguring.
How to scroll quickly?
For long pages, raise the lines per notch, switch a free-spin wheel into unlocked mode and flick instead of rolling, or drag the scrollbar directly. Keyboard shortcuts are faster still: Space or Page Down jumps a screen at a time, the arrow keys nudge line by line, and Home and End jump to the top or bottom. Run a scroll wheel test afterwards to confirm the wheel still reports every tick.
Still not sure what your numbers mean?
The metrics guide breaks down every value on the dashboard and in the report.