How To Turn Off Mouse Acceleration On Mac (Disable Guide)

Are you struggling with the mouse behavior on your Macbook? Do you find it challenging to switch from one window to another?  

This behavior is caused by the mouse acceleration feature in your operating system. Basically, it allows your mouse to move faster with precision and accuracy. However, many people think this is an unnecessary behavior and find it hard to control their mouse. 

If you’re one of them, this article will show you how to turn off mouse acceleration on Mac and explain why this feature can be helpful to some.  

Importance Of Mouse Acceleration 

Mouse acceleration is an ergonomic feature found on most Mac operating systems that help increase the sensitivity of your mouse. This feature allows your mouse to move faster the bigger the distance it traveled. In addition, it aims to make controlling your mouse easier while allowing for precision and accuracy.  

Mouse acceleration is ideal for users who work in a small or restricted space as this feature allows them to quickly turn their mouse without needing to cover a large area. This feature can also be beneficial for programmers, office workers, and other people who require to navigate through various windows frequently.  

In gaming, mouse acceleration can be advantageous and not, depending on the users’ ability to control the mouse. Since it essentially accelerates your mouse speed, new users can find it challenging to control the cursor as it slows them down, especially if their muscle memory is trained for regular mouse speeds.

However, if a player can train themselves to control their mouse at an accelerated speed, it can become beneficial to their gameplay.  

Related: How To Improve Gaming Performance On A Laptop

Reasons Why People Turn Off Mouse Acceleration On Macs

With mouse acceleration, your cursor moves faster with small movements. This can be particularly annoying for users who require precision but already have the muscle memory to control their mouse.

Gamers, particularly First Person Shooter gamers, need precise mouse movements to ensure their aim is exactly where they want it. Mouse acceleration can disturb this accuracy simply because the cursor moves based on speed rather than the physical distance you covered.  

Disabling mouse acceleration allows you to move your cursor on a fixed amount, based entirely on your mouse’s physical movement. This gives you the control you need to improve your aim, whether for gaming or other things.

Your cursor movement will also feel more natural, giving you an immediate improvement when playing games.  

How To Turn Off Mouse Acceleration On Mac? (3 Methods Explained) 

By Default 

This is one of the easiest methods and will require you to type in a few lines to disable the mouse acceleration on your Mac. Here’s how you can disable it by default: