Keyboard Polling Rate Test
Hold a key and measure how fast it repeats — your keyboard repeat rate in Hz.
Click the box to focus it, then press and hold a character key(a letter or number). When the key starts auto-repeating, the tool measures how many repeats arrive per second — your keyboard's repeat rate in Hz.
Instantaneous repeat rate over time — flat and steady once the OS repeat kicks in.
What this measures: the key repeat rate — how fast a held key auto-repeats — which is set by your operating system(adjustable in its keyboard settings), typically 20–30 Hz. Browsers cannot read a keyboard's true hardware scan/polling rate, so use this to compare relative repeat behavior, not as a hardware specification.
This free online keyboard polling rate test measures your key repeat rate — how many times a held key repeats per second, in Hz. Hold down a character key and the tool times the gap between repeats to show your live rate, repeat interval, initial delay, and max and average. It is the keyboard equivalent of checking a mouse's report rate.
Want input lag instead of repeat speed? Measure your key processing delay with the Keyboard Latency Test.Keyboard Polling Rate Test Guide
What Does This Test Measure?
When you hold a key down, your operating system repeats it — that is how holding a letter types it over and over. This tool measures that repeat rate in Hertz (Hz): the number of repeats per second. It also reports the repeat interval (the time between repeats) and the initial delay before repeating begins. Together these describe exactly how a held key behaves on your system.
Repeat Rate vs Hardware Scan Rate
It is important to be clear about what a browser can and cannot see. A keyboard's hardware scan rate(sometimes marketed as its polling rate) is how often the keyboard's own controller checks the key matrix — and that figure is not exposed to web pages. A single key press only ever sends one event to the browser. The number this test shows is the operating-system repeat rate, which you can change in your OS settings. It is a useful, real measurement of how your held keys behave, but it is not a measure of your keyboard hardware's scanning frequency.
How to Use the Test
- 1. Click inside the test box so it captures your key presses.
- 2. Press and hold a character key — a letter or a number.
- 3. Wait through the short initial delay until the key starts auto-repeating.
- 4. Keep holding and watch the live repeat rate, chart, and statistics settle.
- 5. Release the key and press Reset to clear the run and try another key.
What the Numbers Mean
| Metric | What it means |
|---|---|
| Repeat Rate (Hz) | How many times the held key repeats each second — the headline number. |
| Repeat Interval (ms) | The time between two repeats — the inverse of the rate. |
| Initial Delay (ms) | The pause before repeating starts, so a quick tap types only once. |
| Max / Average Hz | The peak and mean repeat rate measured across your run. |
Adjusting Your Repeat Rate
- • Windows: Control Panel → Keyboard → set Repeat rate and Repeat delay.
- • macOS: System Settings → Keyboard → Key Repeat and Delay Until Repeat.
- • Linux: Settings → Keyboard, or run
xset r rate 200 30for a 200 ms delay and 30 Hz rate. - • A faster repeat rate and shorter delay help in menus and text editing; some gamers slow it down to avoid accidental repeats.
Frequently Asked Questions
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