To change double-click speed, open the setting for your system:
- Windows 11: Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Mouse → Additional mouse settings → Buttons → Double-click speed.
- Windows 10: Settings → Devices → Mouse → Additional mouse options → Buttons → Double-click speed.
- macOS: Apple menu → System Settings → Accessibility → Pointer Control → Double-click speed.
Move toward Slow to allow more time between clicks, or toward Fast to require a quicker pair. On Windows, select OK to save. The paths are documented in Microsoft Support: Change mouse settings and Apple Support: Change Pointer Control settings. This setting controls how quickly two clicks must follow each other to count as a double-click; it does not repair a mouse that sends extra presses.
Windows shortcut: open Mouse Properties with main.cpl
In Windows 11 or Windows 10, press Windows + R, enter main.cpl, and press Enter. This opens the Mouse Control Panel dialog. Select Buttons, then adjust Double-click speed. Microsoft identifies the Mouse applet in its Control Panel reference.
Use the folder beside the slider to try your normal double-click rhythm. If a comfortable pair fails, move toward Slow and try again. If separate clicks are being grouped too easily, move toward Fast. Keep the pointer steady while testing, then select OK. There is no need to edit the registry.
On a Mac, use Accessibility → Pointer Control
In Pointer Control, adjust the Double-click speed slider, then try opening a folder in Finder with your usual rhythm. Return to the slider if the pair is still difficult to complete. Apple places this control with the mouse and trackpad accessibility options; the tracking-speed slider changes pointer movement instead. Apple’s guide to tracking, double-click and scrolling speed explains these separate controls. The path here uses the current System Settings interface.
Documented times: Windows recognition vs CPSKit chatter checks
The OS double-click time is the allowed gap for recognizing an intentional pair. CPSKit’s chatter threshold is a separate filter for unusually short gaps during deliberate single-click checks. A larger OS time makes slower double-clicks possible; a larger CPSKit threshold flags more intervals for inspection. Neither value is a measurement of switch health.
| Setting | Value | Meaning and source |
|---|---|---|
| Official Windows documentation | ||
| Default double-click time | 500 ms | The default used when the setter receives zero. Source: Microsoft Learn: SetDoubleClickTime. |
| Documented API maximum | 5,000 ms | Larger setter inputs are capped here; the getter documents the same maximum. Sources: SetDoubleClickTime and GetDoubleClickTime. |
| CPSKit double-click test: source-code settings | ||
| Lower filter option | 40 ms | Flags nonnegative gaps below 40 ms. Source: CheckWorkbench / shortIntervals. |
| Exploratory default | 80 ms | Flags nonnegative gaps below 80 ms. Source: CheckWorkbench / shortIntervals. |
| Higher filter option | 120 ms | Flags nonnegative gaps below 120 ms. Source: CheckWorkbench / shortIntervals. |
Method: We compiled the Windows rows from the named Microsoft Learn pages, retrieved 2026-10-30, and compared them with the CPSKit source inspected on that date. These are documented values and code settings, not measurements from a computer. The API maximum does not establish the endpoints of the Windows slider. Apple’s linked guides do not give a numeric default or range, so no macOS millisecond value is assigned here.
CPSKit offers thresholds of 40, 80 and 120 ms, with 80 ms selected by default. It flags gaps shorter than the selected threshold; an equal gap is not flagged. It counts intervals between presses, not OS double-click events. See threshold examples.
CPSKit source: CheckWorkbench.tsx and measurement.ts (shortIntervals), checked 2026-10-30.
How to check the change worked
- Check the OS action first. On Windows, use the folder in Mouse Properties, then a folder in File Explorer configured to open on double-click. On macOS, use a Finder folder. Try a comfortable double-click with the pointer still. This checks whether the setting suits the action you wanted to fix.
- Check unwanted extra presses separately. Open the CPSKit double-click test, choose a threshold, select Start check, and make at least five deliberate, separate left-button clicks inside the pad. Avoid intentional double-clicks. Select Finish run.
- Repeat under the same conditions. Keep the same threshold and click method when comparing runs. Record the actual result; do not treat a flagged gap as proof of hardware failure or a clear run as proof that every future click will be fine. The short browser-check guide covers the symptom, and the chatter reference explains how to interpret the record.
Browser limit: A normal web page cannot read or change your OS double-click setting. CPSKit cannot confirm the slider position or retrieve its millisecond value. Its short-interval count can stay the same after you change the OS setting because its own threshold is independent.
Frequently asked questions
What is the default double-click speed in Windows?
Microsoft documents a default double-click time of 500 ms in SetDoubleClickTime. That is the default the API uses when passed zero, not a reading of your current configuration. Your setting may have been changed.
Does double-click speed affect gaming CPS?
Changing the allowed time for a pair does not make you press faster. Our CPS test counts accepted presses over its timed run; it does not use the OS double-click time to score them. A game can interpret input differently, so judge its behavior in that game. Double-click speed is also separate from a mouse firmware debounce setting.
Why does my mouse double-click even after changing the speed?
The setting changes how clicks are grouped; it does not remove extra press events. If one intended press repeatedly produces extra events, investigate the input path, mouse software and possible switch chatter. If a file opens on a single click without extra events, check whether the file manager is configured for single-click opening. Start with why a single click can become two and the double-click troubleshooting guide. A failed settings adjustment alone does not identify a faulty component.
Can a website set the best double-click speed for me?
No. Browser tools can observe the input events they receive, but cannot read or adjust this OS preference. Choose a setting that recognizes your comfortable double-click rhythm in the application you use. A chatter filter is not a recommended OS speed.