What lift-off distance should I use?
The lowest setting that tracks cleanly on your pad, and on most mice that means Low or 1 mm. Across 11 current mice TechPowerUp measured, the low settings all stopped tracking under 1.2 mm, on seven the top setting was the only one that tracked at 1.2 mm, and not one setting on any of them tracked at 2.4 mm. The real choice is not 1 mm against 2 mm. It is under 1.2 mm against 1.2 to 2.4 mm.
Use the lowest setting that tracks cleanly on your pad, which on most mice is Low or 1 mm. TechPowerUp measured lift-off distance on 11 current mice. On seven of them only the top setting still tracked 1.2 mm above the surface, on two no setting did, and not one setting on any of the 11 tracked at 2.4 mm. Move up a step only if the cursor stutters or drops out during normal movement.
Lift-off distance by setting, 11 mice
TechPowerUp does not give lift-off distance as a single figure. It checks whether the sensor still tracks one DVD (1.2 mm) above the surface, and then two (2.4 mm), so each result is a band. That is coarse, but it is the same test on every mouse, which no manufacturer's label is.
| Mouse | Settings offered | Under 1.2 mm | 1.2 to 2.4 mm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logitech Pro X Superlight 2 | Low, Medium, High | Low, Medium | High |
| Logitech Pro X2 Superstrike | Low, Medium, High | Low, Medium | High |
| Razer Viper V3 Pro | Low, Medium, High, plus asymmetric cut-off | Low, Medium | High |
| Razer Viper V4 Pro | Low, Middle, High | Low, Middle | High |
| G-Wolves HTX Ultra | Low, Middle, High | Low, Middle | High |
| Pulsar X2N Crazylight | 0.7, 1, 2 mm | 0.7, 1 mm | 2 mm |
| Glorious Model D3 Wireless | 0.7, 1, 2 mm | 0.7, 1 mm | 2 mm |
| LAMZU Maya X | 0.7, 1, 2 mm | All three | None |
| Endgame Gear OP1 8K V2 | Eleven, 0.7 to 1.7 mm | 0.7 to 0.9 mm (1.0 and 1.1 mm tracked sporadically) | 1.2 to 1.7 mm |
| Vaxee NP-01S V3 Wireless | Low, Default, Medium, Medium-High, High | Low, Default, Medium (Medium-High tracked intermittently) | High |
| ASUS ROG Harpe II Ace | Low, High, surface presets, manual calibration | Low and High, uncalibrated default | None |
Seven of the 11 follow one pattern: the top setting lands between 1.2 and 2.4 mm and everything else below 1.2 mm. The Endgame Gear and the Vaxee have finer steps, so more than one setting reaches the band, with the steps nearest 1.2 mm tracking only now and then. The LAMZU and the ASUS never reached 1.2 mm on any setting.
Why "1 mm or 2 mm" is the wrong question
Two answers circulate. One says lower is always better, the other says 2 mm is the forgiving, stable choice. Both treat the label as a height. Seven of the 11 mice do not label a height at all, only Low, Medium and High, and where a label is in millimetres it is nominal. On the Pulsar, the Glorious and the Endgame Gear the millimetre labels land where they say, but the LAMZU Maya X's "2 mm" setting did not track at 1.2 mm. TechPowerUp confirmed the Maya X's adjustment works "through other means", so its three steps are real, just all short.
The useful reading is relative. On most mice the bottom two settings sit below a DVD's thickness and the top one sits above it. Choosing Low over Medium changes things by less than 1.2 mm, and on the Vaxee the lower steps differ by about 0.1 mm each. Choosing the top setting is the one step that reliably changes the band.
Lower is better, with one condition: the sensor must still track. A cut-off below 1.2 mm means less cursor movement while you lift and reposition, which matters most at low sensitivity, where you lift constantly (see high versus low sensitivity). The high setting is a fallback for a surface the low one cannot read, not a comfort option.
When to go higher
Lift-off distance depends on the surface as well as the setting. TechPowerUp adds to every result that LOD "may vary slightly depending on the mousing surface", and Razer's Focus+ sensor page says older sensors had to be calibrated each time you changed surface or the lift-off distance became inconsistent. So the setting that works on one pad can drop out on another.
- Start on the lowest setting.
- Make slow, small movements and fast swipes across the whole pad. Watch for stutter, skipped movement or a cursor that stops dead.
- If it drops out, go up one step and test again. Stop at the first step that tracks cleanly.
- Re-test when you change pad, and when the skates wear, because worn skates sit the mouse lower and change the height the sensor sees.
Changing pad type is the commonest reason to re-test: a cloth, hybrid or glass pad is a different surface to the sensor. Some mice handle this with calibration. The ASUS Harpe II Ace has pre-calibrated surface presets, and TechPowerUp found a manual calibration "may lower LOD beyond the default".
Asymmetric cut-off: lift-off and landing apart
Some mice set the height where tracking stops on the way up separately from where it starts on the way down. Razer calls this asymmetric cut-off, and TechPowerUp notes that on the Viper V3 Pro it "allows for a higher lift-off distance while keeping the landing distance low". Razer's advice on the landing side is that "you'd want this to be as low as possible so that less cursor drift occurs as your mouse touches the surface". If your mouse has it and the low setting drops out, raise lift-off first and leave landing at its lowest.
Where the setting lives
On the Logitech HERO 2 mice, G HUB's Advanced options set Low, Medium or High for each DPI slot, so a slot you rarely use can carry a different LOD from your main one. Check every slot you use. On Zowie's EC-A, FK, ZA, EC-C, FK-C, ZA-C and S-C series it is set with buttons: unplug the mouse, then hold buttons 4 and 1 while reconnecting it for the lower LOD, 5 and 1 for medium, or 4, 1 and 2 for higher.
Where this stops applying
A DVD is a coarse ruler. "Under 1.2 mm" covers both a sensor that stops at 0.6 mm and one that stops at 1.1 mm, so this table cannot rank the low settings against each other. Each result also comes from one review sample on TechPowerUp's pads, and your pad and skates will move the figures slightly. Older sensors without automatic calibration may behave differently. For why lift-off distance is the one sensor spec still worth reading when the rest are beyond what a hand can fault, see our sensor guide.
What to do
- Set the lowest lift-off distance your mouse offers.
- Step up one level only if tracking drops out on your pad. On seven of the 11 mice, the top step was the only one that tracked at 1.2 mm.
- Read the labels as relative, not as heights: a "2 mm" setting measured anywhere from under 1.2 mm to 2.4 mm.
- With asymmetric cut-off, keep landing at its lowest and raise lift-off if you need to.
Frequently asked questions
Is 1 mm or 2 mm lift-off distance better?
1 mm, unless your mouse drops out on your pad. On the Pulsar X2N Crazylight and Glorious Model D3 Wireless, TechPowerUp found the 1 mm setting stopped tracking under 1.2 mm and the 2 mm setting between 1.2 and 2.4 mm. A lower cut-off means less cursor movement while you lift and reposition, and the higher setting is the fallback for a surface the low one cannot track.
Is the 2 mm setting really 2 mm?
Not reliably. The labels are nominal. On the LAMZU Maya X the 2 mm setting did not track at 1.2 mm at all, while on the Pulsar X2N Crazylight and Glorious Model D3 Wireless the 2 mm setting landed somewhere between 1.2 and 2.4 mm. TechPowerUp also notes LOD varies slightly with the pad.
What is the difference between Low and Medium lift-off distance?
Less than a DVD's thickness. On the Logitech Pro X Superlight 2, Pro X2 Superstrike, Razer Viper V3 Pro and V4 Pro and G-Wolves HTX Ultra, both Low and Medium stopped tracking below 1.2 mm. TechPowerUp confirmed by other means that they do differ on the Viper V4 Pro and HTX Ultra, and on the Vaxee NP-01S V3 Wireless the steps are about 0.1 mm apart.
What landing distance should I use with asymmetric cut-off?
As low as it will go while still tracking. Razer says you want the landing distance "as low as possible so that less cursor drift occurs as your mouse touches the surface". The lift-off side can then sit higher if you need it to.