Keyboard Latency Test
A browser cannot measure true keyboard latency, the time from your finger pressing a key to the computer receiving it. What it can measure is shown here: how long the browser takes from the key event to the next frame, how long you hold each key, the time between presses and your auto-repeat setting.
Key timing test
You need a physical keyboard for this test. On a phone or tablet, connect a keyboard by Bluetooth or USB first. The on-screen keyboard of a phone does not report which physical key you pressed.
Press any key 20 times at an easy pace. Then hold one key for two seconds to measure your auto-repeat setting.
Press any key here
| Key | Event to code | Event to frame | Hold |
|---|
Result
How it works
Press keys on your keyboard. Each key lights up on the picture while you hold it and stays teal once it has worked. The page reads the key events your browser already gives every web page and never sends them anywhere.
This test needs JavaScript. The explanations below work without it.
How to do it
- Click once in the test area.
- Press any key 20 times at an easy pace.
- Hold one key down for two seconds to measure auto-repeat.
- Read the medians and the result.
What is measured
- Event to code: from the time stamp the browser gives the key event to the moment this page’s code runs.
- Event to frame: from that time stamp to the next frame the browser prepares. This depends mostly on your screen refresh rate and how busy the computer is.
- Hold: from key down to key up, which is your own finger.
- Repeat delay and rate: how long you must hold a key before it repeats, and how fast it then repeats. Both are system settings.
What a browser cannot measure
The time inside the keyboard (scanning and debounce), the USB or wireless link, the operating system before the browser and the screen after the frame are all invisible to a web page. Real end-to-end latency needs special hardware, such as a high-speed camera or a sensor on the key and the screen.
So use the numbers here to compare setups on the same computer, for example wired against wireless or one browser against another, not as the latency of the keyboard alone. We do not show an invented keyboard latency figure.
Frequently asked questions
Can a website measure keyboard latency?
Not the full latency. A website only sees the key event after the keyboard, its connection and the operating system have handled it. It can measure the browser’s own part, from event to the next frame, and timing such as hold time and auto-repeat.
What is a good result here?
The event to frame time is mostly your screen refresh: at 60 Hz a new frame comes about every 16.7 ms, at 144 Hz about every 6.9 ms. Large jumps between presses mean the computer or browser was busy.
How do I change key repeat delay?
On Windows, open Control Panel, Keyboard and set Repeat delay and Repeat rate. On a Mac, open System Settings, Keyboard and set Key repeat rate and Delay until repeat.
Last updated: November 2, 2026