Search for a quiet mouse and you will find silent, whisper and noiseless on nearly every listing. You will find almost no decibel figures. Mouse makers, like keyboard makers, rarely publish a noise rating. What they publish instead are relative claims, like "90% less click noise", each measured against one of their own older mice. So instead of ranking mice, this page explains where mouse noise comes from, what each maker actually claims, and how to read those claims.
The short version: the switch under each button decides most of it, the scroll wheel and the feet decide the rest, and the one maker that published decibel figures measured them in a lab that looks nothing like a desk.
Where mouse noise comes from
Logitech's SILENT TOUCH white paper, the most detailed document on mouse noise we found from any maker, says that in computer mice, "sound comes from three distinct sets of components":
- The switches, "when clicking on the left, right or middle button."
- The feet, "when gliding the mouse on a mousepad or table."
- Empty chambers "within mice that can resonate or otherwise amplify sound."
It adds that while a mouse needs some empty volume inside to be comfortable to hold, "this empty chamber also amplifies noise generated by clicking switches, scrolling wheels and gliding feet." Every quiet mouse design goes after one or more of those parts.
Why mouse buttons click
Under each main button sits a microswitch: a switch smaller than a fingertip, with a metal spring that snaps from one position to the other when you press it. Omron, one of the best known makers of these switches, describes its D2F switch as "Incorporating a snapping mechanism made with two highly precise split springs." The snap is the point. It gives a crisp, definite click that tells your finger the press has registered, and it makes a sound as a side effect.
That is why an ordinary mouse is loud in a quiet room, even a cheap one. The sharp click is designed in.
Silent switches: what makers say
A silent switch keeps the press but damps the snap. Here is what each maker we read says, in its own words.
Logitech. Its white paper says the switches in its silent mice "include a rubber actuator that dampens both vibration and sound. A red plastic cap covers the rubber actuator to improve the switch's tactile feedback and lengthen its lifespan." It says the new switches "significantly reduce clicking sounds while keeping a tactile feedback similar to that found in non-silent models", and it gives them "a lifespan of 5 million cycles."
Kailh. Kailh makes silent micro switches for mouse makers. Its 6.2mm Silent Micro Switch page explains why it exists: "the micro switch's clicky noise will disturb you when you need the quiet environmental. So kaihua developed the silent micro switch." It lists "the actuation force is 70+/-20gf and 3M lifespan." Its Mute Mini 2 Pin Silent Micro Switch lists actuation forces of "60±15gf,70±15gf,100±20gf" and a "Lifespan 3M Cycles." Its Silent Square Micro Switch page lists a rating and a size. None of the three pages gives a noise figure.
Razer. For the Pro Click Mini, Razer says "The silent mechanical switches on this mouse offer you and others a quiet, distraction-free experience when at the office or WFH", and that the design "lasts for up to 15 million clicks." The page plays sound clips rather than giving a figure.
HP. HP's data sheet for the 280 Silent Wireless Mouse says "This mouse has up to 90% noise reduction on the left and right buttons. So, you get that same click feel without the sound." It gives no baseline, distance or test.
Microsoft. Microsoft does not say its Surface Mouse is silent. It says "With precision-tuned sound for clicks and scrolling, Surface Mouse is quiet enough to not be heard while quickly responding to your touch." The word tuned is honest: the sound has been shaped, not removed.
Kensington. On its Australian store, Kensington says the MY230 EQ is "Significantly quieter than a standard mouse" and that its "Quiet-click design reduces noise in busy workspaces." No figure, and no word on which standard mouse.
Rapoo. Rapoo says of its M100 Silent that "The silent mouse switches allow you to use your mouse freely without disturbing others." Its silent collection page is more candid than most: "The goal is not to eliminate sound completely, but to make typing and clicking less distracting in shared environments."
We also looked for mouse noise claims from Dell, Corsair and Anker, and could not find or load one on an official page, so they are left out.
The one set of figures, and its conditions
Logitech's white paper compares its silent MK295 combo, which comes with the M220 silent mouse, with its ordinary MK270 combo, which comes with the M185 mouse. The tests were run by Foxconn CMC, which Logitech describes as an independent, internationally accredited acoustic testing lab, in an anechoic chamber with under 6 dBA of background noise. The paper says "To follow the ISO7779 measurement condition, the sound equipment was placed 1 meter from the center of the keyboard and mouse," and that measurements were taken at four different angles.
The result, quoted: "The average results for clicks, show that the Sound Pressure Level (SPL) was 24.25 dBA for the Logitech M220 Silent mouse while the measurement for the Logitech M185 was 36.65 dBA, which is more than a 90% noise reduction." Worked out from sound power instead, the paper says "The noise reduction between the Logitech M220 mouse and Logitech M185 mouse was 94%."
The same paper calls Logitech's the "world's first silent mouse to receive the Quiet Mark certification", without naming the model in that sentence. Our keyboard explainer covers the keyboard half of the same white paper.
Three cautions before you use those numbers.
- They compare two Logitech mice and nothing else. The 24.25 and 36.65 were measured in the same room, the same way. They cannot be set beside any other maker's claim, or any other figure on this site.
- A percentage of energy is not how loud it sounds. The 94% comes from a difference in sound power, a measure of acoustic energy. The ear does not hear energy in straight percentages. Our page on sound power vs sound pressure explains the two quantities.
- An anechoic chamber is not your desk. A room with no echo and almost no background noise is the best case. On a real desk, the desk itself and the room add to what you hear.
Reading a "90% less" claim
Logitech prints a version of the 90% claim on many silent mice, and the footnotes do not all say the same thing.
- M220: "Sound level comparison between Logitech M220 and Logitech M170. Left click dBA measured by an independent lab at 1m."
- M330 Silent Plus: "Sound level comparison between Logitech M330 and Logitech M170. Left click dBA measured by an independent lab at 1m."
- M110 Silent (corded): "Left click dBA level measured by independent lab at 1 meter from the center of the mouse. Compared with Logitech M170."
- Signature M650: the business data sheet says "Click noise reduced by over 90% compared to Logitech M185. Left click and typing dBA level measured by an independent lab at 1 meter." A Logitech blog post puts it as "reduces click noise by 90 percent compared to the Logitech M185 Mouse."
- MX Master 3S: "Compared to MX Master 3, MX Master 3S has 90% less Sound Power Level left and right click, measured at 1m."
- MX Anywhere 3S: "less click noise (than MX Anywhere 3)", with no percentage.
- M240 Silent: "SilentTouch Technology reduces clicking sounds by 90%", with no footnote on the page we read.
So the baseline is sometimes the M170, sometimes the M185 and sometimes the previous model of the same mouse. Some footnotes count the left click only, one counts left and right, and one is sound power rather than a dBA level. Each claim is true of its own comparison. None of them tells you that one silent mouse is quieter than another, and none of them compares with another brand. HP's "up to 90%" gives no baseline at all.
Scroll wheels: notches and free spin
Most scroll wheels have notches, often called detents, that give a small tick at every step. That tick is a sound, and a fast scroll through a long page makes a run of them. Makers take two routes around it.
Softer notches. Logitech says the M330 Silent Plus has "a rubber scroll wheel with tactile feel that gives you a controlled line-by-line scrolling experience", and the M110 Silent has "a rubber wheel for quiet gliding and scrolling." Microsoft says the Surface Mouse has "a metal scroll wheel, which is quiet and precise."
Free spin and magnetic wheels. Razer says the Pro Click Mini's wheel lets you "switch between free-spin mode when viewing long webpages or documents, tactile mode for precise scrolling, and tilt-click for horizontal scrolling." Logitech says the MagSpeed wheel on the MX Master 3S is "precise enough to stop on a pixel and quick enough to scroll 1,000 lines per second. Oh, and it's nearly silent." It calls it "a remarkably quiet MagSpeed electromagnetic scroll wheel." On the MX Anywhere 3S, Logitech describes two modes, "ratchet & hyper fast scroll."
No maker we read publishes a figure for scroll noise. The descriptions are worth reading, but they are descriptions.
Feet and the desk
The feet, sometimes called skates, are the pads the mouse slides on. Logitech's white paper says that for its silent mice it "opted for Plastic Lumber (PL) material, which proves quieter and more durable than other materials such as Unsaturated Polyester (UPE) and Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)." The M110 Silent page says it has "feet made of high-performance material." Neither gives a figure for the difference.
The surface matters too. A hard desk can carry the sound of the feet and the clicks, and a soft pad may take some of it out. No maker we read puts a number on that, so treat it as a free thing to try, not a promise.
Wired or wireless
No maker we read says the connection changes how loud a mouse is. Logitech sells silent clicks on the corded M110 Silent and on wireless mice like the M220 and M240, and the M110 and M220 footnotes describe the same kind of test: left click dBA at 1 meter against the Logitech M170. The switch, the wheel and the feet make the sound. Pick the connection you want for other reasons.
Offices and video calls
On a call, a mouse often sits right beside a laptop's built-in microphone. Logitech says of the Signature M650's silent clicks that they are something "which can be ideal when clicking during a video call." Razer pitches the Pro Click Mini for "the office or WFH", and Kensington for "busy workspaces." If you are on calls all day, a silent switch is the cheapest fix at the desk. Our guide to a quiet home office covers the louder sources in the room, from the computer to the printer.
Shared rooms and late nights
Logitech's white paper says that "At home, mouse and keyboard noise can prevent other family members from concentrating, resting or even sleeping." Rapoo pitches the M100 Silent for "late-night projects at home", and its silent collection page names "offices, bedrooms, classrooms, and remote work spaces." In a room where someone else is asleep, a regular click is often the loudest thing on the desk once the computer is quiet. Our guide to a quiet bedroom covers the rest of the room at night.
How to choose a quiet mouse
- Start with the switch. Look for a mouse its maker sells as silent, with damped switches. An ordinary click is loud by design.
- Read the footnote. Find what the "90%" is measured against, which buttons it counts and whether it is a dBA level or sound power.
- Never compare claims from different tests. A percentage against one older model cannot be set beside another maker's percentage, or a decibel figure from somewhere else. To see where everyday sounds sit on the scale, use our decibel chart, not a maker's spec sheet.
- Check the wheel. If you scroll a lot, a free-spin, magnetic or rubber wheel is worth a look. The maker's words are the only guide, since nobody publishes a scroll figure.
- Mind the feet and the desk. Worn or rough feet and a hard desk add sound. A pad costs little.
- Ignore the cable question. Wired or wireless, the noise comes from the same parts.
We did not measure any mouse or switch on this page. Every claim and figure is the maker's own, quoted from the page or document listed in our sources, with the conditions the maker gives where it gives any.