What are mouse feet/mouse skates?

Mouse feet or mouse skates are responsible for keeping your mouse gliding smoothly on a mouse pad. They’re found on the bottom of the mouse and keep the mouse bottom elevated off of the pad to minimize friction while still keeping it close enough for the sensor to track properly.

What are mouse feet made of?

Most mouse feet are made of Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) also known as Teflon, it’s a synthetic polymer known for having a very low coefficient of friction. The PTFE is usually adhered to a piece of double-sided tape to stick to the bottom of the mouse.  There are some mice that don’t use PTFE for mouse feet, you want to avoid the mouse feet, the more consistent and smooth a glide, the better it’ll be for your gameplay.

Things to look out for in mouse feet

Material

PTFE purity, this can be hard to find out about in stock mouse feet, some PTFE mouse feet have a blend of other plastic along with PTFE to get a black colour for example. The purest PTFE is going to be completely white and those feet will have the smoothest glide.

Thickness

All stock mice won’t have any issues since the included mouse feet are tuned for the sensor, but mice feet that are too thick can cause tracking issues. On the flip side, thicker mouse feet will last a bit longer as the mouse feet wear down over time.

Edges

It’s better to have mouse feet with soft edges to avoid any scratchiness during gameplay.

Break-in period

All mouse feet need some time to polish up a little and get the right surface for your mousepad, don’t get feet right out of the box.

How to replace mouse feet

If you do decide to replace your mouse feet, rest assured that the process is super easy.

1. Heat the skates

The best way to avoid any sticky situations is to take a hairdryer or heat gun and heat up the glue underneath the mouse feet, then use something thin to lift an edge and peel off the old mouse feet.

2. Peel off the skates

Use something thin like a utility knife to lift an edge and peel off the old mouse feet.

3. Clean the surface

Once all feet are off, make sure to clean the surface with rubbing alcohol to remove any adhesive and let dry.

4. Peel and stick the new skates

Aftermarket feet will be cut to the same shape for the mouse, it’s just a simple peel and stick. Remove any protective plastic on the PTFE surface as necessary.