When a mouse stops working, the mouse itself is rarely at fault. Most failures are power, connection or pairing problems, and which one depends on how it connects: by USB cable, through a wireless receiver or over Bluetooth.
Start with two checks. Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete: if the security screen appears, Windows is responding and the problem is the mouse or its connection. Then try the mouse on another computer, or another mouse on this one. A mouse that fails everywhere points to the mouse, its batteries or its receiver; any mouse failing here points to this PC’s ports, drivers or settings.
If it’s a laptop’s built-in touchpad that stopped, see our touchpad not working guide instead.
Try these first
- Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete on a wired or built-in keyboard; if nothing happens, Windows has likely frozen, not the mouse.
- Switch the mouse off and on, and fit fresh batteries or charge it.
- Move the cable or receiver to a port directly on the computer, not a hub or dock.
- Unplug any USB flash or hard drive next to the receiver and test again. For a Logitech mouse not working through its Unifying or Bolt receiver, pair it again with Logitech’s own pairing software.
- Turn the mouse over, clear any hair or lint from the sensor and try a plain mouse pad.
- Bluetooth: check Bluetooth is on in quick settings, then re-pair the mouse.
Work out which part has failed
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Pointer frozen and a wired or built-in keyboard does nothing either | Windows has hung, not the mouse | Wait a minute, then restart; if it keeps happening, see computer keeps freezing |
| Wireless keyboard and mouse both dead, and they share one receiver | The shared receiver: unplugged, in a dock, near a USB 3 drive, or failed | Receiver section |
| Wireless mouse dead after a battery change or a bump | Power switch off, receiver unplugged, or a multi-device mouse switched to another channel | Receiver section |
| Pointer jumps, stutters or lags, worse near a USB drive | Radio interference or distance from the receiver | Receiver placement steps |
| Pointer jumps or drifts on a wired mouse, or right next to the receiver | Dirt over the sensor, or a glass or glossy surface | Clean the sensor (settings section) |
| Bluetooth mouse drops out after idle or sleep, or won’t pair | Bluetooth power saving, stale pairing data or the radio | Bluetooth section |
| Pointer moves, but clicks do nothing on the taskbar, Start or desktop | Windows Explorer has hung, not the mouse | In Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), right-click Windows Explorer and choose Restart |
| Left click acts as a right click | Primary mouse button set to Right | Settings section |
| One click registers as two | Usually a worn button switch | Test on another PC, then the hardware section |
| Pointer too slow, too fast, or overshoots | Pointer speed, a DPI button on the mouse, or pointer precision | Settings section |
| Button seems held down; drags won’t let go | ClickLock is on | Settings section |
| New mouse works at home but not on a company PC | Device installation restricted by policy | Office section |
Using Windows with no working mouse
Every Windows setting and Device Manager step on this page can be reached from the keyboard.
- Tab and Shift + Tab move between controls, the arrow keys move within lists, Enter selects, and Spacebar flips switches and checkboxes.
- Shift + F10 opens the right-click menu for whatever is selected.
- Windows key + I opens Settings, and Windows key + X opens a menu that includes Device Manager.
- Alt + Tab switches windows. Alt + F4 closes the active window; with none open, it brings up the shut down prompt, where you can choose Restart.
Turn the number pad into a mouse
Mouse keys lets the numeric keypad move the pointer. Press Left Alt + Left Shift + Num Lock, then Enter to answer Yes to the prompt. Or turn it on under Settings > Accessibility > Mouse > Mouse keys (on Windows 10, Settings > Ease of Access > Mouse > Control your mouse with a keypad). Keys 8, 2, 4 and 6 move up, down, left and right, and 5 clicks. Press / before 5 for a left click or – for a right click.
Wired USB mice
- Unplug the mouse and plug it into a different USB port directly on the computer, not a hub, dock, monitor port, KVM switch or keyboard pass-through.
- Check the cable near both ends, where it bends most. A mouse that only works with the cable held at an angle has a broken wire.
- Press Windows key + X, then M, to open Device Manager, and use the arrow keys to expand Mice and other pointing devices (a wireless receiver appears here too). If HID-compliant mouse has a down-arrow icon, it’s disabled: press Shift + F10 and choose Enable device. If it has a warning icon, choose Uninstall device instead, unplug the mouse, restart and plug it back in; Windows reinstalls the standard driver. On a company-managed PC, ask IT first, since a device installation policy can block the reinstall. If no mouse is listed while it’s plugged in, press Alt, open Action and choose Scan for hardware changes.
If no USB device works in any port, the fault is the PC’s USB ports or controllers, and our USB device not recognized guide covers those fixes. If Device Manager shows Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed) only with the mouse plugged in, and the mouse fails on another computer too, suspect the mouse or its cable.
Wireless mice with a USB receiver
Power and receiver placement
Logitech lists low batteries as a cause of dropouts and lag, so fit fresh ones even if the mouse lights up, and check the power switch underneath. Then check where the receiver sits:
- Directly in the computer. Logitech says to connect the receiver to the computer itself, not to a hub or KVM switch.
- Close to the mouse. A tower’s case can block the signal, so Logitech suggests moving the receiver from a rear port to a front one.
- Away from USB 3 drives. Logitech documents that USB 3.0 devices, especially external drives and flash drives, can interfere with 2.4 GHz receivers, delaying or dropping input. Keep them apart or move the receiver closer on a USB extension cable; to test, unplug the USB 3 device for a minute.
- Away from other radios. Keep wireless speakers and phones from sitting right beside the receiver.
Re-pair a Logitech mouse
Unifying receivers and devices carry an orange six-pointed star logo; Logi Bolt is Logitech’s newer receiver. Logitech states the two aren’t compatible and that not all its devices are Unifying-ready, so if your mouse has neither logo, check Logitech’s support site for the receiver that fits your model before buying one.
Logitech no longer supports its old Unifying Software and recommends Logi Options+: plug the receiver in, turn the mouse on, choose the option to add a device, pick your receiver type and follow the prompts.
Many Logitech mice also have an Easy-Switch button for moving between paired computers; if it was pressed by accident, press it until you reach your original channel. On the MX Ergo, for example, a steady channel light means connected, a slow blink means it’s trying to reconnect to a computer it was already paired with, and a fast blink means it’s ready to pair. Patterns vary by model, so check your mouse’s guide.
Other brands usually pre-pair a mouse to its own receiver, so if that’s lost, check the maker’s support site for a replacement before buying a new mouse.
Rather have a technician sort it out?
If your mouse works on other computers but not this one, a technician can connect remotely with your approval, use their own pointer and sort out the driver, Bluetooth or setting while you watch. A GoProIT technician can connect remotely, with your permission, and fix it while you watch. $59 per fix, Mon–Fri 8am–8pm ET.
Bluetooth mice
- Select the network, sound or battery icon on the taskbar and make sure the Bluetooth quick setting is on.
- Put the mouse in pairing mode; the button varies by model, so check its guide.
- Select the arrow on the Bluetooth quick setting to open Manage Bluetooth devices, find the mouse under New devices and select it.
- If it was paired before and stopped responding, first open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Devices, select the three-dot menu beside the mouse, choose Remove device, then pair it again.
On Windows 10, pair from Settings > Devices > Bluetooth & other devices > Add Bluetooth or other device > Bluetooth. To clear an old pairing, select the mouse on that page and choose Remove device.
If the Bluetooth switch is missing, pairing keeps failing or the mouse disconnects after a few idle minutes, look at the PC’s Bluetooth adapter, its driver or its power management. Our Bluetooth not working guide covers those fixes, including Wi-Fi interference on the 2.4 GHz band.
Expect a short pause the first time you move a Bluetooth mouse after it has slept, because many disconnect to save battery. Keep a wired mouse and keyboard in a drawer too: Bluetooth devices may not work before Windows starts, such as at a BIOS setup screen or the BitLocker recovery prompt, where you type the recovery key.
Fix pointer speed, lag and button settings
Jumpy or drifting pointer: clean the sensor first
A mouse tracks by imaging the surface under it, so lint or a hair over the sensor window makes the pointer jump or drift. Turn the mouse off, clear the window with a dry cotton swab, then test on a plain mouse pad or white paper; glass, mirrors and glossy desks confuse most sensors. A lit sensor only proves the mouse has power: if the pointer never moves at all, check the receiver, pairing or driver instead.
Check the Windows mouse settings
In Windows 11, open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse:
- Primary mouse button: set it to Left if clicks are reversed.
- Mouse pointer speed: adjust the slider. A DPI or sensitivity button on the mouse changes speed too, so check nobody pressed it.
- Enhance pointer precision: this speeds the pointer up when you move the mouse quickly. Turn it off if the pointer overshoots.
- Scrolling: if the wheel scrolls the wrong way, set Scrolling direction to Down motion scrolls down. If one notch jumps a whole page, set Roll the mouse wheel to scroll to Multiple lines at a time. If scrolling lands in the wrong window, check Scroll inactive windows when hovering over them.
Under Related settings, Additional mouse settings opens Mouse Properties. On the Buttons tab, clear Turn on ClickLock if buttons seem to stick, and adjust Double-click speed if double-clicks don’t register.
On Windows 10, the page is Settings > Devices > Mouse, the slider is called Cursor speed, there’s no scrolling direction setting, and Enhance pointer precision is a checkbox on the Pointer Options tab, reached through Additional mouse options.
Vendor apps such as Logi Options+ or Logitech G HUB can override these settings and remap buttons, so check them first if a button misbehaves.
Lag that isn’t the mouse
If the pointer stutters only while the PC is busy, and a wired mouse does too, the computer is the bottleneck: check Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) for high processor or disk use.
In an office: docks, receivers and locked-down PCs
- Docks and hot desks: a receiver left in a dock, monitor or KVM switch is a common cause of office lag and dropouts. Give each desk a short USB extension cable so the receiver plugs into the laptop and still sits near the mouse.
- One receiver family: standardize on one receiver type when buying in bulk, and keep a spare. Logitech positions Logi Bolt for IT-managed offices.
- Device installation policies: Group Policy settings under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Device Installation > Device Installation Restrictions can block a new mouse or receiver. Microsoft warns that an overly strict USB rule can stop keyboards and mice working entirely, so review those settings before replacing hardware.
If several people’s mice and keyboards misbehave after a dock or update rollout, our help desk service can work through each machine remotely.
When it’s the mouse itself
Replace or repair the mouse when:
- it fails on two computers with fresh batteries and, for wireless models, after re-pairing;
- single clicks register as double clicks, or a button only responds when pressed hard; switches wear out, and no setting fixes that;
- the scroll wheel skips or jumps backwards even after cleaning around it and checking the scrolling settings above;
- the cable is frayed, or the mouse works only with the cable bent a certain way;
- a rechargeable mouse won’t hold a charge, or its case has started to bulge, in which case stop using and charging it;
- liquid got inside.
A cheap mouse is usually quicker to replace than repair; check the warranty on premium models first.
If the mouse works elsewhere and the problem is this PC’s drivers, Bluetooth or settings, a technician can connect through a remote support session you approve and can end at any time, using their own pointer while you watch; it’s a typical $59 remote fix. To start the session with a dead mouse, use the keyboard steps above or borrow any USB mouse.
Common questions
Why is my wireless mouse not working even with new batteries?
Check the power switch, then the receiver: it may be unplugged, sitting in a hub or dock, or right next to a USB 3 drive that interferes with it. A multi-device mouse may also have been switched to a different channel. If it still won’t respond with the receiver in a port directly on the computer, re-pair it with the maker’s software or test it on another computer.
How do I fix mouse lag in Windows 11?
First work out whether the mouse or the PC is lagging. If a wired mouse stutters too, open Task Manager and look for a busy processor or disk. If only the wireless mouse lags, move its receiver closer, away from USB 3 devices and out of docks, and replace the batteries. For a Bluetooth mouse, check the adapter’s power saving and nearby 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi.
How do I connect a Logitech mouse to a new receiver?
First check the bottom of the mouse for the orange Unifying star or the Logi Bolt logo. Logitech notes that not all its devices are Unifying-ready, so for a mouse with neither, check Logitech’s support site for the receiver that fits that model. If it has a logo, install Logi Options+, plug in a matching receiver, turn the mouse on and use the add-device option. Bolt and Unifying products don’t pair with each other, and the old Unifying Software is no longer supported.
Why won’t my Bluetooth mouse connect to my laptop?
Usually Bluetooth is off, the mouse isn’t in pairing mode, or it’s still paired with another device such as a tablet or phone. Remove the old pairing in Windows, put the mouse back into pairing mode and add it again. If Windows has no Bluetooth switch at all, the laptop’s adapter or its driver is the problem, not the mouse.
Why does my mouse double-click when I click once?
Most often the button’s switch is wearing out and bouncing, which sends two clicks. Try the mouse on another computer; if it double-clicks there too, it’s hardware and replacement is the realistic fix. If it happens on only one PC, check the mouse maker’s app for a button set to double-click, and in File Explorer Options make sure Single-click to open an item isn’t selected.
Why does my mouse stop working after sleep?
Windows can switch off USB ports and Bluetooth adapters to save power, and some devices don’t wake up cleanly. Unplug and replug a wired mouse or receiver to confirm. For a lasting fix, update the chipset and Bluetooth drivers; our USB device not recognized and Bluetooth not working guides show which power-saving settings to test. To clear a stuck driver, use Restart rather than Shut down, because with Fast Startup on, Shut down doesn’t fully reload drivers.