Mouse Not Working

A mouse not working on a PC, laptop or Mac nearly always has no power, no connection or a setting that makes it look dead. The fastest fixes are a fresh battery or charge, the receiver or cable in a different USB port on the computer itself, and pairing a Bluetooth mouse again. When the pointer moves, open the mouse test and press every button: each one lights up when it reaches the computer, and the counters show presses that arrive twice. The steps below work with the keyboard alone, since a dead mouse is hard to troubleshoot with the mouse.

Quick checks

• Switch it off and on. Most wireless mice have a switch underneath.
• Replace or charge the battery. A low battery is the most common reason a wireless mouse stops.
• Move the receiver or cable to a different USB port on the computer itself, not a hub or monitor port.
• Try another surface. Glass, mirrors and glossy desks confuse optical sensors. A plain mouse pad or a sheet of paper fixes it.
• Check the sensor on the underside for hair or fluff.
• Restart the computer.
• Try the mouse on another computer. If it fails there too, the mouse is faulty.

Control Windows without a mouse

Mouse keys can also be turned on in Settings > Accessibility > Mouse in Windows 11, or Settings > Ease of Access > Mouse in Windows 10.

Wired mice

1. Unplug the mouse, wait ten seconds and plug it into a different port on the computer. On a desktop, use a rear port.
2. Remove hubs, docks, keyboard ports and KVM switches from the path.
3. Bend the cable gently along its length near both ends while you watch the pointer. If it cuts in and out, the cable is broken.
4. If Windows shows an error, or makes no sound at all when you plug the mouse in, see the fixes for usb not recognized errors.

Wireless mice with a USB receiver

1. Fit a fresh battery or charge the mouse fully.
2. Plug the receiver into a port on the computer within a meter or two of the mouse, with nothing metal in between. A front port, or a short USB extension cable on the desk, often works better than a port at the back of a tower under the desk.
3. Keep the receiver away from USB 3 drives and hubs. They give off interference in the 2.4 GHz band that wireless mice use, which Apple and other makers warn about.
4. Pair the mouse with its receiver again in the maker's app, such as Logi Options+ or the Logi Bolt app for Logitech mice.

Receivers are not interchangeable between product lines. Logitech's Bolt and Unifying receivers, for example, do not work with each other's mice, so a lost receiver must be replaced with the matching type.

Bluetooth mice

1. Windows 11: open Settings > Bluetooth & devices and make sure Bluetooth is on. Under Devices, open the mouse's menu and choose Remove device.
2. Windows 10: open Settings > Devices > Bluetooth & other devices and remove the mouse there.
3. Put the mouse into pairing mode, usually by holding its connect or channel button until a light blinks fast.
4. Select Add device > Bluetooth and choose the mouse.

If the mouse keeps dropping out after sleep, open Device Manager, expand Bluetooth, open the adapter's Properties > Power Management and untick Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power. If Bluetooth will not switch on or finds nothing, see bluetooth not working on pc.

Settings that make a working mouse look broken

Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse in Windows 11, or Settings > Devices > Mouse in Windows 10:

• Primary mouse button set to Right swaps the buttons, so a left click opens menus.
• Mouse pointer speed at the far left makes the pointer barely move.
• In Additional mouse settings, the Buttons tab has ClickLock, which holds a button down after a long press, and the Pointer Options tab has Hide pointer while typing and pointer trails.

Reinstall the mouse driver and software

1. Press Windows + X and choose Device Manager.
2. Expand Mice and other pointing devices.
3. Uninstall each entry: select it, press Shift + F10 and choose Uninstall device.
4. Restart. Windows installs the mouse again.

Mouse software such as Logi Options+, Logitech G HUB, Razer Synapse or SteelSeries GG can remap or disable buttons and has its own drivers. Update it, reset the mouse's profile to default, or uninstall it to test the mouse with Windows alone.

Mouse not working on a laptop

• If the built-in pointer is what stopped, the touchpad is switched off or its driver failed: see touchpad not working.
• If an external mouse fails only on battery, USB power saving is switching the port off. In Device Manager, open each USB Root Hub under Universal Serial Bus controllers, then Power Management, and untick the power saving box.
• Airplane mode, often on a key in the top row, turns off Bluetooth. Turn it off in the quick settings with Windows + A.
• On laptops with only USB-C ports, a receiver needs an adapter or hub. Try another adapter if the mouse works elsewhere.

Mouse not working on a Mac

1. Open System Settings > Bluetooth and check that the mouse is connected. Turn it off and on again.
2. A Magic Mouse charges through the port on its underside. Connect it to the Mac with its cable, which also pairs it again.
3. Make sure Mouse Keys is off in System Settings > Accessibility > Pointer Control.
4. Move USB 3 drives and hubs away from the Mac and the mouse, since they can interfere with Bluetooth.
5. To restart the Mac's Bluetooth, open Terminal, type sudo pkill bluetoothd, press Return and enter your password. Bluetooth restarts within seconds.

Works on the desktop but not in one game

If the mouse works in Windows but not in a game, check the game's control settings and reset them to default, unplug controllers and wheels that the game may prefer, and close remapping tools. Update the game, and if it has a raw input option, try it on and off.

When it is a hardware fault

If the mouse fails on two computers with a fresh battery or a known good port, it is faulty. A broken cable, a worn button switch or a failed sensor are the usual causes. Inside the warranty, which is often one to three years on mice, claim a replacement. A mouse that works but misbehaves has its own guide: mouse double clicking for buttons that click twice, mouse lagging for a pointer that stutters, and middle mouse button not working for the wheel button. To check the wheel on its own, use the mouse scroll test.

Mouse problem questions