As someone who uses a computer mouse every day, be it for gaming or working, it has certainly happened to you that your mouse is suddenly not responding anymore. You try wiggling it around, maybe you knock the mouse on the desk but not much happens. Either you can not find the pointer on the screen or the mouse pointer is there but seems frozen and does not move at all. Now, what do you do in order to make sure that you can use your mouse again?
If you find yourself in a position where your mouse freezes, there are a number of helpful steps that you can take. Before calling an expert, test out some of the below steps and suggestions to see if you can get your computer mouse unfrozen. The steps are designed to be fairly straightforward, so you will need a minimal amount of computer technology to be able to complete them.
Things to Try When Your Computer Mouse Freezes
In most cases, a few simple steps are enough if the mouse no longer responds as it should. Defective hardware is not always the source of all evils. You can usually fix minor software errors by restarting. Otherwise, try the following:
If you are using a non-laptop mouse, there are also steps you can take to fix the freezing problem. First, press “Crtl” “Alt” and “Delete” keys altogether. This should bring up an option that will let you shut down specific programs or restart the computer.
If you have tried shutting the program down and the problem still continues, go ahead and restart your computer. In most cases, this will fix the problem.
If the above steps did not fix the problem, then you should try to turn the computer off by the main power source. See if the mouse works once it comes back on. If not, test out a different mouse (make sure to test it in different ports of the computer, since a port could be the problem and not the mouse). If these steps do not work, try consulting a technician.
If you are using a wireless mouse, then there are additional steps that you will need to explore. First, the mouse could freeze because it has lost a connection with your computer. This is a common problem with wireless mice. Pull the USB radio receiver plug out and plug it into another USB port. However, if that does not fix the problem, there could be other causes.
With wireless mice only, you will need to ensure that your batteries are working properly. This may mean you need to install new disposable batteries and test the mouse again. However, if you have a rechargeable battery, make sure that it is charged before trying it again.
Wireless mice sometimes fail to work because the drivers are outdated. If you are receiving an error message related to the drivers, make sure that you go to the manufacturer’s website to see whether there are any new drivers that you should download in order to use the mouse.
Sometimes the surface is not suitable, a mouse pad can also help with problems with the mouse. Older mice in particular still have problems with multi-colored underlays. The mouse should therefore only be used on smooth, single-colored surfaces – these requirements are optimally met by a mouse pad.
Lastly, sometimes the mouse may not function if it gets dirty. This used to be a common problem with mechanical mice that had a rolling ball. Dust and grime build up inside on the receiving rollers and signal transmission was disrupted. In today’s mice it might only be dirt or debris covering the optical sensor of the mouse. Check your mouse to see if it is clean.
In addition to the above steps, usually, you can find specific steps to take when your mouse freezes by looking in the product manual.
This is a good idea because it usually shows you the locations of any buttons that should be pressed (i.e., to re-establish a connection with your computer). Additionally, online forums have an abundance of information related to fixing a frozen mouse.
Summing it up
- Unplug the mouse and plug it in again. If it is a USB mouse, use a different USB port
- If you are using a hub for your USB devices, connect the mouse directly to the computer. If the mouse does not respond to the hub, it is receiving too little power there
- If you are using a wireless mouse, check the battery. Even if the mouse still shows a battery level, it can no longer spark if the battery is too weak
- In addition, connect the mouse to another computer. If the mouse is not recognized here either, you can assume that the device is defective.
Update or Reinstall the mouse driver
If none of the above tips work, there may be a problem with the mouse driver. As a result, the device is no longer recognized by the operating system. Fortunately, this can be updated easily with the keyboard.
- Press the [Windows] and [R] keys simultaneously so that the “Execute” command opens
- Enter “devmgmt.msc” here and confirm with the [Enter] key
- Press the [Tab] key and use the arrow keys down to navigate to the “Mice and other pointing devices” category
- Use the right arrow key to expand the category. Navigate to the appropriate mouse here if more than one devices are displayed
- Find the context menu key on your keyboard, usually found next to the space bar
- Choose Uninstall
- Scan For Hardware Changes > Install> confirm with Enter
- The “Update driver software” option can also help
What to Do if The Mouse is Not Responding
Having your computer mouse freeze is a common problem. However, you should not be alarmed since there are a number of steps that you can take to quickly fix the problem. This may include cleaning the mouse, attempting to re-establish a connection with a wireless mouse to a computer, replacing the batteries, or uninstall and reinstalling the mouse drivers.
