9 Ways to Fix Mouse and Touchpad Problems in Windows 10

Sometimes you may encounter frustrating and irritating computer issues just when you need to use the PC most. One of these issues is a problem with the mouse or the touchpad (for laptop users). Without the mouse, navigating the system can be a hard task and at times impossible. However, for Windows users, most mouse problems are easy to fix. If your mouse is not working correctly, here are some tips on how to fix mouse and touchpad problems in Windows.

Fixing Mouse Issues in Windows 10

Try the below solutions to fix your mouse or touchpad problems:

1. Basic troubleshooting
2. Check Hardware and Devices
3. Update incompatible driver
4. Rollback driver
5. Disable enhanced pointer precision
6. Adjust mouse sensitivity
7. Configure touchpad delay
8. Enable or disable touchpad
9. Reset touchpad

1. Basic Troubleshooting / Quick Solutions

Some issues may seem very basic yet they are easy to ignore. If you encounter a mouse problem, you should first try these options:

• If it is a first-time issue, restarting your PC can resolve the issue instantly.
• Confirm that the mouse or the wireless adaptor is firmly connected to the PC.
• You may also try to unplug the mouse cable or the wireless adaptor and reconnect using a different port.
• Check the mouse and the ports for damages and even try the mouse on a different computer.

If none of these solves the problem, you can now proceed to other solutions.

2. Troubleshoot Hardware and Devices

The mouse problem could be resulting from a hardware/ device error. Fortunately, Windows 10 allows you to troubleshoot and fix hardware issues without much hassle.

• Press the “Win + I” shortcut keys on your keyboard to open the settings app and select “Update & Security” settings.
• Select “Troubleshoot” from the left panel and under the “find and fix…” section, choose the “Hardware and Devices” option.

• Click the “Run the troubleshooter” button and wait for Windows to check for any hardware and device errors.

• If an error is found, click the “Apply this fix” option to resolve the issue. Once done, close your open apps and restart your computer.

Related: 10 tips to use mouse productively in Windows.

3. Updating Incompatible Mouse Drivers

Another thing that could lead to mouse issues is an out-dated or incompatible driver. To fix mouse drivers related issues:

• Right-click the Windows start button and select “Device Manager” on the menu.

• Look for the “Mice and pointing devices”, double-click the device to open its properties.
• On the “Properties” window, switch to the “Driver” tab and click the “Update Driver” button.

• This will open another pop-up window allowing you to browse for the drivers update on your computer, or allow Windows to automatically search and update the drivers.

4. Roll Back or Reinstall Mouse Drivers

• If the problem started after updating Windows or the device drivers, you can try to restore the drivers to the previous version.
• On the “Driver” tab of the properties window, click the “Roll Back Driver” to restore the driver to a previously working condition.
• Another way to fix the driver-related problem is to uninstall and reinstall the mouse drivers.
• Click the “Uninstall Device” button       to remove the driver and restart your PC. The drivers will automatically reinstall.
• You can also download the updated driver from the manufacturer’s website and reinstall manually.

5. Deactivate Enhanced Pointer Precision

Some Mouse settings can cause freezing, disappearing and jumping cursor problems. Such problems include:

• Cursor jumping around.
• Cursor freezing when the keyboard is on use.
• Pointer freezes and then disappears.
• Cursor not moving.

If you are experiencing any of these issues, you may try the following fix:

• Press the “Win + I” keys to open the settings app and select the “Devices” settings.
• On the resulting window, click on “Mouse” from the left side panel and then under the “Related settings” section, click the link, “Additional mouse settings”.

• This will open the mouse properties in a new pop-up. Go to the “Pointer Options” tab and uncheck the “Enhance pointer precision” option, located under the “Motion” section.

• Click the “Ok” button at the bottom of the window, reboot your computer and check whether the problem still exists.

Related: How to fix printer problems in Windows 10?

6. Adjusting the Mouse Sensitivity

If the problem persists, you can also try to adjust the sensitivity of the mouse. To do so,

• On the mouse properties window, switch to the “Pointer Options” tab and set the pointer speed to moderate by sliding along the bar.
• Click “Apply” and then “Ok” to see whether the problem will disappear.

7. Configure Touchpad Delay

If you are using a laptop, changing some touchpad settings could resolve the mouse issue as both the mouse and touchpad control the pointer. You may try the following touchpad configurations:

• Go back to the device settings and select “Touchpad” on the left panel.
• On the right side under the “Taps” section, expand the touchpad sensitivity options and select medium or low sensitivity.

Related: How to find mouse pointer quickly in Windows?

8. Enable Touchpad in Settings

One user left the comment the he accidentally pressed F6 in Dell laptop that is the hotkey to disable touchpad. To rule out this kind of accidental touchpad related problems, first make sure your touchpad is enabled in the settings page.

In addition, you can also try to disable the touchpad when an external pointing device is connected by unchecking the box against “Leave touchpad on when a mouse is connected”. This will disable touchpad whenever you connect a mouse to the laptop or PC.

You can also disable touchpad by following the below instructions from mouse properties.

• On the touchpad settings screen, open the “Additional settings” link to access more touchpad settings.
• This will take you to the “Touchpad” tab on the mouse properties window.
• Select, the “Disable” button to deactivate the touchpad. You may also check the box to disable internal pointing device when your PC is connected to an external mouse.

9. Reset Touchpad

If you are not able to solve the problem with your toucpad, there is an option to reset the settings and gestures. Scroll down on the touchpad settings page and click on the “Reset” button. This will delete your custom settings and set the touchpad to its original settings.