How to Make Your Mouse Click Again

Gaming mouse with a blue glow — Third of november/Shutterstock

Fifty-fifty something as unproblematic as a mouse button can fail. If your mouse's left-click button is sticking, isn't consistently responding, or is accidentally double-clicking, this often indicates a hardware trouble with the mouse. It could be a software issue, withal.

It's Probably a Hardware Problem; Here's How to Check

In our experience, well-nigh mouse left-click (or right-click) issues point to hardware failure. If the mouse'southward left-click button doesn't work, just sometimes responds, accidentally "unclicks" as you lot drag, misclicks, or double-clicks when you click once, that'due south a pretty good sign in that location's something wrong with the hardware in the left-click push itself.

There's an extremely easy way to bank check whether yous have a hardware issue or a software issue: Unplug your mouse from your current computer, plug information technology into another computer, and test the left-click button. If you have a wireless mouse, either plug its RF dongle into another computer or pair it via Bluetooth with another computer.

If the problem is the same when the mouse is plugged into another reckoner, yous know you accept a hardware problem. If the mouse works perfectly on another computer, there's a software configuration issue with your current computer.

You can also endeavour connecting some other mouse to your current PC. Does information technology take the same problem? If non, there's likely a hardware issue. If both mice have the same foreign left-click problems, there's definitely a software outcome with your PC.

In that location could besides be a trouble with a USB port on your system—if it's a wired mouse, try plugging your mouse into another USB port. If you have a wireless mouse with a USB dongle, move the dongle to some other USB port.

Keep in mind that some bug can be spotty or intermittent, especially if the hardware is just starting to fail. The mouse button may work cracking much of the time and only fail sometimes. Use the mouse with another PC for long enough to confirm that it's working correctly.

How to Set a Broken Mouse Button

Repairing the internals of a computer mouse — Denys Kurbatov/Shutterstock.com

All mouse buttons will eventually fail if you employ them enough. Mouse buttons are rated for a certain number of clicks. For instance, the latest version of Razer'southward popular DeathAdder Elite gaming mouse is rated for "upwards to 50 million clicks." A cheaper mouse may exist rated for many fewer clicks. After that, the physical mechanism in the mouse button wears down, and it stops working correctly.

If your mouse is withal in warranty, we recommend you contact the manufacturer and take advantage of it. The company should repair the mouse for you—or, more likely, send you a new ane.

If your mouse is out of warranty, well, it may be fourth dimension to buy a new mouse. Or, if you're willing to get your hands muddy, you tin can endeavor repairing it yourself. The exact procedure will vary depending on your model of mouse and precisely what'due south broken. For instance, iFixit has a full general guide to repairing mouse buttons. YouTube is total of communication for individual mouse models, such as this guide to re-tensioning a bound in a Logitech Performance MX mouse. The trouble may be simpler than it seems—you lot may just need to open the mouse and clean out some grit getting in the manner. We recommend searching for your mouse'southward model name and "fix left click," "ready mouse push," or a similar search for some customized data.

How to Troubleshoot Left-Click Software Issues

If your mouse works perfectly fine on another PC but doesn't work correctly on yours, and then congratulations! Yous can fix the glitch. You just need to find out what software issue you take.

Before we get-go, if you're having trouble following these tips due to mouse clicking problems, you can enable Mouse Keys by pressing Left Alt+Left Shift+Num Lock. Y'all can and then command your mouse cursor from your keyboard.

On Windows, it'south possible to swap your left and right mouse buttons. If you lot've done this, your left mouse push button may non appear to role normally—it'southward performance as the right one, while the right one is functioning as the left one. This is intended for left-handed people using a right-handed mouse.

On Windows 10, head to Settings > Devices > Mouse. Under "Select your primary button," ensure the choice is set to "Left." On Windows 7, head to Command Panel > Hardware and Audio > Mouse and ensure "Switch main and secondary buttons" isn't checked.

Swapping the left and right mouse button on Windows 10

The ClickLock feature can also crusade strange issues. With this enabled, you tin briefly press the mouse push button and release it. Windows will treat the mouse push as held down until y'all click again. This can help y'all highlight and drag if you accept difficulty holding the mouse push button downwards, but it's strange and confusing behavior if this setting somehow accidentally got turned on and you lot aren't aware of it.

On both Windows 10 and 7, head to Control Panel > Hardware and Audio > Mouse. Ensure the "Turn on ClickLock" option is unchecked here.

Disabling the ClickLock option on Windows

It's possible that a hardware driver effect could exist causing issues with recognizing your mouse push button'due south clicks, too. We've never seen this problem in the wild, but it'south worth checking. To test this, open the Device Manager. You can practise so by right-clicking the Start button on Windows ten and selecting "Device Manager."

Expand the "Mice and other pointing devices" section, locate your mouse, right-click information technology, and select "Update Driver." Click "Search automatically for updated driver software," and Windows volition attempt to observe new drivers that friction match the mouse.

If you encounter multiple mouse devices here, repeat the process for each.

Updating a mouse device's drivers in the Device Manager

Many other websites offering a wide variety of troubleshooting tips that we dubiousness are helpful. As e'er it'southward a good idea to reboot your PC and see if that fixes the problem. And, sure, yous could try booting into Safety Mode to see if in that location'south a strange hardware consequence. Simply scanning your arrangement files for corruption probably isn't going to assist.

Let's face information technology: Well-nigh left-click bug with mice are due to hardware failure. Unless you've accidentally enabled a particular setting in Windows, the real solution to a left-click problem is generally replacing (or repairing) the mouse itself.