USB mouse suddenly stopped working

The mouse is an input device which helps us to work through GUI [Graphical User Interface] on Windows machines. Working without a mouse, by using the only keyboard require more time and knowledge, and it can be complicated for nonexperienced users. There are different types of mouse, including the wired and wireless mouse. The procedure of installing the mouse on a Windows machine is really simple, you need to plug the mouse into the USB port and install the driver. The driver can be installed automatically by Windows or you can download the driver from the official vendor website.

Few users encouraged problems with USB mouse because it stopped working due to the different issues, including hardware and system problems, driver problems, wrong configuration, and others.

This issue occurs on computers and notebooks and operating systems from Windows XP to Windows 10. We created ten methods that will help you to solve this issue. How will you solve the issue on your Windows machine, if your USB mouse is not working properly? Do not worry, we created methods that are fully compatible with your keyboard. So, let’s start.

Method 1: Turn off your machine

In the first method, you will need to turn off your Windows machine through Command Prompt. We will show you how to do it on Windows 10 by using keyboard keys. This method is compatible with previous operating systems.

1. Hold Windows logo and press R
2. Type cmd and press Enter to open Command Prompt
   Running the Command Prompt
3. Type shutdown /s /f /t 0 and press Enter to shut down your Windows machine
4. Power on your Windows machine
5. Test your USB mouse

Method 2: Enable USB mouse

If your USB mouse is disabled you will not be able to use that mouse. You will need to open Device Manager and check is USB mouse enabled or disabled. If your USB mouse is disabled, you will need to enable it. We will show you how to do it on Windows 10 by using keyboard keys. The same procedure is compatible with previous operating systems.

1. Hold Windows logo and press R
2. Type devmgmt.msc and press Enter to open Device Manager
   Running Device Manager
3. Press Tab to select a computer name. In our example it is DESKTOP-CLKH1SI
4. By using down arrow navigate on Mice and other pointing devices
5. Press Alt + right arrow on your keyboard to expand the group
6. By using a down arrow navigate on HID-compliant mouse. It is a USB mouse. In our example, it is disabled and can not be used on Windows machine
7. Press Shift + F10 or Fn + Shift + F10 to open properties list. These combination keys are simulating right-click on your mouse
8. By using down arrow choose Enable device and press Enter on your keyboard
9. Test your USB mouse
10. Close Device Manager

Method 3: Test your USB mouse

It is time for the testing mouse as a hardware component. By using this method we will check is there hardware or software problem with USB mouse and Windows. At first, you will need to test USB ports on your Windows machine. Please, unplug your mouse from the current USB port and plug it on another USB ports on the same machine. If the mouse is working properly on another USB port, that means there is no issue with the mouse, there is an issue with the USB port.

But, if the issue is still there, probably your mouse is not working properly, and you will need to do the second test. The second test will include testing your mouse on another machine, or you-you test another mouse on your current machine where the mouse is not working properly.  If the mouse is not working on another machine, you will need to purchase another one.

Method 4: Reinstall mouse driver

If some hardware components are not working properly, you should reinstall drivers which provide communication between your hardware components and operating system. Based on that, you will need to reinstall your mouse through Device Manager. Mouse drivers will be automatically installed through the Microsoft driver repository. We will show you how to do it on Windows 10 by using keyboard keys. The same procedure is compatible with previous operating systems.

1. Hold Windows logo and press R
2. Type devmgmt.msc and press Enter to open Device Manager
   Running Device Manager
3. Press Tab to select a computer name. In our example it is CLT
4. By using down arrow navigate on Mice and other pointing devices
5. Press Alt + right arrow to expand Mice and other pointing devices
6. By using a down arrow navigate on HID-compliant mouse. It is a USB mouse.
7. Press Shift + F10 or Fn + Shift + F10 to open properties list. These combination keys are simulating right-click on your mouse
8. By using down arrow choose Uninstall device and press Enter on your keyboard
9. Press Enter to confirm uninstalling mouse driver
10. Press Alt + F4 to close mouse properties and Device Manager
11. Hold Windows logo and press R
12. Type cmd and press Enter to open Command Prompt
13. Type shutdown /r /f /t 0 and press Enter to restart your Windows machine
14. Test your mouse

Method 5: Download mouse driver from official vendor’s website

Professional and gaming mice require official drivers downloaded from the vendor website. Based on that you will need to download and install the latest driver compatible with your operating system. Imagine, you are using mouse Logitech G403. To download and install the latest driver for this mouse you will need to open the Logitech website. The same procedure is compatible with other vendors.

For this method, you will need access to another Windows machine and USB flash driver to transfer driver to your current machine.

Method 6: Change USB Power Management settings

In this method, you will need to change the Power Management settings of USB ports on your Windows machine. We will show you how to do it on Windows 10 by using keyboard keys. The same procedure is compatible with previous operating systems.

1. Hold Windows logo and press R
2. Type devmgmt.msc and press Enter to open Device Manager
3. Press Tab to select a computer name. In our example it is CLT
4. By using down arrow navigate on Universal Serial Bus Controllers
5. Press Alt + right arrow to expand Universal Serial Bus Controllers
6. By using a down arrow navigate on USB Root Hub [USB 3.0]. It is a USB port where the USB mouse is connected
7. Press Enter on the keyboard to open USB Root Hub [USB 3.0] Properties. Please note, this is an example on my machine, on your machine, it will be different, but the logic and terminology are the same.
8. By using Tab key navigate on the General tab
9. By using the right arrow navigate on Power Management tab
10. By using Tab select Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power
11. Press Ctrl + Space to deselect Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power
12. Press Enter
13. Press Alt + F4 to close Device Manager
14. Hold Windows logo and press R
15. Type cmd and press Enter to open Command Prompt
16. Type shutdown /r /f /t 0 and press Enter to restart your Windows machine
17. Test your mouse

Method 7: Uninstall MotioninJoy

MotioninJoy is a small application that allows you to use the PlayStation 3 controller, for lots of users one of the most comfortable of all times, with all the games on your computer. Sometimes, MotioninJoy can block your USB mouse and you will need to uninstall this application to check is there a problem between MotioninJoy and your mouse. We will show you how to do it on Windows 10 by using keyboard keys. The same procedure is compatible with previous operating systems.

1. Hold Windows logo and press R
2. Type appwiz.cpl and press Enter to open Program and Features
3. By using Tab key navigate on the first application in the list. In our example it is 7-Zip.
4. By using down arrow navigate on MotioninJoy DualShock 3
5. Press Enter on your keyboard to uninstall MotioninJoy DualShock 3
6. By pressing Tab to choose Yes to confirm uninstalling MotioninJoy DualShock 3
7. Press Enter to confirm uninstallation procedure
8. Press Alt + F4 to close Programs and Features
9. Hold Windows logo and press R
10. Type cmd and press Enter to open Command Prompt
11. Type shutdown /r /f /t 0 and press Enter to restart your Windows machine
12. Test your mouse

Method 8: Scan hard disk for malware

No one likes malware because it is destructive and can be really powerful in destroying the operating systems, applications, drivers or data. In this method, you will need to scan your hard disk for malware using Malwarebytes. If you do not use Malwarebytes, you will need to download and install it on your Windows machine

Method 9: Change BIOS or UEFI settings

Let’s do some changes to your BIOS or UEFI. In this method, we will enable USB Virtual KBC Support in BIOS. We will show you how to do it on Lenovo IdeaCentre 3000. Few users solved their problem by doing this method. The procedure is the same or similar to another machine. We are recommending you to read the technical documentation of your motherboard.

1. Restart or turn on your machine
2. Press F12 to access BIOS or UEFI
3. Choose Devices and then choose USB Setup
4. Navigate on USB Virtual KBC Support and choose Enabled
5. Save BIOS configuration and restart your computer
6. Test your mouse

Method 10: Reinstall Windows

In this method, you will need to reinstall your Windows. At first, we are recommending you to backup your data to external hard disk, network-attached storage or cloud storage. After that, you will need to reinstall your operating systems, drivers and applications. Any system, driver or application issues will be history by reinstalling your Windows.

Method 11: Running Hardware Troubleshooter

In some cases, the error might be with the way the mouse is configured by the hardware drivers. It might be configured in such a way that it is not being able to function correctly. Therefore, in this step, we will be running the hardware troubleshooter and check to see if it can find and fix this particular error. For that:

1. Press “Windows” + “R” to open the Run prompt.
2. Type in “Control Panel” and press “Enter” to open it.
   Accessing the Classic Control Panel interface
3. Select “Large” in the “View as:” dropdown.
4. Click on the “Troubleshooting” button.
   Troubleshooting – Control Panel
5. Now select the “Hardware and Devices” option to initiate the troubleshooter.
6. Check to see if the issue persists.

Method 12: Update Windows

In most cases, the issue went away only with an update that patched the USB mouse not working issue completely. Therefore, in this step, we will be initiating a full update of Windows’ Components. In order to do that follow the guide below.

1. Press “Windows” + “I” to open the settings.
2. Click on the “Update & Security” option on the lower right side.
   Update & Security.in Windows Settings
3. Select “Windows Update” from the left side.
4. Click on the “Check for Updates” option and wait while Windows checks for updates.
5. After the update check has proceeded, follow the on-screen instructions to download and install updates.