Your mouse is moving erratically? Top 5 solutions to fix it
- The erratic movements of the mouse pointer can be produced by many issues, including hardware, drivers, third-party software, or corrupted programs.
- The most common mouse issues include cursor freezing or disappearing or lack or slow cursor movement.
- Visit our Mouse page if you want to learn more about our friendly rodents.
- You can always try to troubleshoot your PC problems with one of our solutions in the Tech Troubleshooting Hub.
One of the most annoying experiences computer users complain about has to do with an erratic mouse.
Some of the four common issues that almost always come up include mouse or touchpad freezing, mouse cursor disappearing or lack of cursor movement, and/or slow cursor movement.
Speaking of which, if your mouse randomly disappears, this troubleshooting guide will help you to get it back on track.
This article, however, describes how to deal with an erratic mouse or erratic cursor movements associated with your mouse.
The erratic movements of the mouse pointer can be hardware related or caused by an issue with your drivers, third-party software, or corrupted programs.
If you have an external mouse connected through Bluetooth /wireless or in a wired manner, check the batteries and make sure that the integrity of the device is ok, the cable is not torn and the USB connection is functioning properly.
Also, check if the connection between your mouse and the system is stable and it’s not interfered by external factors. If possible, connect your device to another system to see if the behavior repeats itself.
Finally, if your mouse still doesn’t work or it’s an integrated one (touchpad), follow the guide below to find the solution to your problem.
How can I fix an erratic mouse on Windows 10?
- Update your drivers
- Perform a clean boot
- Use System settings to turn Mouse Acceleration on and off
- Check the mouse properties
- Check your cursor speed
1. Update your drivers
- Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager
- Locate Mice and other pointing devices
- Collapse the list and choose your touchpad
- Right-click on the touchpad you’re using (or mouse)
- Click on Update Driver Software
- If there are any updates, the system will install the driver automatically
We also strongly recommend DriverFix to automatically download all the outdated drivers on your PC you need to actualize.
This tool will keep your system safe as you can manually download and install the wrong driver version.
It’s extremely easy to use it but first you need to download and install DriverFix. Next, when you start the program, the tool will automatically start scanning for driver problems.
It will take a few minutes but after the scan, you will receive a complete report with the problems found and the suggested fixes.
After that, it’s just a formality because you will only need to select the drivers you want to install by clicking on their corresponding checkboxes.
It’s even easier to check the Select All box and to install all the drivers in a single run.
DriverFix
The easiest way to update your mouse driver is by using DriverFix. It will also fix any other driver issues!2. Perform a clean boot
- Go to the search box
- Type msconfig
- Select System Configuration
- Find Services tab
- Select Hide all Microsoft services box
- Click Disable all
- Click the Startup tab
- Click on Open Task Manager
- Close Task Manager, then click OK
- Reboot your computer
Note: If the problem persists, contact Microsoft support with your specific issue.
Windows won’t boot? Solve this issue easily with our comprehensive guide!
3. Use System settings to turn Mouse Acceleration on and off
- Right-click Start
- Select Control Panel
- Go to Hardware and Sound
- Select Mouse
- Choose Pointer Options tab
- Uncheck Enhance pointer precision box to turn off Mouse Acceleration
- Click Apply then click Ok
4. Check the mouse properties
- Right-click the Start button and select Control Panel
- Go to Hardware and Sound and select Mouse
- Select Click to change Touchpad settings
- Click on Sensitivity
- Check the Turn On box next to Touch Guard
- Move the white circle under Touch Guard to your extreme right (towards the + sign)
- Click Save and close the touchpad utility
- Click OK
5. Check your cursor speed
- Open Control Panel and select Mouse
- Choose the Pointer Options tab
- Use the slider scale to choose the pointer speed suitable for you
- You can also change speed for double-click by using the Buttons tab and adjust using the slider scale
We hope these solutions worked for you. If not, you probably have a hardware problem with your device and you will need a new mouse.
Luckily, we also have a list with the best mice for Windows 10 PCs for you to choose from.
If you have other suggestions, kindly share more information in the Comments section below.
Leave a comment below!
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there is one More Solution is to get a new expensive mouse because there are a lot of cheap ones out there that are not function properly .
Plz tell me my laptop cursor move with lagging plz tell me the issue
How much of a bribe/kickback did you get from DriverFix to suggest their useless product?
Thank you SSSSO much for this info! It turns out i just needed to change my battery 0///0
Go to device settings and disable the touchscreen that was the last thing I tried after months of aggravation.
Device settings ,Touchscreen, disable easy to try as well as undo if it’s not your problem.
INstructions appear to be out of date. Right click on Start does not come to Hardware and Sound listing.
Hello,
Thank you for your comment. This is the idea of our community: if the solutions from the article do not work for someone, there is always the comment section that could help. Come back on our site for more news and fixes.
Cheers!
Just want to let you know I tried the clean boot and it absolutely fixed my mouse problem that was driving me crazy. THANK YOU!
There is one fix, not mentioned, that is perhaps one of the most important. Get rid of the hair!. I have a cat. Cats shed hair. (Dogs will too.) That hair floats in the air which can and will land on my mouse pad (as well as other places). So, the first thing I do when I have the problem mentioned here is blow into the laser light opening on the bottom of my mouse. A light brushing can be used to clear this opening, as well. Why do this? The laser light hitting hair and other particles can cause uneven movement. This can be an important step in resolving this problem.