Any device that comes with a chip is bound to encounter some kind of problem while a person is using it. One of the reported problems that a lot of users are facing with their computer mouse is lagging on the screen or the cursor freezing up.
If this issue continues to happen, your mouse might have a corrupt or improper driver. However, there could be many other reasons as well. Wireless mice often start lagging when their battery is low. If you have recently upgraded to a newer version of Windows, a mouse cursor freezing on the screen could also occur because of conflicting settings or updates not being installed properly.
In this article, I’m going to talk about 11 of the most common reasons your computer mouse can freeze up. We will also look at the solutions and fixes you can implement to get it to work perfectly smoothly.
So, let’s get started.
Table of Contents
Can a Computer Mouse Freeze Up?
Whether you’re using a high-quality wireless mouse or a simple office mouse with a wire, all of them are at some point in time going to periodically stutter or lag during casual or heavy processing.
So, yes, a computer mouse can freeze up while you’re working. It depends upon the knowledge of the user and the understanding of the mouse architecture and possible problems that can help you fix this issue.
11 Reasons Your Mouse Keeps Freezing
Are you facing the computer mouse freezing issue as well? Well, to help you fix things the right way and quickly, I’ve made a list of the 11 reasons your mouse keeps freezing or stuttering. So, let’s take a look at them and how you can actually fix them on your own.
1. Battery Issues
The first and foremost reason your mouse might be freezing from time to time is that it is encountering battery issues. Now, this particular reason only applies to wireless mice which come with batteries that are either rechargeable or single-use in nature.
Sometimes, what happens is that the wireless mouse you’re using suddenly starts freezing or lagging more often than usual. In such cases, it could be possible that the batteries in the mouse are either low on charge or the batteries have some kind of internal fault in them.
The ideal way of dealing with this issue is to check the batteries, recharge them, and if they still don’t work, replace them and see if that solves the wireless mouse freezing problem.
2. Computer Performance
Another possible reason for the mouse you’re using freezing or lagging quite a lot in use could be the performance of the computer. This could mean that your processor isn’t capable of handling a lot of tasks or the RAM of your computer can’t allow many programs to run at the same time.
In such cases, if you’re running a lot of Chrome tabs at the same time or playing a few games while others are on standby, your CPU and RAM can actually get stuck in processing and cause your mouse function to slow down as well.
Typically, when this happens, your mouse might look like it’s not moving or your mouse might start lagging or completely freeze even. The best thing to do in this case is keep your RAM clean, or if you can afford it, you can upgrade your computer parts for better and smoother performance.
3. Operating System Error
This is another one of the most common problems that computer users tend to face. If you’re using Windows 10, or any other operating system, sometimes, an update or an upgrade to a newer version can lead to your current devices facing issues.
One of the main devices that faces the heat of this update bug is the computer mouse. In such a case, the computer mouse might not behave as smoothly as it did previously or it might even lose its functionality completely.
To solve this operating system error, you’re going to have to make sure that you roll back the update or get the update patched so that any kind of problem that’s irritating your mouse function can be stopped and return to its normal, smooth function. This is an easier problem to fix for your mouse.
4. Mouse Driver Issues
One of the most common issues that cause your computer mouse to freeze is the mouse driver issue. This is one of the issues that I’ve faced with my PC as well. Due to some reason, if your mouse driver isn’t working or has gotten corrupted, your mouse won’t work well.
This could also happen if you end up updating your mouse drivers to a version that isn’t stable or isn’t as error-free as the previous one. All of these problems can lead to your computer mouse behaving unstably, freezing, lagging, and stuttering, which isn’t ideal.
The simple and easy fix for this situation is to just delete the driver. Then, restart your computer because that will reinstall the default version of the driver. This will make sure that your mouse behaves normally and works smoother than it did before. So, your problem will be fixed.
5. Hardware Damage
Another reason that your computer mouse might be messing with its function, freezing, or simply lagging time after time is an issue with the internal hardware of the computer mouse. Hardware damage is the cause of such problems most of the time.
It is possible that some wiring has come loose, or an internal circuit isn’t working properly, and if it is an expensive mouse, you’re definitely not going to simply want to throw it away and get a new one because that would be wasting a repairable computer mouse.
That’s why, if a hardware fault is a reason for your mouse freezing, you should take it to a technician and they’ll most likely fix the issue for you. Once you’ve made sure that the hardware damage has fixed itself, you can use the mouse smoothly and easily the way you want.
6. USB Port Problem
USB ports can cause a lot of problems that you might simply overlook when you’re worried about something bigger. If your mouse is freezing, it could very well be due to the USB port you’ve plugged the mouse in not working right or just being disconnected due to some reason.
This can cause the mouse to work sometimes while at other times, the mouse might completely disconnect, start lagging, or freeze in its position. It is another one of the common reasons that cause this problem.
The simple trick to do here is to check the USB port by plugging another device into this one. And also plugging the mouse into another USB port of the same computer. If the first one doesn’t work and the other USB port starts working, then it is very clearly the problem of the USB port and not the mouse itself.
7. Virus or Malware
This must’ve been the first thing that came to your mind. Well, although viruses are quite common in computer technology they’re not usually the cause of this problem. That doesn’t mean that your computer mouse can never freeze due to malware or viruses.
Typically, malware is supposed to slow down your machine and cause other related problems to your computer. These problems can sometimes include your computer mouse freezing as well. And you’re going to have to deal with the virus if you want the problem to be fixed.
For that, you’re going to need to use an anti-virus program to clean your PC. And ideally, next time you need to keep your firewall up so that no kind of problem or virus can cause your system to respond differently and cause your mouse to lag, stutter, or freeze.
8. File Explorer Issues
The file explorer is a program that deals with the library of all folders available in the Windows Operating System on a PC. So, if you’re encountering freezing or stuttering of your computer mouse on a Windows PC, it could be because of the file explorer not working the way it is supposed to.
The File Explorer can stop working and lag your mouse at times if the computer isn’t responding well to the activities being done on it. That’s something that you need to deal with if you want it to work well again.
How? Well, it is actually much simpler than it seems. All you need to do is basically close the file explorer through the task manager if you have to, and then reopen it to continue whatever work you’re doing. You can also choose to restart your computer system to make sure the mouse works perfectly.
9. Graphics Driver Issues
Mouse drivers do tend to be the main cause of computer mice freezing in action, but they’re not the only ones. Graphics Driver Issues can also cause your computer mice to stutter, lag, or stop working completely due to some kind of error.
The reason for that is that all the on-monitor elements that you see are presented to you by the graphics drivers. If they’re not working properly, any element could appear different or distorted including the problem of your mouse not moving the right way on the screen or other things like that.
To deal with this issue, what you can do is the same thing you did for the mouse drivers. You can choose to remove the drivers and restart the PC and all the drivers you deleted are going to get updated according to their default version. This will most likely fix this issue if this reason is the culprit in the situation.
10. Permanent Damage
Another reason for your computer mouse freezing or stuttering could be physical damage that is permanent. If you dropped your mouse from a height and broke it from the inside or even externally, it is going to do permanent damage to your mouse.
This permanent damage to your mouse can stop its normal working, make it lag or stutter or even freeze it completely, making it impossible to move the cursor despite moving the mouse as much as you want.
This is one of the most problematic reasons for your computer mouse freezing. It cannot be fixed and that’s why the only solution for this problem is to replace your older mouse with a new one. You’ll be able to smoothen out your mouse usage experience better only that way.
11. Dust and Debris
The last but not the least reason for your mouse acting up could be dust and debris. This is a problem that can affect literally every part of your computer system.
From your mouse being dirty internally to the tracking sensors getting dust in them to even the RAM becoming dirty and causing the mouse to freeze, there could be many ways dust can affect your mouse.
If your mouse starts freezing, stuttering, or lagging, do check for any dust particles or debris under or inside the mouse. This will allow you to identify the problem if it is actually caused by dust and debris.
Then, what you’re going to do is clean the mouse using the apt tools and the sensor using a cotton bud. Once the mouse has been perfectly cleaned up, you’re going to be able to use it quite well and smoothly.
Conclusion
If you ever come across your computer mouse freezing, stuttering, or lagging, it has to be because of one of the reasons we discussed here. However, there is nothing to worry about because every problem also has a solution.
It’s definitely frustrating to see a device not working properly, especially, when you have spent a lot of money on it. Modern computer mice are not cheap devices; in fact, some of the best ones out there cost hundreds of dollars. It is recommended to get in touch with the manufacturer’s technical support if you are unable to solve the problem on your own or if it happens continuously.
All the best!
