There are times when on a PC with Windows operating system, the mouse sensitivity changes randomly , and it can be extremely frustrating especially if it happens to you while you are playing games. Before you decide to change your mouse for another, in this article we are going to tell you some ways to try to solve the problem , whether it has to do with the hardware of the mouse or with the software.
Of course, that the sensitivity of the mouse changes itself and in an apparently random way without our wanting it is not a normal behavior, and obviously it may have to do with a defective hardware in the mouse and that in the end you do have to change it for another new. However, there are a number of things you should try first as the problem may not be with the device’s hardware but with its configuration or elsewhere. Let’s see all the possibilities.
Quick checks if mouse sensitivity changes by itself
Before going to more complex solutions, there are a series of quick checks that you should try to try to isolate the problem (in fact, these may even give you the problem and can fix it directly). Although some of them seem too obvious to you, do not stop trying because sometimes the problem lies in the simplest:
- Disconnect and reconnect the mouse.
- Connect the mouse to a different USB port on the PC to make sure there is no problem with the USB port. In fact, try plugging it into a different group of ports (if your motherboard has them located in different areas, or even try plugging your mouse into the front USB of the box just in case).
- Connect the mouse to another PC and see if the sensitivity also changes itself.
- If your mouse is wireless, check that the connection is correct (perform a re-sync if possible) and make sure it has enough battery.
- If you’re on a laptop with a USB mouse, make sure you’re not accidentally touching the laptop’s touchpad.
Possible solutions when mouse sensitivity changes randomly
Next, we are going to propose some solutions and checks a little more complex than what we have mentioned so far to try to verify that everything is correct at the configuration level and that, indeed, the problem is with the mouse.
Check your mouse settings in Windows
Click Start and then the Settings icon (the gear). Then go to Devices -> Mouse and verify that the mouse sensitivity changes in real time when you move the scroll bar under “Choose cursor speed”.
Turn off enhanced pointer precision
In the same window of the previous section you will find on the right side a button called “Additional mouse options”. Click on it and a new window will open, in which you must select the “Pointer Options” tab. In the Movement section, check that the “Improve pointer precision” option is disabled, as it is sometimes the cause of the mouse sensitivity changing erratically.
Check your mouse software
Many manufacturers have their own applications to control mouse settings; The advantage of these applications is that we obtain greater control over the device, since we can change the functions of the buttons, customize the LED lighting or create profiles for example, but sometimes these applications can interfere with the configuration of the system or with other applications and make the mouse sensitivity inconsistent.
If you have a third-party application installed for your mouse, open it and check the settings. Test the precision of the pointer to make sure that everything works correctly, and if not, try to uninstall this application and install it again in its latest version. It is also known that sometimes there are problems between software from different manufacturers: for example, if you have a SteelSeries keyboard and a Roccat mouse, SteelSeries Engine and Roccat SWARM have been known to interfere with each other and sometimes having both applications open simultaneously can cause the mouse to behave erratically.
If this is your case and the sensitivity of the mouse changes randomly, try closing one of these software, since it is possible that in the case of the previous example, the keyboard software is trying to handle the mouse, which is not its concern.
Run the troubleshooter
The Windows 10 troubleshooter is sometimes a great help when you have a problem like this, so you don’t lose anything to see if it can help you since it is designed to solve the most common problems in the operating system. Although the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter no longer appears in the Start menu, it is still available through the command prompt, so follow these steps to run it:
- Right-click the Start button and select “Command Prompt (Administrator).”
- In the window that opens, type ” msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic” (without the quotes) and press ENTER.
This will open the Windows Hardware and Devices Troubleshooting Wizard. Simply click on the “Advanced Options” button below and you will see that it changes to “Apply repairs automatically”. Leave that box checked, press next and follow the steps of the wizard, which will automatically repair any problem it finds and potentially can fix the problem of the mouse sensitivity changing automatically for no reason if the problem was, for example, a conflict between the IRQ assignments of the hardware devices connected to the computer.
If after applying these possible solutions the sensitivity of the mouse continues to change randomly during use, and especially if it also changes when the mouse is connected to another PC, it is quite possible that then it is a problem with the hardware of the mouse and that you have to change it for a new one.
