How to Fix Windows 10 Mouse Lag

Mouse lag in Windows 10 can be extremely annoying. It can slow down your productivity or lead to mistakes while trying to create documents or play games.

There are common scenarios where this mouse behavior becomes noticeable:

• Playing games and game elements stop responding smoothly to your mouse movements.
• Scrolling down a Word document and the scroll bar pauses even when you're still scrolling.
• While giving a PowerPoint presentation, your mouse pointer freezes even while you're moving the mouse.
• You have to click two or three times on an application button or a web page link because the computer isn't responding to your clicks.

Cause of Windows 10 Mouse Lag

Mouse lag is one of the most common Windows 10 issues users face. This is because a lot of things can contribute to the problem. Anything from a recent driver update, misconfigured mouse settings, or a bad wireless mouse battery can cause this issue.

The fastest way to resolve this behavior is to start with the hardware (the mouse). Then, work your way through each of the components and applications that work together to make your mouse function properly.

How to Fix Windows 10 Mouse Lag

This issue applies to all editions of Windows 10, including both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.

1. Troubleshoot your mouse first. If it's a wireless mouse, replace the batteries with new ones. If it's a wired mouse, unplug it from your computer and plug it back in. Plug in a different mouse (one that you know works) and if it doesn't work, try a different port on your computer.

   Sometimes, just the act of unplugging and plugging your mouse back in will restart the driver and get the mouse working properly again.

2. Clean your wireless mouse. If the mouse lag is intermittent or seems to happen in spurts, this could indicate dirt covering the IR sensor under your mouse. If mouse scrolling is lagging, this could indicate dirt inside the scroll wheel. Cleaning your mouse is one of the first troubleshooting tips when it comes to unusual mouse scroll behaviors.

3. Test the same mouse on another computer. If you don't have another computer, you can always try using it with your iPad, PS4, or Xbox. If the mouse works fine on another device, but you see mouse lag on your Windows 10 computer, then you know the issue is with your computer, not the mouse.

4. Try plugging the mouse into another USB port. Preferably, if you were plugged into a USB 3.0 port on your computer, try changing to a USB 2.0 port. If you've discovered the port you were plugged into doesn't work, you'll need to troubleshoot that USB port itself.

5. Install the latest, official mouse driver. There are two ways to do this. Open the Device Manager, find your mouse, and let Microsoft search the internet for the latest driver version. However, the best approach is finding and downloading the driver for your specific mouse brand from the manufacturer's website.

   If you just updated your mouse driver right before the mouse lag issue started, it would be a good idea to roll back the mouse driver to test if that resolves the problem. Sometimes driver updates can cause issues like this due to bugs in the latest driver updates.

6. Check your mouse speed and sensitivity settings. It's sometimes possible that a recent Windows Update reset your mouse settings back to default. If you're accustomed to your customized settings, the default settings could feel like mouse lag. Two other things that can cause erratic mouse pointer movements include touchpad delay and mouse acceleration. A quick fix for this is turning off mouse acceleration and setting touchpad delay to "No delay."

   If you suspect a recent Windows Update is causing your mouse lag, you might try uninstalling that Windows update to see if it fixes the issue.

7. Some users report that Cortana can contribute to mouse lag. Turning off Cortana is an excellent troubleshooting step to resolve the issue. If this does work, you may want to take some time to troubleshoot Cortana so you can fix whatever is causing this issue.

8. Some users have reported seeing mouse lag issues caused by their high-definition audio device. Regardless of the sound card's brand, you'll want to try disabling the High Definition Audio Device in Device Manager. Make sure to reboot your computer before verifying that this change resolved your mouse issues.

   Keep in mind that disabling this setting could disable your high-definition audio device. If this test confirms it's causing the issue, you may want to try updating the audio device driver or replacing the sound card entirely.

9. Try disabling Fast Startup. Many people use this Windows 10 feature to try and improve Windows 10 startup time. However, it's also known to cause erratic mouse behaviors, so disabling it is a good troubleshooting step.

10. One last thing that can affect mouse behavior is Windows Power Saving Mode. Windows may attempt to turn off the USB port to save power if you're using a laptop and it's unplugged. Disable Power Saving mode to see if that resolves the mouse lag issue.

    How to Reset Mouse Settings