How to Fix Razer Synapse Not Detecting a Mouse or Keyboard

When Razer Synapse doesn't recognize your Razer mouse or keyboard, it could indicate that the peripheral isn't working properly. Beyond that, you can't customize the device or load the profiles needed for your game. Here's how to fix Razer Synapse not detecting a mouse or keyboard.

Causes of Razer Synapse Not Recognizing Your Mouse

There are several reasons Razer Synapse may not work. It's a device management program. Any incompatibility between Synapse, Windows, the device drivers, and the device result in issues. Mostly, this comes down to making sure that everything is kept up-to-date, but there can be other problems that are harder to pin down, like dirty or bad USB ports.

How to Fix Razer Synapse Not Detecting Your Mouse or Keyboard

These steps can help you diagnose and solve potential issues with Razer Synapse. Steps are ordered from simplest and most likely to most difficult and least likely to help you save time and get back to work as quickly as possible.

1. Unplug and reconnect the peripheral. Sometimes, there's an issue with the connection. If you think it might be the port, plug the peripheral into a different port.

2. Use a different PC. Test it on a different PC to be sure the USB port isn't the problem. If it doesn't work there, your device may have hardware issues, like a bad USB connector or cable.

   This also applies to wireless mice, provided you rely on a USB-based dongle.

3. Reboot the PC. Sometimes a simple reboot is all that's needed to get everything working again.

4. Scan for device changes. This refreshes Device Manager. Windows 10 may not initially recognize your connected peripheral. Performing a refresh forces Windows 10 to re-scan the PC and all its ports for new additions. If it discovers the mouse or keyboard, Windows 10 automatically installs the necessary drivers.

5. Uninstall and reinstall devices. A major cause for mouse and keyboard detection errors is the number of unnecessary—and possibly conflicting—drivers. You may see listings for Human Interface Device (HID) components that you don't need, like older mice and keyboards you sold for some extra cash. Having a long list of HID components isn't unusual, but if you have problems detecting a new mouse or keyboard, removing those devices may help.

   1. Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager.
   2. Expand Keyboards and uninstall all HID Keyboard Device and Razer-labeled entries.
   3. Expand Mice and other pointing devices and uninstall all HID-compliant mouse and Razer-based entries.
   4. Restart the PC.

6. Update the serial bus controllers. The drivers running your PC's USB ports may need an update. This is a simple attempt to fix the issues through Windows 10 before downloading and installing new drivers from your OEM or motherboard manufacturer.

7. Install the latest drivers. You can do this in a few ways:

   • Use pre-installed software: Many OEMs like HP and Dell install software that scans their pre-built PCs for outdated drivers and tunes the system. Open the app and scan your PC at any time to search for new drivers.
   • Download from OEMs: OEMs like HP and Dell fine-tune drivers provided by hardware manufacturers to work optimally on your desktop or laptop configuration. Download and install drivers from OEMs for the best, stable performance. But there are situations, like downloading the latest drivers for your discrete GPU, where non-OEM downloads are an exception.
   • Download motherboard drivers: For home-built systems, download drivers directly from hardware manufacturers. In this case, grab the latest motherboard drivers from ASRock, Asus, Biostar, EVGA, Gigabyte, MSI, and others.

8. Uninstall and reinstall Synapse. With the hardware options out of the way and still no positive results, uninstalling Razer Synapse is the next step.

   You'll also need to make sure that there are no lingering Razer folders, which may mess up a new install with a faulty configuration.

   1. Open File Manager > Program Files (x86).
   2. Delete all Razer-related folders.
   3. On the File Manager toolbar, select View, then select the Hidden check box to show hidden files and folders.
   4. Select OS (C:) in the address bar to navigate back to the root directory.
   5. Open the ProgramData folder, then delete the Razer folder.

9. Check the Synapse version. If Windows 10 recognizes your Razer mouse or keyboard, but these don't show up in Razer Synapse, the devices may not be compatible with the Synapse version installed on your PC. Razer Synapse 3 is in beta and doesn't support all Razer-branded devices.

   If your Razer device isn't supported, download the legacy Razer Synapse 2 desktop software.