You’re surfing on the Internet and trying to scroll the screen with your mouse, and Boom, your middle mouse button is not working. This is very frustrating.
Why is my middle mouse button not working? There’re various causes for this issue, such as the hardware issue, the connection issue inside your mouse, and your mouse driver corruption. Sometimes it’s hard to identify the reason of the mouse middle click not working issue.
But don’t worry. We’ve got you covered! This post introduces 4 effective solutions to fix middle mouse button not working issue.
Try these fixes:
Here are the solutions to try. You shouldn’t have to try them all. Just try each one in turn until everything’s working again.
- Troubleshoot hardware issue
- Run the Hardware troubleshooter
- Update the mouse driver
- Modify the Registry settings
Fix 1: Troubleshoot hardware issue
The hardware problem with your mouse can cause the middle mouse not working issue, so you can check your mouse and see if it fixes the problem.
To specifically locate the issue, you can unplug your mouse from the current computer, and plug it to another computer. Then see if the middle mouse button works on that computer.
If your mouse works with another computer, it can be the connection issue of your computer and your mouse, or the software issue that cause the mouse stops working. Check the following solutions to fix it.
If the middle mouse button is still not working in another computer, it can be a hardware problem with your mouse itself. You can open your mouse and check with the mouse components (we only recommend you do this if you’re confident with your computer skills); we won’t cover it here as the mouse structure varies from mice to mice and from manufacturers to manufacturers. You can process a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) to get a replacement if it’s under warranty.
Fix 2: Run the Hardware troubleshooter
The built-in Hardware and Device Troubleshooter can help troubleshoot the device hardware issue and fix it, so you can run the Troubleshooter to fix the mouse scroll not working issue.
1) Open Control Panel in your computer, and click Troubleshooting.
2) Click Hardware and Sound.
3) Click Hardware and Devices.
4) Click Next to start troubleshooting. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish.
5) Restart your computer and see if your mouse middle wheel click works.
If this solution doesn’t work for you, don’t worry. We have other solutions to try.
Fix 3: Update the mouse driver
The missing or outdated mouse driver can lead to the middle mouse button not working issue, so you should update your mouse driver to the latest version to fix the issue.
You can manually download the latest version of your mouse driver file from the manufacturer, and install it in your computer. But this requires time and computer skills.
If you don’t have time or patience, you can automatically update your mouse driver with Driver Easy.
Driver Easy will detect the drivers condition in your computer, and install the correct drivers for your PC. More importantly, with Driver Easy, you don’t need to struggle figuring out the Operating System, and you don’t need to worry about making mistakes while processing. That will tremendously save your time and patience.
You can update your drivers automatically with either the FREE or Pro version of Driver Easy. It only takes 2 simple clicks with the Pro version (and you will get full support and a 30-day money back guarantee).
1) Download and install Driver Easy.
2) Run Driver Easy and click Scan Now. Then Driver Easy will scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
3) Click Update button next to the mouse device name to download the latest mouse driver (you can do that with the FREE version). Then install the driver in your computer.
Or click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the problem drivers (you can do that with Pro version, and you will be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All).
4) Restart your computer, and try your middle mouse click.
Still no luck? OK, We have one more thing to try.
Fix 4: Modify the Registry settings
The incorrect mouse settings in Registry Editor in your computer can also cause the middle mouse not working issue. So you should check and modify the Registry settings to fix the mouse issue. Here’s how to do it:
1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo keyand R at the same time to invoke the Run box.
2) Type regedit and click OK.
3) In Registry Editor, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop.
4) Use your mouse to click any area in the right pane, and press the Arrow Up and Arrow Down key on your keyboard to highlight WheelScrollLines.
5) Double click WheelScrollLines and change Value data to 3, then click OK to save.
6) Close Registry Editor and restart your computer. Then try your middle mouse button to see if it works.
That’s it. Hope this post helps you resolve the middle mouse button not working issue and get your mouse back on track.
If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to leave a comment below.
