How to Fix Mouse Left Click (Button) Not Working on Windows

Quick Tips

• In most cases, this problem may be a sign of file corruption or corruption or user profile corruption.
• You may also double-check some basic mouse configurations to fix the issue.

Basic Fixes:

• Check for hardware issues: Most mouse-related problems are associated with hardware failures. Cases of faulty cables, USB ports, or slots could result in the mouse working properly with your computer.
• Clean the mouse button using compressed air: The mouse buttons may have gathered debris, so cleaning or blowing compressed air may fix the problem.
• Use an alternate user profile: If your current user profile is corrupted, you may need a different one to fix the problem.
• Remove recently installed apps or drivers: If you notice a problem after installing new apps or drivers, uninstall them, as they may trigger the problem.

Fix 1: Set Your Primary Mouse Button to Left

A simple misconfiguration may cause the mouse’s left click to stop working. The Settings app allows you to reconfigure some of these. One of the most important things is ensuring the primary mouse action is set to the left. Follow the steps below.

Step 1: Press Windows + I to open Settings.

Step 2: Click Bluetooth & devices on the left pane > click Mouse on the right.

Step 3: Ensure the Primary mouse button is set to Left.

Fix 2: Run the SFC and DISM Commands

At times, running the SFC and DISM commands can fix the issue. This is because these scans will fix damaged or corrupted system and image files that may cause the mouse problem. Here’s how to scan and fix the problem.

Step 1: Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog, type cmd, and hit Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open a Command Prompt with admin rights.

Step 2: Type this command and press Enter.

sfc/scannow

Step 3: Once the scanning process is complete, type exit, then press Enter to close the cmd window. Finally, restart your computer and confirm if the mouse works correctly.

Alternatively, run DISM commands to fix corrupt files. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog, type cmd, and hit Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open a Command Prompt with admin rights.

Step 2: Type the command below and hit Enter.

dism/online/cleanup-image/restorehealth

Step 3: Wait for the process to complete, restart your PC, and confirm if your mouse works properly.

Fix 3: Reinstall or Update Mouse Drivers

If your mouse runs on outdated or old features, you may experience issues with button functionalities. To resolve this issue, update mouse drivers to the latest versions. Here’s how:

Step 1: Press the Windows + X keys and select Device Manager.

Step 2: Expand Mice and other pointing devices, identify the mouse you are using, right-click on it, and click Update driver.

Step 3: On the next screen, choose Search automatically for drivers and follow the prompts to complete the process. Then, restart your device.

Alternatively, you may uninstall and reinstall the driver. Launch the Device Manager as you did above and follow the steps below.

Step 1: Expand Mice and other pointing devices, identify the mouse you are using, right-click on it, and click Uninstall device.

Step 2: Confirm your choice and restart the computer.

After you restart the computer, it should automatically install a new driver.

Fix 4: Enable Click-Lock

If you have issues holding the left button down, enabling the click-lock feature can fix this issue. By enabling click-lock, briefly pressing the left button will keep it down until you click it again.

Step 1: Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog, type control, and hit Enter to open the Control Panel.

Step 2: Select Hardware and Sound.

Step 3: Click Mouse under Devices and Printers.

Step 4: Go to the Buttons tab and check the box for Turn on ClickLock.

Note: If the click-lock feature is enabled, it could also mean that this is the cause of the problem. In such a case, uncheck the click-lock feature and confirm if the left-click button works.

As a last resort, consider buying a new mouse.