The mouse left click stops working on your Dell laptop or desktop? Don’t worry. You can fix the problem by following the steps below.
The problem can be a hardware failure or a Windows problem. So firstly, we need to troubleshoot whether it’s a hardware failure or a Windows problem:
Try your mouse on another computer. If the mouse works on another computer, it’s probably a Windows problem. If the mouse doesn’t work on another computer, it’s a hardware failure. Alternatively, you can try to use another mouse on your laptop/desktop to see if it works on your laptop/desktop properly.
What to do if it’s a hardware failure
If the mouse is still in warranty, you can contact the manufacturer. The manufacturer will help you fix the broken mouse or might even give you a new one to replace.
If the mouse is out of warranty, you’ll need to fix it on your own. Fixing a broken mouse requires some technical skills. If you’re not good at it, you can ask someone who’s good at it for help, or you can take it to a computer repair store to have it fixed.
If you’ve used the mouse for a long time, maybe it’s time to buy a new mouse.
What to do if it’s a Windows problem
The mouse left click not working problem can be caused by incorrect mouse settings, malfunctioning mouse drivers, etc. To fix the problem, you can try the following methods:
Method 1: Check the mouse settings
Method 2: Check if the ClickLock feature is enabled
Method 3: Repair corrupted files and settings
Method 4: Reinstall the mouse driver
Tip: Some of the following steps require you to use the left click. If you have trouble following the steps due to the mouse clicking problems, you can use the keyboard instead. You can enable Mouse Keys to control the mouse pointer by using the numeric keypad on your keyboard. To enable Mouse Keys, press Alt+Shift+Num Lock.
Method 1: Check the mouse settings
When your left mouse button stops working, it’s possible the primary button is set to Right. Check the mouse settings and ensure the primary button is set to Left. To do so:
1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key, type “mouse settings” and then select Mouse Settings from the result list.
2) On the right side panel of the window, check if Select your primary button under Mouse is set to Left. If not, select Left from the dropdown menu.
3) Check if the mouse left click works.
If Method 1 doesn’t work for you, continue to try Method 2.
Method 2: Check if the ClickLock feature is enabled
If the ClickLock feature is turned on and you’re not aware of it, the mouse left button might not work properly. So check and ensure the ClickLock feature is not enabled.
1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key, type “mouse settings” and then select Mouse Settings from the result list.
2) On the right side panel of the window, click the Additional mouse options link.
3) Check if the checkbox Turn on ClickLock is checked. If yes, uncheck it then click OK to save the changes.
If Method 2 doesn’t work for you, continue to try Method 3.
Method 3: Repair corrupted files and settings
The problem can be caused by corrupted files and settings. You can try repairing corrupted files and settings and see if it helps with the problem. Here’s how:
1) On your keyboard, press Win+R to invoke the Run box.
2) Type “cmd” into the Run box. Then, press Shift+Ctrl+Enter on your keyboard to run Command Prompt as administrator.
3) Type the following two commands one at a time:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth sfc /scannow
4) Once done, check to see if the mouse clicking problem is resolved.
If the problem persists, try Method 4.
Method 4: Reinstall the mouse driver
Sometimes the mouse driver is malfunctioning and causes the mouse left button not not to work properly. Reinstalling the mouse driver may help fix the problem. Following these steps:
1) On your keyboard, press Win+R to invoke the Run box.
2) Type “devmgmt.msc” into the Run box to open the Device Manager window.
3) Expand the category “Mice and other pointing devices”, right-click on the mouse device and select Uninstall device.
4) Select the checkbox Delete the driver software for this device. Then, click Uninstall to confirm uninstalling the driver.
5) Restart your computer to allow Windows to reinstall the driver.
6) Check to see if the mouse click problem is resolved.
Hopefully you find this article helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment below. I’ll get back to you ASAP.