The middle mouse button helps you scroll through long web pages and screens with a lot of data. If that stops, well you will end up using the keyboard for scrolling which is painful. In this post, we are going to suggest troubleshooting tips for when the Middle mouse button not working in Windows 11/10.
How do I turn on the middle mouse button?
Most mice have a middle mouse button with a scroll wheel and it is enabled by default. You don’t have to do anything. If it is not working then you may need to troubleshoot the issue.
The problem could either be with the hardware or software. To isolate the probability of a hardware failure, try connecting the mouse to a different system and check if it works fine there. If yes, then the issue is with the software. Also possible that a software update, especially gaming software could have been misconfigured in a way that the middle button does not respond as expected.
Middle mouse button not working in Windows PC
Here are some suggestions you can try if your Mouse middle click is not working on Windows 11/10:
- Run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter
- Update the mouse drivers
- Install OEM specific Mouse Drivers
- Modify Registry entries
- Reset the Mouse settings to default
1] Run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter
Before proceeding to more complicated solutions, a wise idea would be to run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter, an in-built mechanism in Windows 10 which checks for issues with the hardware and resolves the problem if possible.
Click on the Start button and go to Windows 11 Settings > System >Troubleshoot
Windows 10 users, click on the Start button and go to Windows 10 Settings > Updates and Security >Troubleshoot
Select the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter from the list and run it
Restart the system once done.
2] Update the mouse drivers
Manufacturers of mice keep changing products and updating drivers. In case you used a disk to install the software for the mouse, there’s a chance that the drivers are obsolete. The best approach would be to update the drivers.
- Press Win + R to open the Run window and type the command devmgmt.msc. Press Enter to open the Device Manager.
- While keeping the device connected, expand the list for Mice and other pointing devices.
- Right-click on the driver for the problematic mouse and select Update driver.
- Restart the system once the driver gets updated.
3] Install OEM specific Mouse Drivers
If your Middle mouse button is working, but it’s not working as expected, then you should install OEM, specific drivers. When you install Windows, it will use a generic driver for all. However, these drivers limit the functionality of the mouse. Some also configure the middle mouse to respond to specific action which does not work without the right drivers.
In this case, I would suggest you visit the PC manufacturer’s website to download and install the latest drivers. Then open the software, and configure the way it was set before. Some OEMs also offer gestures. Make sure to check on it as well.
4] Modify Registry entries
In case a Windows Update has messed up with the Registry entries, we could correct it as follows:
Press Win + R to open the Run window and type the command regedit. Press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
In the Registry Editor, navigate to the key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
On the right-pane, double-click on the entry WheelScrollLines to open its Properties. Change the value of the Value Data to 3.
5] Reset the Mouse settings to default
You may reset the Mouse settings to default and see if that works for you.
How do I know if my middle mouse button is working?
To check if the middle mouse button is working, click on it. If a double arrowed cursor image appears, it is working. This helps you automatically scroll up or down a page automatically.
If this does not help – maybe its a hardware problem and maybe you need to either get it repaired or replaced.
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