Mouse cursor is moving in the opposite direction on Windows PC

Some Windows users have reported that their mouse cursor is moving in the opposite direction. When they move their mouse to the left, the cursor moves to the right and vice-versa. According to them, restarting the device fixes the issue but the problem appears again after some time. If you are experiencing such an issue on your Windows device, the solutions provided in this article may help you.

Why is my mouse going the wrong way?

If your mouse cursor is going the wrong way, the most common cause of this problem is the corrupted mouse driver. Update your mouse driver and then see if this fixes the problem. If there is no update available for your mouse driver, uninstall it and download the latest version from the manufacturer’s website. Install the downloaded driver manually.

Mouse cursor is moving in the opposite direction on Windows 11/10

If the mouse cursor is moving in the opposite direction on your Windows PC, go through the following fixes to resolve the issue.

Check the batteries of your mouse
Run Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter
Update or reinstall your mouse or touchpad driver
Enable Pointer Trails
Reset your mouse settings to default

Below, we have explained all these fixes in detail.

1] Check the batteries of your mouse

If you have a wireless mouse, we suggest you check its batteries. Remove and insert the batteries again and then check if the mouse is working properly. If possible, replace the batteries. If the issue persists, try the next solution.

2] Run Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter

The Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter is a useful tool in Windows computers. If you are experiencing issues with hardware devices connected to your computer, this tool can help you fix the problem. Run the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter and see if it helps.

To launch the troubleshooter, you have to execute the following command in an elevated Command Prompt:

msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic

3] Update or reinstall your mouse or touchpad driver

One possible cause of the problem is a corrupted or outdated mouse or touchpad driver. A driver is a piece of software that is responsible for establishing a connecting link between an operating system and a hardware device. When the driver malfunctions, this connecting link breaks, and the respective hardware device stops working or does not work correctly.

Update your mouse or touchpad driver and see if this fixes the problem. If an update is available for your mouse or touchpad driver, it will be shown on the Windows Optional Updates page. If you see an update is available, install it. After updating your mouse or touchpad driver, the problem should get fixed.

If the problem still persists, uninstall and reinstall the driver. The following steps will guide you on this:

Press the Win + X keys and select Device Manager.
When the Device Manager opens up, expand the Mice and other pointing devices branch.
Right-click on your mouse or touchpad driver and select Uninstall device.
Click Uninstall in the uninstall prompt.
Visit the official website of your device manufacturer and download the latest version of your mouse or touchpad.
If the driver is downloaded in a zip folder, extract it.
Now, open the extracted folder and run the installer file to install the mouse or touchpad driver manually.

After installing the driver, restart your computer and see if the problem persists.

Read: Cursor keeps moving to the left when typing

4] Enable Pointer Trails

This solution has helped many users. You should also try this. Enable the Pointer Trails and disable the Hide mouse pointer settings. Follow the steps below:

Launch the Run command box by pressing the Win + R keys.
Type Control Panel in the Run command box and click OK. This will open the Control Panel.
Select Large icons in the View by mode.
Click Mouse to open the mouse properties.
Select the Pointer Options tab.
Enable the “Display pointer trails” option and disable the “Hide pointer while typing” option. If you do not want pointer trails, move the slider to the Short.
Click Apply and then click OK.

5] Reset your mouse settings to default

One more thing that you can try to fix the problem is to reset the mouse settings to default. This method is useful if you have changed your mouse settings accidentally due to which you are experiencing problems with your mouse.

Read: Mouse is highlighting everything when I click.

How do I fix my mouse cursor going in the opposite direction?

As explained earlier in this article, this problem usually occurs due to corrupted mouse or touchpad drivers. To fix it, you have to update or reinstall your mouse or touchpad driver. You can use the Windows Optional Updates feature to update your mouse or touchpad driver or download the same from the official website of your device manufacturer.

Apart from updating the mouse or touchpad driver, you should also run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter. This tool is developed by Microsoft and it helps users fix the problems occurring on the hardware devices connected to their systems.

It might be possible that you have accidentally changed your mouse settings. You can also try resetting your mouse settings to default and see if this fixes the problem.

Read: Mouse wheel is zooming instead of scrolling

Why does cursor jump?

If the cursor jumps or moves randomly while typing, it might be because of the touchpad sensitivity settings. Decrease your touchpad settings and see if this helps. Another cause of this problem is a corrupted mouse driver. In this case, updating the mouse driver can fix the issue.

If none of the above fixes help, there might be a problematic background application causing the problem. To check this, you have to troubleshoot your computer in a Clean Boot state. If the issue does not occur in the Clean Boot state, the problem is occurring due to a background application.

Hope this helps.