Mouse Not Working on Your Mac? 10 Tips to Fix It

Do you could have hassle getting your mouse to work accurately in your Mac? Whether or not you utilize Apple’s Magic Mouse or a third-party Bluetooth, wi-fi, or wired mouse, you may observe these tricks to get it to work once more.




Earlier than Your Begin: Allow Mouse Keys

Mouse Keys is an accessibility characteristic that allows you to use your keyboard to navigate round macOS. If you do not have one other enter system (akin to a trackpad), you might wish to activate it earlier than working your means by a few of the fixes under.

Begin by urgent Cmd + Possibility + F5 to convey up the Accessibility Shortcuts menu. Then, press the Tab key repeatedly to focus on the Mouse Keys choice. Press House to pick out it, adopted by Esc to save lots of your adjustments.

With Mouse Keys enabled, use the 7, 8, 9, U, O, J, Okay, and L keys (or the 7, 8, 9, 4, 6, 1, 2, and 3 keys on a numpad) to maneuver the cursor round. You should use the I key (or the 5 key on the numpad) to duplicate a mouse click on.


1. Flip Your Mac’s Bluetooth Off and On

In case you use a Magic Mouse, minor glitches with Bluetooth could cause it to cease functioning as supposed. The identical might happen with third-party mice that work over Bluetooth. In that case, disabling and re-enabling Bluetooth in your Mac can assist. To do that:

  1. Click on the Management Heart icon within the menu bar and increase the Bluetooth management.
  2. Flip off the change subsequent to Bluetooth.
  3. Look ahead to a number of seconds and switch it again on once more.

Devices in the Bluetooth status panel in macOS Control Center

In case your mouse does not join mechanically, choose it from the Units part of the Bluetooth menu within the Management Heart.

2. Take away and Reconnect the USB Receiver

In case you use a normal wi-fi mouse, attempt disconnecting the USB receiver, rebooting your Mac, and reconnecting the receiver. That would find yourself resolving sudden points with the system.

In case you use a USB hub, you also needs to attempt connecting the receiver on to a USB port on the Mac itself. That ought to make sure the USB receiver has adequate energy to operate accurately.


This additionally tends to repair points together with your cursor disappearing or transferring choppily. Attempt shaking your mouse quickly when you nonetheless cannot see it regardless of troubleshooting.

3. Recharge or Change the Mouse Battery

Did you recharge or exchange the battery in your mouse lately? A near-depleted battery can stop your mouse from connecting to your laptop. Even when it does join, you might expertise unpredictable cursor conduct, like a disappearing cursor.

Attempt recharging your Magic Mouse through its Lightning port for not less than quarter-hour. In case you use a wi-fi mouse with replaceable batteries, take away the battery compartment cowl and exchange the AA battery (or batteries) inside.

Apple Magic Mouse being recharged on a desk
Crystal Eye Studio/Shutterstock

4. Flip the Mouse’s Energy Swap Off and On

Turning your mouse off after which again on is one other strategy to repair a malfunctioning system. Search for an On/Off change—you may often discover it on the mouse’s underside.


For Bluetooth mice (such because the Magic Mouse), you might have to manually join it through the Bluetooth standing menu after turning it again on (as talked about above).

5. Pair the Bluetooth Mouse With Your Mac Once more

In case you use a Magic Mouse or one other third-party Bluetooth mouse, take away it out of your Mac and take a look at pairing it once more:

  1. Click on the Apple brand within the menu bar and select System Settings.
  2. Choose Bluetooth from the left sidebar.
  3. Management-click your Bluetooth mouse and choose Overlook.
  4. Choose Overlook Machine from the pop-up that seems.
    Prompt to forget mouse in the Bluetooth panel on macOS

  5. Now, flip your mouse off, wait a second, after which flip it again on.
  6. Select the Join button within the Close by Units part to pair your mouse together with your Mac once more.

6. Test Your Mac’s Mouse and Pointer Settings

Does the cursor transfer very slowly in your Mac? Do you discover it unattainable to carry out a right-click in your Mac together with your Magic Mouse? Is your mouse scrolling within the fallacious route?

In these circumstances, it is best to go over to System Settings in your Mac and ensure every little thing is appropriately configured:

  1. Head to System Settings in your Mac.
  2. Choose Mouse within the left pane.
  3. Use the configuration choices inside the Mouse settings to find out how your mouse works.


Mouse settings panel in macOS System Settings

For instance, when you use a Magic Mouse, test the field subsequent to Secondary click on to allow right-clicking, or drag the slider underneath Monitoring velocity to find out how briskly the cursor strikes on the display.

In case you typically have points with the mouse cursor disappearing, head to System Settings > Accessibility > Show and discover the Pointer part. Right here, you should use the slider to regulate the pointer dimension in order that it is simpler to identify. Additionally, it is value ensuring Shake mouse pointer to find is toggled on. This setting makes the cursor greater once you shake your mouse.

Mouse pointer settings in macOS


7. Set up Assist Software program for Third-Social gathering Mice

In case you use a third-party mouse, you would possibly want its proprietary software program in your Mac to make it work. For instance, the Logi Choices app gives further settings that can assist you configure how Logitech mice work in your Mac.

Mouse Support Software

Test your mouse producer’s web site for driver and software program downloads, and set up something that is out there on your mouse.

8. Debug the Bluetooth Module on Your Mac

In case you hold experiencing connectivity or different points with a Bluetooth mouse, attempt debugging the Bluetooth module in your Mac. Observe these steps to take action:

  1. Press and maintain each the Shift and the Possibility keys concurrently and open the Bluetooth standing menu. You may see extra particulars and choices than normal.
  2. Choose the Reset the Bluetooth module choice.
  3. Choose OK.


Debug Bluetooth Module

Your Mac will debug the Bluetooth module mechanically. Because it does, your mouse (in addition to some other Bluetooth gadgets) will disconnect and reconnect after a number of seconds. If that does not occur accurately, attempt restarting your Mac.

In case you use macOS Monterey or later in your Mac, you might not see an choice to reset the Bluetooth module. In that case, open Terminal in your Mac and run the next command:

sudo pkill bluetoothd 

9. Replace macOS

Test in case your Mac has any pending software program updates and set up them. That ought to repair any recognized bugs or different points stopping your mouse from working accurately. Here is test for macOS updates:

  1. Head to System Settings and choose Basic from the sidebar.
  2. Select Software program Replace on the correct.
  3. In case you see any out there updates, click on Replace Now.


Software Update panel in macOS System Settings

10. Delete Mouse Property Listing Recordsdata

Deleting the Property Listing (PLIST) recordsdata that include your mouse preferences and configuration settings is one other strategy to repair a malfunctioning mouse.

Whereas it will not break something, it is a considerably superior repair. Subsequently, we advocate making a Time Machine backup earlier than you proceed with the steps under:

  1. Open a Finder window and click on Go > Go to Folder from the menu bar.
  2. Kind ~/Library/Preferences and choose Go.
  3. Choose the next recordsdata and transfer them to the Trash:
    • com.apple.AppleMultitouchMouse.plist
    • com.apple.driver.AppleBluetoothMultitouch.mouse.plist
    • com.apple.driver.AppleHIDMouse.plist

Deleting PLIST files in Finder


After this, restart your Mac. It is going to then mechanically recreate the deleted PLIST recordsdata. Assuming your mouse begins to work correctly afterward, head to the Mouse settings menu (System Settings > Mouse) to reconfigure it once more. You too can observe up by resetting your Mac’s NVRAM and SMC.

Hopefully, your mouse works correctly now. If not, you are probably coping with a faulty unit. To make sure that’s the case, join the mouse to a different Mac. In case you proceed to expertise the identical points, it’s best to restore or exchange your mouse. Choosing a Magic Trackpad as an alternative can also be a good suggestion.

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