The mouse is one of the most important components in a computer. Your system has a scroll wheel through which you can quickly scroll up or down to navigate through pages and documents. Most of the time, scrolling works smoothly and delicately. However, there are times when your mouse wheel may behave unexpectedly. For example, your mouse wheel is bouncing up and down or scrolling the wrong way. In this guide, we will discuss various ways to fix the mouse wheel not scrolling properly issue in your Windows 10 PC.
8 Ways to Fix Mouse Wheel Not Scrolling Properly
How do I fix mouse wheel not scrolling properly? The mouse wheel usually jumps when scrolling down. Both desktops and laptops will experience the same problem. This can be due to a number of reasons, such as issues with the driver, the laptop’s touchpad, or the mouse itself. So, before moving on to the method, let’s first try the basic troubleshooting steps listed below.
Preliminary troubleshooting
1. Restart your PC: This simple tried-and-true technique can easily fix glitches and errors.
2. Try connecting your mouse to a different USB port in your system. There may be an error in your port, which may trigger the mouse scrolling up and down issue.
3. If you are using a wireless mouse, please replace the old battery with a new one.
4. Finally, try scrolling your mouse in Notepad or other programs like Microsoft Word. If it works, then there might be something wrong with the app you’re using.
Method 1: Clean your mouse
Mouse Wheel Not Scrolling Properly Repair Tutorial: Often, when you don’t use your mouse for a long time, dust starts to accumulate in the gaps in the scroll wheel. This will trigger the rolling issue, which you can fix by simply blowing air into the gap of the rollers.
Note: You don’t need to open your mouse to clean it. Be careful not to damage any of the internal components of the mouse.
1. Just blow air into the gap around the rollers.
2. If that doesn’t work, turn the roller while blowing.
3. You can also use a rubber air pump cleaner to blow air into the gap.
4. Alternatively, you can use a compressed air cleaner to clean the vents of your mouse.
Method 2: Update your mouse driver
Workaround for mouse wheel not scrolling properly: You can resolve mouse-related issues by updating the mouse driver, as described below:
1. Click on the Windows key and enter Device Manager in the search bar.
2. Now, open Device Manager from the search results as shown in the image.
3. Click the right arrow next to Mouse and Other Pointing Devices.
4. Now, right-click on the mouse (HID compatible mouse) and select Update Driver as shown in the image.
5. Next, click Auto-search for drivers to allow Windows to search for the latest drivers on its own.
6A。 Now, the drivers will be updated to the latest version if they are not updated.
6B。 If they’re already in the update phase, the screen will say: The best driver for your device has been installed. Click Close to exit the window.
7. Restart the computer and check if the mouse wheel jumping up and down problem is solved.
Note: If updating your driver does not provide you with a fix, right-click your mouse and navigate to Properties. Next, switch to the Drivers tab and select the Roll Back Driver option. Finally, click OK and restart the system.
Method 3: Reinstall the mouse driver
Mouse Wheel Not Scrolling Properly Fix Tutorial: If updating your mouse drivers or rolling back updates doesn’t work for you, then reinstalling them is your best bet.
1. Launch Device Manager and use the steps above to expand your mouse and other pointing devices.
2. Right-click on the HID-Compliant mouse and select Uninstall Device as shown in the image below.
3. Click the warning prompt that appears on the uninstall confirmation screen.
4. Manually download the driver on your device from the manufacturer’s website.
5. Then, follow the on-screen instructions to install the driver and run the executable.
Note: Your system may reboot several times when you install a new driver on your device.
6. Finally, restart your computer and the mouse should work fine.
Method 4: Change the mouse scroll settings
How do I fix mouse wheel not scrolling properly? You can fix the mouse wheel not scrolling properly by changing the number of rows for one scroll. After changing this setting, you shouldn’t experience issues scrolling up and down with the mouse. Follow these steps to do this:
1. Click on the Windows key and launch the Control Panel from here.
2. Double-click the mouse, as shown below.
3. Switch to the Wheel tab in the Mouse Properties window.
4. Now, under Vertical Scrolling, set the number of lines at time to 5 or more.
5. Finally, click Apply >OK to save the changes.
Method 5: Disable the pointer as you type
The mouse scrolling up and down issue can also be due to the pointer. You can resolve this issue by disabling the Hide pointer while typing setting, as follows:
1. Navigate to the Control Panel > Mouse Settings, just like you did in the previous method.
2. Switch to the Pointer Options tab and uncheck Hide pointer box as you type, as highlighted.
3. Finally, click Apply > OK to save the changes.
Method 6: Run the Mouse troubleshooter
Mouse Wheel Not Scrolling Properly Repair Tutorial: It is highly recommended to use the built-in Windows troubleshooter to find and fix any issues with the hardware or software on your Windows PC. Here’s how to fix the mouse wheel not scrolling properly by running the mouse troubleshooter:
1. Launch the Control Panel and set the View With option to the large icon.
2. Now, select the device and printer options as shown in the image.
3. Here, right-click on your mouse and select Troubleshooter.
4. Wait for your system to complete the troubleshooting process and fix the problem, if any.
Finally, check if the issue of the mouse wheel not scrolling properly is now fixed.
Method 7: Update the app/browser (if applicable)
If you’re only having issues scrolling up and down with a specific app or Google Chrome browser, update that app or browser and check to see if the issues above are resolved.
Method 8: Disable Tablet Mode (if applicable)
Workaround for mouse wheel not scrolling properly: If you’re having trouble with mouse wheel not scrolling properly only when viewing a web page or scrolling through a document, try disabling tablet mode. You may have accidentally turned on the feature.
1. Search for tablet mode in the Windows search bar to manage these settings.
2. In the tablet settings window, click Change other tablet settings.
3. Turn off the tablet mode toggle as highlighted.
Pro tip: You can also use the methods mentioned in this article to solve the following problems:
- The mouse keeps freezing
- The left mouse button doesn’t work
- The right mouse button doesn’t work
- Mouse lag issues, etc
How do I fix mouse wheel not scrolling properly? We hope you found this guide helpful and that you were able to resolve the issue of the mouse wheel not scrolling properly. Let us know which method works best for you. Please feel free to ask your questions and suggestions in the comment section below.
