Despite the fact that most computer manipulators or mice are a universal type of device, sometimes serious problems can occur with them. One of the most common situations is when the left mouse button does not work or does not work as it should (once, it calls the context menu, etc.). Why this happens, and how to fix the situation, we will consider in more detail below.
The left mouse button does not work: what is the reason?
Speaking about what can cause this phenomenon, first of all, problems with the device itself should be noted. Indeed, various kinds of mechanical damage can provoke situations when the left mouse button works every other time. However, the root cause, oddly enough, this may not always be the case.
Quite often, problems can be in the device drivers. True, for the most part this applies to game controllers, for which you need to install quite specific control software. But with standard devices, this can also happen.
No less common are problems with improper connection or even situations when the mouse is blocked at the program level. For most of these cases, a more or less suitable solution to restore the device’s operability can be found. Let's try to consider some of them. We are not talking about viruses, since such cases can be encountered very rarely, although their effect is not excluded.
Manipulator connection change
So, we assume that the left mouse button does not work. What to do to fix the problem?
To get started, just try restarting the computer or reconnecting the mouse, if it is a USB or wireless type, to a different port. For PS2 standard devices, it is necessary to re-enable only when the power is off, and for USB-versions of manipulators this can be done, as they say, right on the go. But this is only the simplest that can be, and usually the problem is hidden much deeper.
Power Saving and Power Settings
Let’s see what can be done if the left mouse button does not work or works in the wrong mode (say, for a double click, you need to make more than two clicks, or there is no reaction to the button click).
The proposed solution applies only to USB devices and is not applicable for conventional manipulators:
- First, in order not to take any actions with the drivers yet, you need to call the “Device Manager” (devmgmt.msc in the “Run” menu).
- Find all Generic USB Hub devices and root USB hubs (there may be several).
- For each, view the properties section with the transition to the power management tab.
- If a checkmark is set in front of the device’s shutdown point to save energy, you must remove it, then save the installed options and restart the system for accuracy.
Sometimes it happens that the left mouse button does not work due to incorrectly set parameters in the current power scheme, which is more typical for laptops.
In this situation, you must:
- enter the appropriate settings using the “Control Panel” or the RMB menu on the battery icon;
- reveal additional parameters;
- set the ban in the options for temporarily disabling USB ports.
Disable touchpad latency on a laptop
On laptops, this problem is very often associated with the fact that the operation of the mouse button (not necessarily the left) is affected by the included touchpad. It should be disabled, either using the keyboard shortcut based on the Fn button, or directly in the manipulator settings, which are located in the corresponding section of the “Control Panel”.
A similar procedure can be performed in the "Device Manager", choosing the disable for the touchpad.
What if the left mouse button works like the right one?
If the problem is that the left button for some reason brings up context menus and does not work on the selection or input operations, then, most likely, the mouse settings related to changing the buttons were somehow changed.
To fix the problem, use the "Control Panel" and the mouse settings section. Here you need to uncheck the button exchange destination, if it is installed there.
What could be more?
Just in case, see if you have installed any additional software for controlling the mouse or for reassigning the buttons. It can also cause such situations.
Finally, if nothing helps at all, in the “Device Manager” just remove the mouse from the list, and then reboot the system. It may well be that when you restart Windows installs the necessary drivers again, and the problem disappears by itself.
But, if nothing changes after that, check the manipulator for operability on another PC, and if necessary, let it in for repair or buy a new one. Fortunately, now such devices are inexpensive.