Mouse Is Not Working in Games on Windows 11

A mouse that works normally on the desktop but stops responding inside games can be frustrating. In Windows 11, this issue typically appears as no movement, no clicks registering, erratic cursor behavior, or the mouse being locked in the center of the screen while gaming.

This problem is usually caused by incorrect in-game settings, driver issues, overlay conflicts, USB power management, DPI software conflicts, or Windows input restrictions. In some cases, fullscreen optimizations or background applications may interfere with mouse input.

Fixing a mouse not working in games on Windows 11 requires checking drivers, adjusting system settings, and disabling conflicting overlays. Follow the steps below carefully.

How to Fix Mouse Not Working in Games on Windows 11

Work through the following methods in order and test the game after each step.

1. Restart Your Computer

Temporary input glitches may block mouse input.

1. Close the game completely.
2. Restart Windows 11.
3. Launch the game again.
4. Test mouse movement and clicks.

A restart clears temporary driver conflicts.

2. Check Mouse Connection

Hardware connection problems may affect input.

1. Unplug the mouse.
2. Plug it into a different USB port.
3. Avoid using USB hubs temporarily.
4. For wireless mice, replace batteries.
5. Restart the game.

Unstable USB ports can cause in-game input issues.

3. Update Mouse Drivers

Outdated drivers may cause game incompatibility.

1. Press Windows + X.
2. Open Device Manager.
3. Expand Mice and other pointing devices.
4. Right-click your mouse.
5. Select Update driver.
6. Restart your PC after updating.

Updated drivers improve compatibility with games.

4. Reinstall Mouse Drivers

If updating does not help:

1. Open Device Manager.
2. Right-click your mouse.
3. Select Uninstall device.
4. Restart Windows.
5. Allow Windows to reinstall drivers automatically.

This removes corrupted driver files.

5. Disable Mouse Acceleration

Mouse acceleration may interfere with game input.

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to Bluetooth & devices.
3. Click Mouse.
4. Select Additional mouse settings.
5. Go to the Pointer Options tab.
6. Uncheck Enhance pointer precision.
7. Click Apply.

Many games function better without acceleration.

6. Disable Fullscreen Optimizations

Fullscreen optimization may block input.

1. Locate the game executable file.
2. Right-click it.
3. Select Properties.
4. Go to the Compatibility tab.
5. Check Disable fullscreen optimizations.
6. Click Apply.
7. Relaunch the game.

This can fix mouse lock issues.

7. Run the Game as Administrator

Permission issues may block input.

1. Right-click the game shortcut.
2. Select Run as administrator.
3. Test mouse input in-game.

Admin privileges sometimes resolve input conflicts.

8. Disable Game Overlays

Overlays can interfere with mouse detection.

1. Disable overlay in Discord.
2. Disable overlay in Steam.
3. Disable overlay in graphics software like NVIDIA GeForce Experience.
4. Restart the game.

Overlays frequently cause input conflicts.

9. Disable Xbox Game Bar

Game Bar may interfere with input.

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to Gaming.
3. Click Xbox Game Bar.
4. Turn it off.
5. Restart the game.

Some games experience input conflicts with Game Bar.

10. Check In-Game Mouse Settings

Incorrect in-game configuration may block input.

1. Open game settings.
2. Navigate to input or controls.
3. Ensure mouse input is enabled.
4. Reset controls to default.
5. Save changes.

Some games allow switching between controller and mouse.

11. Disable USB Power Saving

Windows may turn off USB ports during gameplay.

1. Open Device Manager.
2. Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.
3. Right-click each USB Root Hub.
4. Select Properties.
5. Go to the Power Management tab.
6. Uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device.
7. Click OK.
8. Restart your PC.

This prevents USB disconnections.

12. Perform a Clean Boot

Third-party software may interfere with input.

1. Press Windows + R.
2. Type msconfig.
3. Go to the Services tab.
4. Check Hide all Microsoft services.
5. Disable remaining services.
6. Restart Windows.
7. Test the game again.

If it works, re-enable services gradually.

13. Update Graphics Drivers

Graphics driver conflicts may affect input handling.

1. Open Device Manager.
2. Expand Display adapters.
3. Update your GPU driver.
4. Restart Windows.
5. Test the game.

Updated drivers improve overall game compatibility.

14. Test the Mouse on Another Game or PC

To rule out hardware failure:

1. Test the mouse in another game.
2. Connect it to another PC.
3. Confirm proper functionality.

If it fails elsewhere, the mouse may be defective.

Final Thoughts

A mouse not working in games on Windows 11 is usually caused by driver conflicts, overlay interference, fullscreen optimization issues, or USB power management settings rather than hardware failure. In most cases, updating drivers and disabling overlays resolves the issue quickly.