If your mouse or touchpad has frozen on your PC or laptop, there are several ways you can unlock it. It may simply require a few key presses or a reboot to resolve the issue. Here’s a guide on how to unlock your mouse if it stops working.
If you have a spare mouse available, plug it in to make troubleshooting easier. If not, you can navigate using the Tab key and arrow keys on your keyboard.
Frozen PC or laptop? Time to reboot
Before attempting to unlock your mouse, check if your entire PC is frozen by pressing the Caps Lock or Num Lock keys. If the indicator lights up, your PC is operational, and the issue may be with the mouse alone.
If the lights don’t respond and the laptop is unresponsive, you can try force-quitting the app or rebooting your PC. Restart it and check if the mouse is functioning properly. If not, proceed with the troubleshooting steps below.
How to unlock your mouse
If you suspect the mouse is the problem, follow these steps to troubleshoot:
Step 1: Check if the touchpad is disabled. Look for a touchpad icon with a stop sign or cross through it and press the corresponding key to enable it.
Step 2: Reconnect a standalone mouse or wireless mouse to a different port or repair its connection.
Step 3: Reinstall mouse and touchpad drivers through the Device Manager.
Step 4: Clean the touchpad or mouse to remove dirt and debris that may be causing issues.
Step 5: Consider rolling back to a system restore point if other steps fail.
If you’re still having trouble, you may need a new mouse. Check out our top recommendations.
