Wireless mouse freezes but the light is on

Find your symptom in this table first. It tells you which step to go to.

If it only freezes on one computer, the cause is usually that computer. If you send the mouse to us, we will most likely not see the problem, so try step 2 first. It is faster.

No software needed. When the mouse freezes, try these in order. On this page, receiver means both a nano receiver that plugs into USB and a dongle on a cable.

1. Click the left button once

   Some mice go to sleep when left still and only wake on a click, not on movement. If a click brings it back, nothing is broken. You can change the sleep time in the mouse software.

2. Switch the mouse off and on

   If that brings it back, the cause is most likely the wireless link. Go to step 3.

3. Still frozen? Unplug the receiver and plug it back in

   If that brings it back, the cause is most likely Windows or the USB port. Go to step 2.

4. Receiver light is on, but it keeps dropping

   If Windows keeps playing the USB connect and disconnect sounds, or the mouse works for a moment and then drops, the problem is the USB connection between the receiver and the PC, not the wireless link. The light only shows the receiver has power, not that data is getting through.

   • Change the cable. For a dongle on a cable, use the cable that came with the mouse. A loose plug, or a charging cable without data wires, gives power but no connection.
   • Plug into a port on the back of the PC, not a USB hub or a front panel port.
   • Try another computer. If it drops on every computer, the receiver or cable is likely faulty and you can send it to us to check. If it only drops on one, go to step 2.

   USBLogView in step 4 will show the repeated connects and disconnects with times, which you can send as evidence with a claim.

5. Use the mouse with its cable

   If your mouse works wired and never freezes that way, the mouse itself is fine. The cause is the receiver or the wireless link.

6. Charge the battery fully

   A light that is on does not mean the battery is high enough. Charge it fully and try again. If it stops freezing, the battery was the cause.

7. Try another computer

   Plug the receiver into another PC or laptop and use it for a while. If it does not freeze there, the cause is the first computer. Go to step 2. If it freezes on every computer, the mouse or receiver is the likely cause, and you can send it to us to check.

Work in order and test after each step. Once it is fixed, stop.

The steps follow Windows 11. Windows 10 menus are close to the same. Menu names here are in English. If your Windows is in another language, use the Win+R shortcut given in each step. It opens the right page directly, and the options sit in the same places.

1. Change the port

   Use a port on the back of the PC that goes straight into the motherboard, not a USB hub, a dock or a front panel port. If your receiver plugs straight into the PC with no extension, try a USB 2.0 port. How to tell USB 2.0 from 3.0

2. Turn off USB power saving (USB selective suspend)

   To save power, Windows can suspend a USB port that looks idle. While the mouse sits still, the receiver has nothing to send, so its port can be suspended. When you move the mouse again and the port does not wake up, the mouse freezes with its light still on.

   1Normal use: data flows from the mouse to the PC

   2The mouse sits still: nothing to send, so Windows suspends the USB port

   3You move the mouse: the receiver gets it, but the port is still asleep, so the cursor stays put

   MouseReceiver×AsleepUSB portPC

   On a desktop PC, turning this off makes almost no difference to power use. On a laptop the battery may run down a little faster. Turn it off in both places below.

   Place 1: Power Options

   1. Press Win+R, type powercfg.cpl and press Enter (or open Control Panel > Power Options)
   2. Click Change plan settings for the plan you use, then Change advanced power settings
   3. Open USB settings > USB selective suspend setting
   4. Set it to Disabled and click OK

   If you do not see USB settings, skip to place 2.

   Place 2: Device Manager

   1. Press Win+R, type devmgmt.msc and press Enter (or right click the Start button > Device Manager)
   2. Open Universal Serial Bus controllers
   3. Right click USB Root Hub > Properties > Power Management tab
   4. Untick Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power and click OK
   5. Repeat for every USB Root Hub, and for each device under Human Interface Devices that has a Power Management tab

   If the freezing comes back after a Windows update, check both places again.

3. Update the chipset driver

   Get the driver from the chip maker directly.

   • AMD CPU: download the AMD Chipset Driver for your socket (AM4 or AM5) at amd.com
   • Intel CPU: use Intel Driver & Support Assistant at intel.com, which finds and installs the drivers for you

   Not sure if your PC is AMD or Intel? Press Win+R, type msinfo32 and look at the Processor line.

4. Remove a recent Windows update

   Only if the freezing clearly started after a particular update.

   1. Press Win+R, type ms-settings:windowsupdate-history and press Enter (or Settings > Windows Update > Update history)
   2. Find the update installed on the day the freezing started
   3. Scroll down to Uninstall updates and remove that one
   4. Back in Windows Update, click Pause updates until Microsoft releases a fix

1. Keep the receiver close to the mouse

   Use the extension or dock that came with the mouse, and put the receiver on the desk where it can see the mouse. See where to place it

2. Avoid interference

   Do not plug the receiver next to a USB 3.0 port with an SSD or flash drive in it, and keep it away from your Wi-Fi router.

3. Update the firmware

   Update the mouse and receiver firmware with the brand's software.

4. Try a lower polling rate

   If it is set to 4000 Hz or 8000 Hz, try 1000 Hz. If the freezing stops, your PC is not keeping up with the higher rate.

USBLogView records every time a USB device is plugged in or removed, with the time. It shows whether the receiver really dropped off USB when the mouse froze.

1. Download USBLogView

   From nirsoft.net. Choose the 64-bit version.

2. Unzip it and open USBLogView.exe

   No installation needed. If your antivirus or Windows SmartScreen warns you, click More info > Run anyway. NirSoft tools often get this warning even though they are safe, so only download from the link on this page.

3. Leave it running

   Use your PC as usual until the mouse freezes.

4. Repeat step 1 and note the result

   Back to step 1: switch the mouse off and on, unplug and replug the receiver, and note which one brought it back.

What to send us

• A screenshot of USBLogView and roughly when the mouse froze
• Your step 1 results: did switching the mouse off and on fix it, did replugging the receiver fix it
• Your mouse model
• Your Windows version: press Win+R and type winver
• Your motherboard and CPU: press Win+R, type msinfo32 and capture the BaseBoard Manufacturer, BaseBoard Product and Processor lines. On a laptop, send the laptop model instead.

Send it to support@micemod.gg or message the Micemod page on Facebook. If you bought it from Micemod, you can check the warranty with the serial number at warranty.micemod.gg.

Some cases can only be fixed with a BIOS update, for example USB dropouts caused by the motherboard firmware. A BIOS update carries risk: if the power cuts out during it, the PC may not boot. Only do it after every step above has failed, follow your motherboard maker's guide exactly, or have a computer shop do it.