Mouse Side Buttons Not Working? Find Out The 8 Best Solutions!

The mouse is one of the most important input tool in any PC. Now, imagine finding out that suddenly, your mouse side buttons are not working at all. What would you do then?

Well, finding your mouse buttons not responding in a time of dire need can be a quite frustrating. We understand that. That’s why we have brought you a series of simple solutions to this problem.

If you follow our guide below, you can easily get to the root of this problem and find out if it’s fixable or not. However, keep in mind that while some mouse problems can be fixed, some cannot. So, you may have to buy a new mouse in that case.

Without wasting any more time, let’s get on to the main discussion right away!!

Mouse Side Buttons Not Working: 8 Probable Solutions

If your mouse has malfunctioned, it can occur for many reasons. Therefore, you can’t really be sure why your mouse side buttons are not working.

That’s why we have arranged an array of multiple solutions that you can try (to make your mouse side buttons work again). Now, let’s go over them in brief discussion:

1. Finding out If It’s Indeed Broken: Testing on Android System

First off, you need to make sure that mouse side buttons are not working is actually due to the mouse itself or not. Sometimes, malfunctions from Windows or Linux operating systems can cause the side buttons to malfunction as well.

That’s why we recommend that you disconnect the mouse from your PC, and connect it to your Android phone through an OTG cable.

That way, you can promptly find out if your mouse is indeed responsible for the malfunction of the button or not.

2. Updating Mouse Drivers

Because gaming mice come with many more additional buttons that plain mice don’t have, they require intricate drivers to work in Windows or Linux systems. That’s why the drivers can malfunction on an occasional basis.

So, we suggest that you update your mouse drivers and check if the problem lies in the driver’s or not.

Hopefully, if the problem is indeed occurring because of old drivers, updating the drivers will solve it.

3. Cleaning The Mouse (Getting Rid Of Dusts)

In most cases, hardware malfunctions (like mouse side buttons not working) occur because of dust accumulation. That’s why, to solve the problem in the simplest way, it’s a good idea to take the mouse apart and clean the dust away.

Now, you might be a newbie in terms of hardware tinkering and not know how to open your mouse and clean it up.

In that case, you should use the official website of your mouse manufacturer to get information on how to disassemble the mouse. After that, use paintbrushes or air blowers to clean off the accumulated dust.

4. Initiating A Total Reinstallation Of The Mouse

Another good way of tackling this problem is to fully disconnect or disengage your mouse from your computer, and then, reconnect it as new hardware.

To be more specific, we are suggesting that you disconnect your mouse from your computer (if it’s a Bluetooth mouse) or disconnect the USB port of your mouse from the computer. And then, you should uninstall its drivers and reconnect it.

If you do that, the hardware components of the mouse will be reconfigured. As a result, hopefully, the problem will be solved (if it has indeed occurred because of software issues).

5. Trying Out a New USB Port

Just in case your USB port might be the source of the problem, you should try to reconnect your mouse to a different USB port. Or, you should just connect your mouse to all the USB ports of your PC.

That way, you can be 100% sure that your USB port is not responsible for your mouse side buttons not working.

6. Utilizing Your Warranty

This is a step that you should follow if your mouse has a warranty on it. Meaning, if you have bought your mouse from a renowned manufacturer, you must have a certain period of warranty, right?

Well, we recommend you take advantage of that warranty if your mouse side buttons are not working within the period of your warranty.

So, go ahead and check the purchase receipt of your mouse and see if your warranty has run out or not. If it hasn’t, go ahead and claim your warranty service (and fix your mouse right away).

7. Contact Manufacturer Support

Some manufacturers provide paid servicing support to their products (such as Logitech, Samsung, HP, etc). If your manufacturer, too, has this kind of paid tech support service, you should go ahead and try fixing your mouse from there.

We should let you know here that repair jobs from a third-party source should not be trusted. That’s why getting a repair from the Manufacturer’s customer care support is the best way to go.

8. Reassigning The Mouse Buttons

In case you have tried out all of the above options, you should use the instructions below to reassign the mouse buttons.

To be more specific, if your mouse has extra buttons, you can reassign the functions of those damaged buttons to other buttons.

This way, you can hopefully tackle the problem without facing major discomfort in use.

To reassign your mouse buttons, do the following steps:

1. Connect your mouse to your computer and go to Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center. In order to download the Microsoft mouse and keyboard center app, use the following link:  https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/mouse-and-keyboard-center-download-f5b10905-7887-eedb-2f1c-d0737a36a3b2
2. Now, once you opened the app, go to Basic Settings.
3. At this point, you’ll have to select the mouse button that you want to reassign and select a preferred command for it. Also, you can use this app to disable any mouse button as well.

Well, that’s pretty much it. If none of the methods work, you may have to work without the side buttons or buy a new mouse altogether. Just carefully prioritize which option is best for you and make up your mind.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are the Odds of Succeeding in Fixing My Mouse Buttons?

Actually, there’s no way to predict if you’ll be successful in fixing your side mouse buttons or not. It fully depends on how much damage your mouse buttons have taken.

If it’s physical damage from a table drop, your mouse button will not likely get repaired.

However, if your mouse buttons are not working because of dirt accumulation, you have a good chance of repairing your mouse buttons yourself.

Can I Still Use My Mouse when The Side Buttons Have Malfunctioned?

Yes, you can still keep using your mouse even if the side buttons are not working. However, if the problem has arisen because of dirt or dust accumulation in your mouse, the chances are high that your other buttons will also be affected by it.

So, we recommend cleaning up your mouse as soon as possible (if you want to keep using it).

Is Taking a Mouse Apart a Risky Move?

No, actually, it’s not. You can use your mouse’s user manuals to find out detailed information on your mouse. Then, you can take advantage of instruction videos from YouTube to disassemble your mouse.

And, don’t worry, if you do things carefully, it is unlikely that your mouse will get fully damaged because of opening it up.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that there’s no definite solution for fixing your mouse side buttons. However, if you follow the instructions as we have mentioned above, there’s a high chance that you will end up fixing your mouse side buttons.

But, in case your mouse has suffered physical damage, the chances of a successful fix-up are very few. However, we do encourage you to try your best. Good luck!!