How to Fix Mouse Lagging Stuttering & Jumping Issues

Suddenly, your mouse may begin skipping, stuttering, and acting strangely, bouncing across your screen as if it were operated by some other creature.

It is what occurred with me over last weekend (since these kinds of issues tend to occur only once you have little spare time to spare), and now it made me feel somehow: nothing felt natural, the wireless mouse’s batteries were completely full, and anything else appeared to be normal. However, my mouse continued to skip and slow, refusing to recognize my directions.

I eventually found the solution for my issue, and now I’m here to assist anyone when you’re in a similar scenario. Here, we’ll discuss how to solve any computer or laptop’s mouse flickering, moving around, and even lagging.

Fix stuttering, bouncing, & lagging of the mouse

Typically, a cordless mouse is to blame for these issues, and as you will see, some also apply with a wired mouse.

Typically, your network is at blame for the mouse lagging. If somehow the router is already in close proximity to your computer, it will disrupt the wireless mouse’s transmission, resulting in lag, skipping, and unpredictable movement. These issues might be resolved simply by relocating far from that router.

This internet recommends a variety of possible solutions, which I have attempted without success or progress to my problem. So can you imagine my relief when I discovered the true perpetrator? Though I will mention more possible repairs, it is important to first verify the router, because this is the least possibility of your issues.

The mouse had an odd behavior: this would operate completely great for a brief (or long) amount of time, without leaping or skipping, and then it’ll lag & behave unpredictably for a bit.

I placed my Wifi Router next to the computer and it seems to have interfered also with the signal sent by the wireless mouse, resulting in the lagging, jumping, and moving around.

It’s really simple to determine if your wireless network is affecting the mouse issues: just switch that off and stay just a few seconds. If all gets back to normal and the mouse functions normally, this is the cause of the cursor flickering for the first time!

In this instance, all you need to do is relocate your Wifi Router for at least 2 – 3 feet (i.e 1 meter) far from the PC. Alternatively, move the computer far from the wifi.

More and more distance separating them, the better! Alternatively, you may get a cabled mouse and maintain your router in its original location – although it’s typically much simpler to just relocate the wifi.

This magically resolved my mouse dragging and stuttering issues, so I am certain it will do the same for you.

Keep in mind: Any wireless / Receiver located near your USB port on your mouse, not simply a wireless router, may create the same difficulties. Therefore, check everything to ensure that there can be no conflict with this situation, even if everything worked great before.

Additional possible causes and solutions for your mouse skipping issues

Since I am confident that the routers are the source of the issue for at least 95% of situations, just in fear it is still not, here are a few things you may do to stop your mouse from bouncing everywhere.

1. Try to Clean the sensor on your mouse.

This sensor seems to be the bright, generally the red light on the mouse’s base. When a little dirt item or strand of hair comes in the path, it might cause your mouse to act strangely.

Simply wipe the sensor clean with a dry towel and blow over it several times for further safety, then try again – sometimes when the particles clogging the sensor are too tiny to detect, but they may still remain.

2. Make sure the batteries are in good working order.

Verify that batteries are just not completely or almost completely drained (or mouse will need recharging). Both of these scenarios might result in the mouse acting oddly, however it is more often than not merely lagging that occurs in this case.

3. Make use of a surface that is mouse-friendly.

Confirm the surface upon which you are using the mouse is mouse-friendly. Whether you’re unsure, the best course of action is to have a mouse-pad and put it on a level surface (the bed sheets are also not considered a flat area!) while using your mouse.

The mouse has evolved much in recent years, but they also have a variety of surfaces on which they do not function well.

4. Verify that the USB port is functioning well.

Verify there were no issues with the USB port on which your wireless/mouse device is plugged: just try your wireless mouse on some other device to ensure that it functions correctly. If it works but neither of the methods above seems to succeed, the most probable cause would be that USB port that has gone bad.

Alternatively, try changing the USB connector on which your mouse is connected to check if any changes or improvements. It’s doubtful that it’s the root of the problem, but it really worth a shot if everything else fails.

5. If necessary, turn off the aero.

Turning down advanced visual options such as Aero in Windows 7 and above, particularly if your Windows pc is an early version. These may cause the wireless mouse to malfunction.

To disable Aero Options, just right-click on any of your desktops and choose “Personalize.”

Select just one of the themes under “Basic and High Contrast themes” in the new window to deactivate Aero, which consumes a significant amount of resources and may be the cause of mouse skipping and lagging.

Conclusion

Users have several options for resolving the mouse sluggish issues discussed above, and yet I believe that throughout the majority of cases, it’ll be the Wifi Router trying to interfere with the transmitter sent by your wireless mouse, and moving the router or your computer away from the router will resolve the issue immediately.

If not, whatever type of interference should be the source of your mouse skipping troubles, therefore turn them off one by one (or all at once) to determine the issue.