When using a wired or wireless mouse to operate a Windows 11 or Windows 10 PC, the mouse pointer occasionally moves poorly and jumps.
If the mouse moves jerkily, it may be due to insufficient specifications such as memory, but it can often be solved by changing the driver or PC settings.
In this post, we have some very simple ways to fix this problem. Just try the solutions we’ve listed here, and your mouse will work like it did before you upgraded to Windows 11. The countermeasures are designed for Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Update your mouse driver
It’s possible that the device driver for the mouse is out of date, which would make the mouse move slowly.
So, you might be able to fix the problem by updating your mouse device driver to the most recent version. To update the mouse driver, follow the steps below.
- Right-click the Windows mark and select Device Manager.
- Expand the Mice and other pointing devices section.
- Right-click on Mouse Device Driver Name and select Update Driver.
- Click Search automatically for drivers.
- If the latest driver is found, the driver will be installed automatically.
If you have the latest drivers, run Windows Update by clicking Search for updated drivers.
Once you’ve updated your mouse driver to the most recent version, check to see if it’s easier to move the mouse. If the driver is up-to-date and the problem still happens, try the next steps.
Note : Some drivers may not be updated without downloading the driver from the mouse manufacturer’s official website. Some users have reported that updating the graphics driver as well as the mouse driver fixes the issue.
Disable GPU Scheduling
Depending on the PC, GPU scheduling may be turned on, which slows down and lags the mouse. Therefore, if GPU scheduling is enabled, disabling it may improve mouse behavior. To disable GPU scheduling, follow the steps below.
- Right-click the Windows mark and select Settings.
- Click System.
- Click Display.
- Click Graphics > Change default graphics settings.
- For Windows 10, click Graphic settings.
- Toggle the switch for “GPU scheduling with hardware acceleration” to Off.
After disabling GPU scheduling, check if your mouse works better.
Disable Scroll Inactive Window
In some cases, the scrolling capability of Windows’ inactive windows causes stuttering and poor mouse movement. So, disable inactive window scrolling to observe if the issue persists. To prevent scrolling for idle windows, perform the following steps:
- Right-click the Windows mark and select Settings.
- Click Devices > Bluetooth and Devices.
- Click Mouse (or Touchpad).
- Toggle the switch for “Scroll inactive windows when I hover over them” to Off.
- For Windows 10, turn off the “Scroll inactive windows when hovered over” switch.
After disabling inactive window scrolling, check if mouse movement has improved.
Change the mouse USB port
Some mice don’t work well when plugged into a USB 3.0 port, and in some cases, the mouse is hard to move and moves slowly.
Changing the USB port to which you connect your mouse may solve the problem. If feasible, connect the mouse to a USB 2.0 port when changing the USB port.
After changing the USB port of the mouse, check if the movement of the mouse has returned to normal.
Replace/Clean Mouse Batteries
It’s possible that the mouse’s battery is low or that the sensor is dirty, which would slow or jerk the movement.
So, change the batteries in your mouse and clean the area around the sensor to see if the problem still happens.
In some circumstances, the mouse pad you’re using is causing the mouse to act abnormally. If you have a mouse pad, consider using a different mouse pad.
Turn off power saving features of USB devices
The power saving function of the USB device may be the cause of the mouse not working properly and causing jerky or sluggish movement.
Therefore, try turning off the power saving features of your USB device and see if that solves the problem. To turn off the power saving function of the USB device, follow the steps below.
- Right-click the Windows mark and select Run.
- Type powercfg.cpl and click OK.
- When the power options screen opens, click Change plan settings to the right of the selected power plan.
- Click Change advanced power settings.
- Click and expand the tree in the order of USB Settings > USB Selective Suspend Settings.
- Change them to Disabled.
- Click OK to save your settings.
After disabling USB Selective Suspend, check if your mouse works better. If it doesn’t get better, keep turning off the USB controller’s feature that saves power.
- Right-click the Windows mark and select Device Manager.
- Expand the Universal Serial Bus Controllers selection.
- Right-click USB Root Hub and select Properties.
- Open the Power Management tab.
- Uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power and click OK.
After disabling the power saving features of your USB controller, check to see if your mouse works better.
Disable Fast Startup
Because Windows starts up quickly, there are situations when the mouse driver doesn’t load properly and the mouse doesn’t move well. So, turning off fast startup might fix the problem with the mouse. Follow the steps below to turn off fast startup.
- Right-click the Windows mark and select Run.
- Enter powercfg.cpl for the name and click OK.
- Click Choose what the power buttons do in the left pane.
- The Define Power Buttons and Enable Password Protection screen appears. Click Change settings that are currently unavailable at the top of the screen.
- Uncheck Turn on fast startup under Shutdown settings.
- Click Save Changes at the bottom of the screen to save your settings.
After disabling Fast Startup, restart your PC and check if your mouse movements have improved.
Force Quit Realtek Audio Manager
Some users have reported that the Realtek Audio Manager causes poor mouse movement and stuttering in some PC environments.
So, if you have Realtek Audio Manager installed, ending the process might help the problem. Follow the steps below to exit Realtek Audio Manager.
- Right-click the Windows mark and select Task Manager.
- Select Realtek HD Audio Manager in the list on the Processes tab.
- If you don’t see the Processes tab, click Details.
- Click Force Quit on the bottom right.
After exiting the Realtek Audio Manager, check if the mouse movements have improved.
Change Touchpad Sensitivity Settings
If you’re having trouble moving the mouse on your laptop, it could be because the touchpad isn’t working right. This could make the mouse move to a place you didn’t want it to.
So, making the touchpad less sensitive might fix the problem with the mouse cursor moving. Follow the steps below to change how the touchpad is set up.
- Right-click the Windows mark and select Settings.
- Click Devices > Bluetooth and Devices.
- Click Touchpad.
- Click the touchpad sensitivity select box and change it to low sensitivity.
After changing the touchpad sensitivity, check if the mouse cursor movement issue is resolved.
Turn off Cortana
In some cases, Windows’ Cortana function impacts mouse movement and causes it to jerk. As a result, disabling Cortana’s functionality may resolve the mouse issue. Follow the steps below to switch off Cortana.
- Right-click the Windows mark and select Apps and Features.
- In the list of apps, click “Menu (three dots icon)” to the right of “Cortana” and select “Advanced Options“.
- Toggle the “Run at login” switch to “Off“.
- Restart your PC to apply the settings.
For Windows 10, disable Cortana by following the steps below.
- Right-click the Windows mark and select Task Manager.
- Open the Startup tab.
- If you don’t see the Startup tab, click Advanced.
- Right-click Cortana and select Disable.
- Restart your PC to apply the settings.
After changing the settings and restarting your PC, check to see if your mouse works better.
Check for Windows Updates
Existing Windows 11 problems can also cause mouse movement lag in Windows 11. If the problem is widespread, Microsoft will provide a hotfix to solve it. In any event, check for and install any pending Windows updates to see if it helps you solve the problem.
- Click on Start, then Settings.
- On left pane: Click Windows Updates.
- Check for updates by clicking the button. Install all critical updates afterward. Check for improvements after restarting your PC.
