When you first bought your wireless mouse, you probably thought it was going to last forever. But after a few months, it started acting weird. It would stop working, then work again, then stop working again.
All the while you’re wondering what in the world is going on!
So, is just that your wireless mouse going to sleep? Why does it go to sleep anyway?
A wireless mouse goes to sleep primarily to conserve power and maintain optimal performance. When your mouse lies dormant for more than a few moments, it’s designed and engineered goes into sleep mode. This allows the computer to save power and extend battery life.
But when your wireless mouse goes to sleep, sometimes it doesn’t wake up again, like at all.
Why is this happening?
Why won’t your wireless mouse stay on?
Is there an easy fix?
This article will explain why your wireless computer mouse goes to sleep, how to maximize your battery life, and some tips to troubleshoot a wireless mouse that’s badly misbehaving.
Real quick, before we get too far into it here, if you need more office & gaming tech help, or you’d like to get some great ideas and inspiration for your gaming room or home office and would like to connect with other home office hackers to make your space the best join my free private Facebook group, Home Office Hacks here.
Do Wireless Mice Go To Sleep?
Wireless mice go to sleep when they’re not being used. This means that they don’t respond to clicks or movements unless you tap them. So if you leave your mouse alone for 5 minutes, it goes to sleep.
Why does this happen? Most wireless mice use batteries, and batteries need recharging every night. So after a certain amount of time, the battery dies and the mouse stops working.
If you plan to leave your mouse unattended for long periods of time, you should plug it into a power source. Otherwise, you’ll be forced to wake it up each day.
How Do I Wake Up My Wireless Mouse?
Usually all you need to do to wake a wireless mouse in sleep mode is to move it.
Sometimes it may need a little more than that though. Usually movement and clicking will do the trick for a wireless mouse that’s in good working order.
If you’re having trouble waking up your wireless mouse, there are several things you can try.
First, the mouse may be sleeping because it hasn’t sensed any motion for a while. Your wireless mouse is designed to conserve power where it can, so if it’s been inactive for a few minutes, or even a few hours, it will go into sleep mode. In this case, move the mouse around until it wakes up.
If that doesn’t work the battery may be dead.
To test this, change out the batteries or plug your mouse into its charging cable. If the mouse wakes up, then the battery is fine, and depending on the type of wireless mouse you have, you may need to leave it plugged in to charge before using it again.
If that doesn’t work, the mouse may be turned off because the sensor is obscured or damaged. Turn the mouse upside down and shake it gently. If you have a can of compressed air handy, make sure to clear out the sensor well, and make there are no signs of damage. If you find damage, it might be time to replace the mouse.
Can I Stop My Wireless Mouse From Going To Sleep?
You can stop your wireless mouse from going to sleep if you have a Windows computer, or you’re using an aftermarket gaming mouse, or something like that, on a Mac.
Many wireless mice come with their own software that will allow you to change various settings for how the mouse performs.
If you’re using an Apple Magic mouse, unfortunately, there are currently no settings that will allow you to keep it from going to sleep. Fortunately, for Mac users, keeping your wireless magic mouse from going to sleep is very rarely any issue because it’s deeply integrated into the Mac OS platform and optimized for performance. The only real challenge is making sure that you change out the batteries (if you have an older model) or keep it charged regularly.
if you’re a Windows 10 or 11 user, the solution to the issue may not be so apparent.
Peripherals like a wireless mouse are not as highly engineered to work within a unified system as they are with a Mac, so you have a variety of different PC vendors, keyboard vendors, and wireless mouse vendors who’ve designed their products to work with the Windows system, however, sometimes there are problems.
But those problems can be fairly easily be solved!
To stop your wireless mouse from going to sleep you need to open your “Device Manager”.
Probably the easiest way to do this is to open it from your WinX menu, which you can access by pressing Windows key and the X key at the same time.
Another way to access this is to right click the “Start” button to get to the same place.
Once you open that, you will see as one of your options, “Device Manager”. Click that to open it up.
Once you’ve got the Device Manager open click on the option for Mice and other pointing devices.
Right click on your mouse and select the “Properties” option which will give you the option to click on the “Power Management” tab.
Once you’re there, there should be an option which says, “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power”.
If that box is checked, remove the check, save and close out everything.
That should stop your wireless mouse from going to sleep using Windows 10 or 11.
Why Won’t My Wireless Mouse Stay On?
If you’re having trouble keeping your wireless mouse awake, there may be a problem with your battery. Make sure you’ve charged your mouse properly and that its batteries aren’t dead.
Also, try turning off your computer when not in use. This helps keep your mouse awake longer because it doesn’t need to constantly wake up to check for movement.
Those are always easy things to check and fix.
For more serious issues though, for you Windows 10 & 11 users, it could mean a few different things.
First, check to see if the wireless dongle for your wireless mouse will work better in a different USB port. I can’t tell you how many times just switching the port solved a problem for me.
Next, if that doesn’t solve the issue, try a different wired mouse that you know works. If the wired mouse works, but the wireless one does not, you can be pretty sure that there is a problem with the wireless mouse.
Next, you may need a software update. If your drivers for your mouse aren’t current or there is another problem with them, then it could be time to run a check to make sure everything is up to date.
Finally, contact your wireless mouse’s support department. Sometimes it’s a weird setting that got changed somehow, or something that they’re already familiar with, that they can address quickly and get you back up and running.
If none of that works, it may be time to call the Geek Squad, or another computer tech to get a look at what’s going on.
If all the things we’ve discussed here don’t solve your problem, it’s a good idea to get your computer looked at by professional who will be able to do a deeper dive into the diagnostic process and find out what’s happening.
Next Steps
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