My Mouse or Keyboard Isn't Working

ℹ️ Most mouse and keyboard problems are fixed in under a minute by checking a few simple things. This article walks through every common cause, in roughly the order to try them. Start at the top — the first few checks fix the majority of issues.

🛑 First — Is the Computer Actually Frozen?

Before you assume the mouse or keyboard is broken, confirm the computer isn't the problem. A frozen workstation looks identical to a dead mouse from the user's side.

• Look at the clock in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Is it updating?
• Try pressing Caps Lock on the keyboard. Does the Caps Lock light on the keyboard turn on/off? If yes, the keyboard is working — the computer is frozen.
• Wait two full minutes. Frozen computers often unfreeze if you just give them time.
• If still frozen, hold the power button for 10 seconds to force a shutdown, then power back on. Be aware this will lose any unsaved work — and if you were mid-transaction in a system like the PMS, note where you were first if you possibly can.

If the computer is alive but the input device isn't responding, continue below.

🔌 Step 1: Check the Connection

This sounds obvious — and it's obvious because it's the cause most of the time. Cables get knocked loose by feet, cleaning carts, chairs, and people reaching behind the desk for something else.

Wired mouse or keyboard

1. Trace the cable from the device to where it plugs in. Push it firmly back into the USB port.
2. Try a different USB port if it still doesn't work. Some workstations have ports on the front and back — try both. Sometimes a port fails while others on the same machine work fine.
3. Listen for the USB chime. When a USB device connects, Windows often plays a short two-tone sound. If you hear it, that's a good sign the computer detected the device. (Don't read too much into not hearing it — system sounds are frequently muted or turned off on workstations, so silence doesn't prove anything.)

Wireless mouse or keyboard

1. Find the USB dongle — a small thumb-sized piece, usually plugged into a USB port at the back or side of the computer. It's easy to bump or unplug accidentally.
2. Unplug and re-plug the dongle. Wait 10 seconds before plugging back in.
3. Try a different USB port for the dongle.
4. If the dongle is missing, that's the problem — wireless mice and keyboards don't work without their dongle. They use a specific dongle paired to that device; a random spare won't work. Submit a ticket.

💡 Some Argus workstations have shared peripherals at front desks. If you arrived at a workstation that wasn't yours, someone may have borrowed the mouse or keyboard for another workstation. Look around.

🔋 Step 2: For Wireless Devices — Check the Power

Wireless mice and keyboards have two power-related things to check.

1. The on/off switch

Yes — wireless devices have on/off switches. Look for a small slide-switch on:

• The underside of a wireless mouse.
• The back edge or top corner of a wireless keyboard.

Make sure it's switched on.

2. The batteries

Batteries don't last forever — wireless mice and keyboards typically need fresh batteries every 3 to 6 months, depending on use.

• Replace with fresh batteries (not ones that have been sitting in a drawer for two years — they may already be partially drained).
• Pay attention to +/- orientation. Mice and keyboards won't work with batteries inserted backwards.
• For rechargeable wireless devices: plug them in to charge for 30 minutes, then try again.

💡 A common pattern: a wireless mouse starts working intermittently — moves, then pauses, then moves. That's almost always early battery weakness. Replace the batteries before it stops completely.

🔄 Step 3: Restart the Computer

If a connection check and a battery check haven't fixed it, restart the workstation. This fixes a surprising number of mouse and keyboard issues that have no other obvious cause — a driver gets confused, a USB port gets locked up, or Windows just needs a clean start.

• Click Start → power icon → Restart.
• If you don't have a working mouse, the most reliable keyboard route is: press Ctrl + Alt + Delete, then Tab until the power icon (bottom-right) is selected, press Enter, use the arrow keys to choose Restart, and press Enter again.

🖱️ Mouse-Specific Problems

"The mouse cursor jumps around or doesn't track smoothly"

The optical or laser sensor on the underside is probably dirty, or you're on a bad surface for it.

• Flip the mouse over and gently wipe the sensor with a clean cloth. Dust, hair, and finger oils interfere with tracking.
• Use a real mousepad if you're on a glass or glossy desktop. Optical mice struggle on reflective or transparent surfaces.
• Plain white printer paper works as a quick test mousepad if you don't have one handy.

"The mouse clicks aren't registering"

• Try a different USB port (and re-plug the dongle if wireless).
• If clicking the scroll wheel seems to put the screen into a weird "drift scrolling" mode (a round icon appears and the page scrolls on its own), you've triggered autoscroll by accident — press Escape or click once normally to cancel it.
• The mouse buttons themselves wear out over time on heavily used mice. If clicks are intermittent or feel mushy, it may need replacement. Submit a ticket.

"The scroll wheel doesn't scroll"

• Try restarting the computer first (fixes about half of these).
• If still not working after restart, the wheel encoder inside may be worn out. Submit a ticket.

"The cursor moves but pages don't scroll / windows don't respond"

This usually isn't the mouse — it's the application or computer being frozen. See the "Is the computer actually frozen?" section at the top.

⌨️ Keyboard-Specific Problems

"Typing the wrong letters or symbols"

This is almost always Caps Lock, Num Lock, or a keyboard layout change.

• Caps Lock — Look at the keyboard for a light labelled Caps Lock. If it's on, press Caps Lock to turn it off.
• Num Lock — On a keyboard with a numeric keypad, Num Lock toggles whether those keys type numbers or act as arrow keys. There's usually a Num Lock light too.
• Keyboard layout switched to French (or other) — if you're typing letters and getting é è à instead, a second keyboard layout has accidentally become active. Press Left Alt + Shift to toggle back. (This only does something if more than one layout is installed — but on a workstation showing this symptom, there usually is.)

💡 The Left Alt + Shift shortcut catches people out all the time. It's easy to hit accidentally, and the effect is bizarre — letters work but symbols and accents go wrong, especially ' and ". If something feels "off" about your typing but the keys all work, try Alt+Shift first.

"One specific key isn't working"

• Check for debris under the key — crumbs, hair, dust. Flip the keyboard upside down and gently shake.
• Try the key with the keyboard plugged into a different workstation if possible — if it still doesn't work, the keyboard itself is faulty.
• Submit a ticket mentioning which specific key — replacement keyboards are inexpensive and we generally just swap them.

"Sticky keys" (keys repeating, or feeling gummy when pressed)

• Liquid spills — even minor ones — kill keyboards faster than anything else. If you spilled something, mention it in your ticket; we'll replace the keyboard rather than try to clean it.
• Without a spill, sticky keys are usually crumbs or dust. We can swap the keyboard.

"Multiple keys typing at once / weird combinations appearing"

• Sticky Keys (Windows accessibility feature) may have been accidentally turned on. Press Shift 5 times in a row to toggle it off. (Confusingly, the same shortcut turns it on, which is how it gets activated by accident.)
• If Sticky Keys isn't it, the keyboard is likely faulty — submit a ticket.

"Whole keyboard not responding"

• If the Caps Lock light doesn't toggle when you press Caps Lock, the keyboard is not communicating with the computer. Recheck the connection (or dongle for wireless), batteries (for wireless), and try a different USB port.
• If the Caps Lock light does toggle but nothing types, then the computer is receiving input but something on the computer side isn't routing it — restart the computer.

🆘 No Mouse At All? Navigate With the Keyboard

If your mouse is completely dead and you need to keep working while waiting for a fix:

• Tab moves between buttons and fields on a window.
• Enter clicks the currently-selected button.
• Spacebar ticks checkboxes.
• Arrow keys move within lists or menus.
• Windows key opens the Start menu.
• Alt + Tab switches between open windows.
• Alt + F4 closes the current window.
• Ctrl + Shift + Esc opens Task Manager (useful if something is frozen).

This isn't a permanent solution, but you can get through most basic Windows tasks while you wait for IT or a replacement.

🆘 When to Submit a Ticket

Submit a ticket if:

• You've worked through the steps above and the device still doesn't work.
• A specific key or button is failing intermittently — that's a hardware issue and won't fix itself.
• The mouse/keyboard worked fine on a different workstation but not yours — the workstation may have a USB or driver problem.
• You need a replacement.

When submitting, please include:

• Your workstation's asset tag (5-digit number on a blue or copper Argus IT label).
• Wired or wireless?
• What you already tried ("I unplugged it, tried both USB ports, restarted, replaced the batteries").
• A photo if anything looks damaged (broken cable, cracked casing, spilled liquid).

Related Articles

• The Basics to Try When You Have a Problem (KB# 10001)
• How to Fill Out a Ticket (KB# 10002)

ArgusIT KB# 150001 | Original: February 27, 2019 (Vincent Kruggel) | Rebuilt: May 25, 2026

Tags: keyboard, keyboard not working, mouse, mouse not working, wireless, USB, sticky keys, num lock, caps lock