Mouse scroll wheel not working

If you are using a computer then most of the work of selection and reading will need you to use your mouse. Nowadays with everyone using the internet so much,apart from the right click and the left click the scroll wheel also is equally important button. If the scroll wheel give you problems then the entire web browsing experience or the reading experience will give you a lot of frustration.There are many causes of the scrolling wheel not working properly. Below are some of the common issues and some easy fixes for these issues. Try these, not necessarily in the chronological order, but based on your issue,before you think of replacing your mouse.

Mouse buttons

Mouse buttons

Scrolling is not controlled or smooth

The most common issue with the scroll wheel not working is that the scrolling is not controlled meaning either the scrolling continues to scroll up or down. In this case the left click or the right click are working correctly and its just the scroll wheel is giving some issues. Make sure you clean the surface on which you are using the mouse. It is possible for the laser to get stuck on the dirt and not able to understand if the mouse is being moved. Make sure you clean the bottom of the mouse as well as the area on which you are using the mouse.

Another common issue is that the scroll is not smooth and the movement of the wheel is also not smooth. It takes some efforts to move the wheel. Both these issues are basically pointing to some dirt that might have entered the mouse specially if your mouse is old. So if your issue is not resolved using the above, then you will need to open the mouse and clean it from inside. For this you will need to open the mouse. If you have never done this before then you can also read the post ‘How to clean a mouse‘ for more details

Tip : Sometimes just pressing the scroll wheel down and then scrolling it  with force helps. Just try it.

Check mouse settings

If the issue is still not resolved by cleaning the mouse then check the mouse settings. There is ‘wheel’ tab that has the setting for the scroll wheel. Try changing the settings and check. To navigate to the mouse settings check my earlier post ‘How to change mouse settings‘.
Also check the hardware tab. There’s a status line that will tell you whether or not your mouse is functioning properly. If not unplug the computer,unplug the mouse and then reconnect it and start the computer.

Check for latest drivers installed

There might be a possibility that you are not using the latest drivers for your operating system . The problem might also occur in scenario where the scroll wheel works fine in most of the programs but not work in certain programs. This is a software issue. To fix this issue the latest driver for your mouse needs to be installed. The drivers are based on the model that you are using and are available for free to download. Uninstall the mouse driver and reinstall the latest ones. That should solve the issue.To install the driver Go to Control Panel and select the mouse option. Then select the ‘hardware’ tab and then properties.

Mouse Driver option

Mouse Driver option

Mouse not responding to the scroll at all

If mouse scroll wheel is not responding at all, then that means that there are connection issues. Try unplugging the mouse and plugging it again and then re-start the computer. This might work. If the issue still persists then check if the USB port in use is working. Try plugging the mouse in another USB port. If you are using a wireless mouse, then check your batteries are good. Try removing and re-inserting the batteries and re-connecting your mouse or try inserting a new battery and then reconnecting your mouse.

Try another mouse

Try another mouse and check if the problem is with your mouse only or with the other mouse as well. If the other mouse is working fine then most probably the setting are correct its just the dirt or dust in your mouse or the batteries in-case of wireless mouse.Or its a hardware problem with your scroll and its time to replace your mouse.