Why Is My Mouse Double Clicking?

Are you wondering, “Why is my mouse double Clicking?”.

Well, to be honest, it happens to be a common problem faced by many people when running their computer. You might notice that your mouse “double clicks” an icon, picture, or in general when you click it just once. Now, there could be a couple of causes behind this malfunction.

Why Is My Mouse Double-Clicking?

Let’s delve a bit deeper and find out what could be the root causes of this problem…

1. When You Set the Double Click Speed Too Low

This issue could stem from one of the basic issues with the mouse settings. When the double click speed is set as too low, clicking at two different times might be taken as double-clicking.

However, this is a problem that can be easily taken care of by changing the mouse settings.

Here’s what you need to do:

a) In case your system is running on Windows 8 and 10

Windows Mouse Settings
  1. Click on the Windows icon, located at the bottom left corner of the screen and type Mouse Settings
  2. When you click enter, you will see the Settings Window appear on your screen.
  3. Now click on the Additional Mouse Options link, appearing on the right side of the screen.
  4. As you do so, Mouse Properties Window will open and the Buttons tab will be opened by default.
  5. On the Buttons Tab, you will see the Double-Click Speed Option and you can adjust the slider accordingly and then click on OK.
  6. Once you are done with the settings, you can check if it has resolved the double-clicking issue.

b) In case your system is running on Windows 7 or earlier

  1. You need to begin by opening the Control Panel.
  2. Once you are in the Control Panel, you need to click the Mouse or Mouse Settings icon.
  3. This will open up Mouse Properties Window, where you have to click on the Buttons tab.
  4. Once you are in the Buttons tab, you can adjust the Double-Click speed option.
  5. Finally, you have to press OK.

2. Corrupt System Files

It is not always the double-click speed that might be the root of the problem. A couple of other factors could also be to blame and one of them could be corrupt system files. As a matter of fact, corrupt system files can lead to problems in many software and hardware functionalities.

Corrupt System Files may cause double clicking issue

One of the solutions is to restore your system back to a recent restore point that takes your Windows back to a certain date. Now, in this case, you need to choose a date or a restore point when you are sure that your mouse was working properly.

If your mouse has been double-clicking because of a corrupt system file, then this should take care of the problem.

3. Dirty Mouse

Dust and dirt can also make your mouse malfunction. You need to keep in mind that dirt can actually clog the mouse buttons and make them sticky and this could result in double-clicking even when you click it just once.

Spilling liquid such as tea, coffee, or other drinks on or around the mouse can also make its buttons sticky resulting in a double-clicking issue.

One of the best methods to clean your mouse or clear clogged buttons is blowing compressed air into them.

But how to handle the damage caused by spilled liquid?

Dirty Mouse

Well, to be honest, the damage caused by spilled liquid is somewhat tricky to handle. If you have spilled water on the mouse then you should let it dry out for some time.

The real problem occurs when some other liquid has been spilled over the mouse that is hard to get rid of and leaves a sticky residue behind.

Unfortunately, in such a case, you have no other option but to replace it with a new one.

4. Wireless Signal Issues

This kind of issue normally arises in the case of a wireless mouse. If there’s any interference between the wireless signal of the mouse and the wireless receiver, then it could result in a double-clicking issue because of misinterpretation of the signal.

Now, there could be a couple of interferences and these could include:

  • interference stemming from the speakers of your system
  • interference arising from the monitor
  • Radio Frequency Interference stemming from a wireless network router or a cordless phone

The solution to this problem is rather simple. All you need to do is just try to place the wireless receiver of the mouse a little away from the speaker or the monitor of your computer. It’s interesting to note that moving the receiver even by a couple of inches could make a lot of difference.

In order to reduce or get rid of Radio Frequency Interference or RFI, you must ascertain that the wireless receiver is not directly in the path in between your system and the wireless router. Also, you must try to move the cordless phone away from your computer, if it happens to be there.

5. Why Is My Mouse Double-Clicking – Is it a Defective mouse?

Last but not least, a defective mouse might also be causing the double-clicking problem. Quite often, a malfunctioning mouse is the result of a defective circuit board that makes it perceive a single click as a double click. In such a case, there’s hardly anything that can be done to normalize things.

Thus, the only option is perhaps, to buy a new one.

Here, I would like to mention that if you have a gaming mouse or an expensive model in which you have this problem, you should check if there is a warranty or replacement clause so that you can get replaced or repaired by the company.

Conclusion

Double-clicking of the mouse is a problem that could stem from some simple or complicated issues. While you can get some of such issues corrected easily, at other times the only alternative available is to buy a new one.