Mouse test
Five buttons, two wheel directions and the pointer itself. Each one lights up when it reports, so a button that has stopped working shows itself in a few seconds rather than after a week of wondering.
Click every button, roll the wheel both ways, and move the pointer around the pad.
- Left
- Middle
- Right
- Back
- Forward
- Wheel up
- Wheel down
Did every button and both wheel directions respond?
What to try
Click each button in turn, roll the wheel both ways, and move the pointer around the pad. The dot follows the pointer and the coordinates update, which is a quick way to see whether movement is smooth or jumping.
The right button and the back button are captured while you are over the pad, so the context menu will not open and the browser will not navigate away mid-test.
If something does not respond
| What failed | Most likely cause |
|---|---|
| Left or right button | Worn switch — the double click test measures how far gone |
| Middle button | Switch, or the wheel is bound to something in software |
| Back or forward | Usually rebound in the manufacturer software |
| Wheel one direction only | Encoder, often just dust |
| Wheel neither direction | Encoder or its cable |
| Pointer jumps | Surface or a dirty sensor window |
Windows 11
- Button assignments live in the manufacturer software first and Windows second. Check there before concluding a button is dead, since a side button bound to a macro reports nothing recognisable.
- Enhance pointer precision, under Settings, Bluetooth and devices, Mouse, Additional mouse settings, applies acceleration. It does not affect this test but it is worth knowing about if the pointer feels inconsistent.
- A wireless mouse that stutters is usually interference or batteries. Move the receiver away from USB 3 ports, which are a known source of noise in the same band.
macOS
- macOS does not expose back and forward buttons to every application, and its own mouse settings are minimal — most button configuration comes from third-party software.
- Natural scrolling reverses the wheel direction system-wide. If the wheel marks the opposite direction to the one you rolled, that is the setting rather than the mouse.
Common questions
My side buttons do nothing here.
Check them somewhere else before worrying. Side buttons are often bound to actions by the manufacturer software rather than sent as ordinary back and forward buttons, and in that case the browser never sees them. If they navigate correctly in a normal page but do nothing here, they are working and simply reporting as something the test does not capture.
The wheel scrolls one way but not the other.
That is the encoder inside the wheel, and it is a common wear point. Dust in the encoder slots is the usual cause and compressed air sometimes clears it. Otherwise it is a component replacement, which on most mice means a new mouse.
The pointer jumps or sticks while I move it.
Look at the surface first. Optical sensors struggle on glass, on high-gloss finishes and on strongly patterned surfaces, and a sheet of paper under the mouse settles that question in seconds. Then the sensor window, which collects hair and grease.
Why is the middle button number one?
Because the browser numbers buttons in the order they were added rather than the order people name them: zero is left, one is the wheel, two is right. It is a frequent source of confusion when things end up bound to the wrong button, and this test uses the same numbering the browser does.
Does this work with a trackpad?
Partly. A trackpad reports left clicks and usually right clicks, and movement works normally. Middle, back and forward have no physical equivalent, so they will stay unmarked — which is expected rather than a failure.