Why is my mouse double clicking?

Most often, the switch under the button is wearing out. Over time a mouse switch can degrade until one press registers as two clicks. Dust and dirt in the switch can do the same. Other causes are a USB hub, the mouse's driver, app or firmware, and the double-click settings in Windows or macOS. Work through the steps below in order. If the mouse still double-clicks on another computer after these steps, the switch is at fault, and the fix is a warranty claim, a repair or a new mouse.

Check whether one press really sends two

Open the double-click test, choose the button that misbehaves and press it slowly, once at a time. Each press should add one event. The test lists the gap between presses in milliseconds and marks any gap under its cutoff (200 ms unless you change it).

• One slow press adds two events with a short gap between them: the mouse is sending two presses. Start at step 2.
• Every press adds one event, but files and folders still open when you click once: the mouse is fine and a setting is the cause. Start at step 1.

Until it is fixed, the extra presses also count in your CPS test score. To see each press and release separately, use the mouse test.

Fixes to try, in order

These steps come from the makers' own help pages (Logitech, Razer, Corsair) and from Microsoft and Apple.

1. Check two settings

Single-click to open. Windows can open files and folders with one click, which looks like a double-click. In Control Panel, open File Explorer Options. On the General tab, under Click items as follows, choose Double-click to open an item (single-click to select).

Double-click speed. This sets how close together two clicks must be to count as a double-click. On Windows the default is 500 ms. Near the slow end, two separate clicks a moment apart can open a file; a faster setting needs the two clicks closer together. No setting can stop a mouse that sends two presses for one.

• Windows 11: Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse > Additional mouse settings. On the Buttons tab, use the Speed slider under Double-click speed, then select OK.
• Windows 10: Start > Settings > Devices > Mouse > Additional mouse options, then the same Buttons tab.
• Mac: Apple menu > System Settings > Accessibility > Pointer Control, then drag the Double-click speed slider.

2. Clean the button

Blow on the button, or use a can of compressed air to clear dirt from under it. Clean it from the outside: Corsair warns that opening the mouse can void the warranty.

3. Plug it straight into the computer

Plug the mouse, or its wireless receiver, into a different USB port on the computer itself, not into a USB hub or similar device. With a wireless mouse, keep a clear line of sight between the mouse and its receiver.

4. Update or reset the mouse's software

• Update the mouse's firmware, driver and app. Razer has released a firmware update to fix double-clicking on its Mamba Wireless.
• Close the maker's app and test again. On a Razer mouse, right-click the Razer icon in the system tray and select Exit All Apps.
• Reinstall the maker's app if the double-clicks continue.
• Uninstall the mouse driver. It reinstalls automatically.
• On a Corsair mouse, turn on Button Response Optimization in iCUE: select the mouse, then find it under Device Settings (in iCUE 5.14 and newer, open device settings with the cog wheel). Corsair says it helps prevent accidental clicking.

5. Try another computer

Plug the mouse into a different computer, ideally one without the mouse's app installed, and repeat the slow-press check on the double-click test.

• It works there: the cause is on your own computer (a setting, the port or software). Go back over steps 1, 3 and 4.
• It double-clicks there too: the cause is in the mouse.

If it double-clicks on every computer

A mouse that still double-clicks on any computer after these steps has a worn or faulty switch. The options are a warranty claim, a repair or a new mouse.

• Contact the maker's support before you open the mouse or buy a new one. Have the receipt and the mouse's serial number ready. Logitech's warranty does not cover unauthorized repair or disassembly, and Corsair says opening the mouse can void the warranty.
• Describe what you saw. On the double-click test, Copy observations gives a one-line summary of your presses and short gaps that you can paste into the support request.
• If you replace the mouse, look at the switches. Razer says its optical switches, which register a click with light instead of physical contacts, help prevent unintended double-clicking. Logitech says its LIGHTFORCE hybrid switches eliminate the physical wear points that cause double-clicking.

If a keyboard key repeats instead, use the keyboard double-press test.