Can’t Move Mouse in NVIDIA Overlay? Here’s the Fix!

The NVIDIA Overlay is an all-in-one control panel to access various features that enhance gameplay and performance monitoring. It allows gamers to monitor real-time performance statistics, capture and record gameplay moments, directly access streaming platforms, make visual adjustments and customizations, etc., all from a single place.

However, encountering an issue where you can’t move mouse in NVIDIA Overlay can be pretty frustrating. To deal with this situation, you would need to figure out the potential causes before delving into the troubleshooting methods.

So, whether you’re an avid gamer or a tech enthusiast, this guide will provide you with all the necessary information and effective fixes for the stated issue. In no time, you will regain full control over your mouse within the NVIDIA Overlay. Now, let’s dive right into it!

Reasons Why You Can’t Move Mouse in NVIDIA Overlay

The NVIDIA official webpage attributes the issue of your mouse becoming unresponsive in the NVIDIA Overlay to the EasyAntiCheat update. According to this, games that integrate EasyAntiCheat have been particularly affected by the stated error, including Valorant, Fortnite, etc.

Don’t understand yet? Well, EasyAntiCheat, as the name implies, is an anti-cheat service used in multiplayer games to ensure fair gameplay. Though effective in its intended purpose, some updates may occasionally result in conflicts with other software components like the NVIDIA Overlay.

However, this isn’t the only cause for experiencing mouse unresponsiveness in the overlay. Other reasons may include outdated or incompatible graphics drivers, misconfigured overlay settings, overlapping hotkeys, or a software bug. 

Now that you’re well aware of the potential culprits behind this issue, let’s explore some effective solutions to overcome the situation at hand.

1. Restart Your Game

When trying to fix any software-related issue, your number one approach should be to remove any possible glitches or temporary bugs from within. To do that, you can simply restart your game.

Here’s how to ensure the effectiveness of this method:

1. Prior to quitting your game, save any progress to avoid loss of data.
2. Exit the game from the game menu options or use an appropriate keyboard shortcut (e.g. Alt + F4 for Windows).
3. While you’re at it, quit all background processes related to the game. For that, launch Task Manager, choose the process, and click on End task.

4. Wait for a couple of moments then relaunch the game.
5. Once you’re back in, activate the NVIDIA Overlay and check if the mouse cursor is moving without any issues.

2. Reset In-Game Overlay

When the mouse stops moving within the NVIDIA Overlay, users fail to interact with its features and perform the required functions. In that case, restarting the overlay may refresh its settings and restore normal functionality.

The method essentially involves disabling and re-enabling the in-game Overlay option. This allows the internal processes to refresh and eliminate any temporary glitches responsible for the mouse issue. Below are the steps you need to follow:

1. While in the game, press the keyboard shortcut keys to bring up the overlay. Usually, it’s Alt + Z or Alt + F3, however, it may vary depending on your custom settings.
2. Next, click on the Gear icon to access the overlay Settings.
3. In the General tab, toggle off In-Game Overlay.

4. Wait for some time before re-enabling the option.
5. Now, relaunch the game and check if the issue persists.

3. Enable Borderless Window

Most users who can’t move mouse in NVIDIA Overlay often overcome this issue by exiting the Fullscreen mode and shifting to a borderless window. This allows the game to cover the entire screen of the window without borders and title bars typically associated with the traditional mode. 

While it allows the mouse cursor to move again, it also provides better frame rates, less latency, smoother transitions between applications, and other benefits. Here’s what you must do:

1. First, launch the game and go to its Settings.
2. Next, go to the Video tab and change the Display Mode to Borderless Window.

3. Also, change the Aspect ratio to 4:3 and 5:4 and set the Resolution to 1280 x 980.
4. Lastly, save the changes and go back to NVIDIA Overlay to check if the issue has been resolved.

Note that the steps to make your window borderless may differ for each game.

4. Use Keyboard Shortcuts to Switch Between Programs

The Alt + Tab keyboard shortcut allows you to switch between applications without the use of the mouse. This is especially useful in your case since a stuck mouse cursor prevents you from trying anything else.

This method allows you to switch to another already-open program while the game is still running. Using the shortcut again relaunches the conflicting game and possibly helps restore mouse functionality within the NVIDIA Overlay.

While this method may not always be a permanent fix, it can provide a temporary solution while you explore other ways to tackle the issue.

5. Update or Reinstall NVIDIA Graphics Drivers

Graphics drivers serve as a crucial link between the hardware components of your computer, i.e. the NVIDIA graphics card, and the software applications that rely on them, i.e. the NVIDIA Overlay. 

Hence, the graphics drivers becoming outdated or incompatible with the running program could be one reason why you can’t move mouse in NVIDIA Overlay. For this reason, updating these drivers is an essential step when troubleshooting the stated problem.

Before proceeding, you’ll need to identify the model of your NVIDIA graphics card. This information can be obtained through either the NVIDIA Control Panel or the Device Manager in Windows.

Afterward, Follow the steps below:

1. To begin, head over to the official NVIDIA Drivers webpage to download the latest drivers.
2. Input the necessary details and click on the Search button.
3. Next, click on Download to get the updated driver specific to your card model.

4. Once it’s downloaded, navigate to the location of the file and initiate the installation process.
5. Continue to follow the instructions in the installation wizard to update the driver.