How to Fix Mouse Scroll Wheel ‘Jumps’ on Windows

Mouse scroll wheel ‘jumps’ usually appear while users are scrolling downwards with their mouse. It appears on PCs and laptop and it’s not exclusive to a certain version of Windows OS. While scrolling down, the page or really anything that can be scrolled moves up a couple of pixels and it can be really annoying.

While it may not seem like a major problem, it troubles users. There have been many different ways to resolve the problem and some of them were praised as successful by the online community. We have gathered such methods in this article so make sure you follow them carefully.

What Causes the Mouse Scroll Wheel to Jump Randomly on Windows?

There are many different causes to this problem and they differ based on which mouse you might be using or whether you are a laptop or a PC user. Identifying the correct cause along with your actual scenario is key if you wish to resolve the problem as soon as possible. That is why it’s important to check out the list of causes below:

Solution 1: Turn off Certain Mouse Scrolling Features (Microsoft Mouse Users)

These settings are available for Microsoft Mouse users as these features have proven to be problematic when it comes to the problem described in this article. Disabling the acceleration of mouse scrolling and flipping the scrolling direction has proven to be helpful to plenty of users so make sure you try this out below!

1. Click the Start menu button and type in “Control Panel” when it opens. Click on the first result in order to open the Control Panel. You can also click Windows Key + R keys at the same time and type in “exe” in the Run dialog box.
2. Make sure you change the view in Control Panel to View by: Large icons and click on Mouse.

3. After the Mouse settings window opens, click on Change Mouse Wheel Settings >> Change Microsoft Mouse Settings in order to open the Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center.
4. Under the Basic Settings tab, make sure you uncheck both the Accelerated Vertical Scrolling and the Reverse Scroll Direction options in order to try to resolve the problem.

5. Check to see if mouse wheel ‘jumps’ still occurs while scrolling!

Solution 2: Install the Latest Drivers

Users have reported that installing the latest drivers available managed to resolve the problem for them without having to change any default mouse settings. Mouse drivers can be found on the manufacturer’s page. Since Microsoft Mouse hardware seems to suffer from this problem the most, we will include the link to their website.

1. Click the Start menu button, type in “Device Manager”, and select it from the list of available results by simply clicking the first one. You can also tap the Windows Key + R key combo in order to bring up the Run dialog box. Type in “devmgmt.msc” in the dialog box and click OK in order to run it.

2. Since it’s the video card driver you want to update on your computer, expand the Mice and other pointing devices section, right click on your mouse and choose the Uninstall Device

3. Confirm any dialogues or prompts which may ask you to confirm the uninstallation of the current mouse driver and wait for the process to complete.
4. Look for your Microsoft Mouse driver on their site. Enter any keywords and set the accessory type to Mice.
5. If you have a mouse made by a different manufacturer, google ‘your mouse’s name + manufacturer’ and look for a link to their official website. Find your mouse’s latest driver, download it and skip to step 7.

6. A list of all available mice should appear. Make sure you scroll down until you reach the required entry, click on its name and scroll down to the Downloads. Reach the Software & Drivers section and make sure you set your operating system accordingly, as well as the driver language before clicking the blue download link.

7. Make sure you run the file you have just downloaded and follow the instructions which will appear on-screen in order to install the latest drivers.
8. Check to see if the problem has been resolved and if mouse jumps still occur!

Solution 3: Disable Touchpad Scrolling on Your Laptop

If you are a laptop user, you should consider disabling touchpad scrolling when using an external mouse. This simple remedy has helped plenty of laptop users who haven’t looked back on this issue. Follow the steps below in order to do so!

1. Use the Windows Key + I key combination to open Settings on your Windows 10 PC. Alternatively, you can search for “Settings” by using the search bar located at the taskbar or you can click the cog icon right above the Start menu button after it opens
2. Locate and open the “Devices” sub-entry in the Settings app by clicking on it once.

3. Navigate to the Touchpad tab and check for the Scroll and zoom section at the top. Uncheck the box next to the Drag two fingers to scroll Check to see if mouse ‘jumps’ occur while scrolling downwards again!

Solution 4: Unhide Pointer while Typing

Even though this method seems random enough as it’s not directly related to pointer problems, you should try it out as a last resort before checking out whether there is something wrong regarding the hardware aspect of the mouse.

If all four methods have failed to help your cause, you should check whether the mouse is physically damaged and possibly even try to fix the wheel yourself. The process will differ from one mouse to another but you should be able to find good guides online. Check out the final method below:

1. Click the Start menu button and type in “Control Panel” when it opens. Click on the first result in order to open the Control Panel. You can also click Windows Key + R keys at the same time and type in “control.exe” in the Run dialog box.
2. Make sure you change the view in Control Panel to View by: Large icons and click on Mouse.

3. After the Mouse Properties window opens, navigate to the Pointer Options tab. Under the Visibility section, uncheck the box next to the Hide pointer while typing option.

4. Check to see if mouse wheel ‘jumps’ still occur while scrolling!

Solution 5: Disabling Wheel Button

In some cases, the mouse wheel might be configured to act as a button for some mouse drivers. Therefore, in this step, we will be disabling that configuration. For that:

1. Press “Windows” + “R” to open the run prompt.
2. Type in “Control Panel” and press “Enter”.

   

3. Click on “View as” and select the “Large icons” option.
4. Select the “Mouse” button and click on the “Buttons” tab above.
5. Click on the “Wheel button” dropdown and select the “Disabled” option.

   

6. Check to see if that fixes your issue.

Solution 6: Enabling Smooth-Scroll on Windows

If your scroll wheel isn’t feeling right, it feels like something is not quite smooth or it just feels weird to you. It’s possible that the option known as Smooth-Scroll list boxes should be disabled for you. To enable it, follow these steps:-

1. Press and hold the Windows key then press the R key to open the Run Program.
2. Once you open the Run Program, type the following command: systempropertiesadvanced
   

   

3. Now press enter to open Advanced System settings.
4. Head over to the “Advanced” tab and under the performance section click “Settings”.
5. Now make sure the option named “Smooth-scroll list boxes”.
   

   

Solution 7: Enabling Smooth Scrolling on Chrome

If you are facing this issue with Chrome, it is possible that you just need to enable Smooth Scrolling to get the mouse to work properly. In order to do that:

1. Launch Chrome and type in the following address.

   chrome://flags/#smooth-scrolling

2. Set “Smooth Scrolling” to enabled and check to see if the issue persists.

   

Note: This only works for some computers that have a specific set of drivers installed. Blow some air into the scroll wheel of your mouse using a blower to get rid of any dust particles or try to open the mouse and clean the Scroll wheel.