Middle click failure plagues nearly every mouse I’ve owned, OEM, Logitech, wired, or wireless. I take full advantage of the middle click shortcuts like opening links in new tabs, but I don’t think I’m putting it through undue stress either. As far as I can tell, I’m clicking it with the same force as I would the other mouse buttons and much less frequently than the left click.
Failure usually starts with occasional missed middle clicks, which after some point, rapidly progresses until it’s failing to register more often than not. At that point, everything else will still work perfectly. No improvement even if I take it apart to clean out what little dirt had accumulated.
One of my mice has managed to avoid this fate far longer than the others but I’ve just recently stopped using it due to the rubberized exterior turning all gooey and sticky. The only middle mouse buttons that seem immune to all of this are the ones on ThinkPads. Anyone else notice this or could recommend a good mouse that can stand up to a bit of middle-clicking?
In my case, it’s always the Logitech mouse cable.
The cable is the first thing to go for me, but i find that to be a repairable issue. Unlike those damn dongles on the wireless ones.
Not for me.
The first thing I notice that goes on a mouse, is left click. When unintentional double-clicking happens. It’s frustrating as hell.
All of my mice that have failed have failed abruptly and totally. There’s no warning or buttons failing, one day you plug it in and the computer doesn’t recognize it anymore
The most common mouse problem I experience is when the left click or right click buttons intermittently double click on a single click. The second most common problem is when a button won’t stay “down” when I’m holding down the button, causing erratic drag-and-drop behaviour. I’ve actually never experienced your middle click problem.
That’s what’s happening to my mouse right now! Should I buy another?
If it’s a problem caused by hardware, you’ll either want to repair or replace. It’s probably fixable by replacing the mouse switches but that usually requires some soldering.
I’ve fixed this several times with a bit of thick tape. It wasn’t actually the button that had worn down, but the plastic stub that pressed it. A bit of extra material kept each working for months/years after.
My current mouse has this fix over a year back, and is still working reliably.
If I had to take a guess, it’s probably the most complex mechanical part in a mouse. The other buttons don’t have the added extra movements. I’ve had the same Razor Deathadder for like 15 years, still going strong. I’m just glad they don’t have actual rolling balls in them anymore.
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Yup, for me it is the middle click the reason I’m buying new mice.
Tho I don’t think many people are actually aware of the utility of the roller click. This is why I usually pass the broken ones down to my family lol100% of my failed Logitech mouses were left clicks.
Attempted fixing my wheel click a bunch of times by cleaning and lubricating the microswitch, it would improve for a while and go back to how it was. Missed clicks, multiple clicks, etc.
My mouse has a bunch of smaller buttons all over it, I ended up binding wheel click to a smaller button near the right button until I found a microswitch that suited, but I’m just really comfortable with the way I have it now.
Also, depending on the type of rubber coating, cleaning with isopropyl alcohol may help with the stickiness.
I’ve had good luck with rubbing alcohol to remove the gooey mess. You’ll end up with bare plastic instead of the rubber grip, but that’s an improvement over sticky.
Nope. Right click every time.
Finally bought a mouse with optical switches.
Would you share which one?
Razer Viper V1.
Would have bought something else if I knew you could only change the device’s onboard button mapping using windows. Yes, you can remap it in software, but that’s not the point. I shouldn’t have to set up some hacky bullshit to do something that the manufacturer didn’t feel like supporting or documenting.
Optical switches? How did I not know about this earlier? As someone who has thrown away several mice due to missed clicks or unwanted double clicks, optical switches sound like a game changer. Thank you.
I use the middle click extensively. Probably as much as left click. I’ve never had it fail. Usually one of the side buttons goes first
I use middle click navigating my browser, but I also rebind Reload to MMB in every shooter game I can. I’ve been through more mice than I can remember since I started rebinding it but most of them were actually replaced for other reasons. I’ve only had 2 with faulty middle-clicks since probably 2020
I’ve killed dozens of mice and in every single one, left-clicking was the first to break.
