Common fixes for problems with your mouse, keyboard, and other computer gear

Even if you carefully maintain your computer, a failure can still occur. The problem may not be the computer itself, but the peripherals connected to it.

Peripheral devices (mouse, keyboard, gamepad, webcam, and printer) can sometimes cause headaches – they may stop working or cause problems with the computer’s hardware and software.

But before you call a (potentially expensive) tech support staff, try to fix your own equipment. Some steps may help in all cases and will most likely get your hardware back to work properly.

Test the test

You need to know exactly where the problem lies before troubleshooting any technical issues. The best way is to test your peripherals on another computer. Do not skip this step – even if it means you have to go to a friend or relative’s house to use their machine. If your peripherals work properly, you know the problem is on your device, not the peripherals themselves.

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A similar approach is also taken for any device connected to Wi-Fi (such as a printer). Before you start disassembling peripherals, make sure your wireless network is still running. A good way is to connect other devices, such as tablets or smartphones, to your home Wi-Fi and check if you can still access the internet.

Learning more about the problem does not necessarily change the solution you are trying to solve the problem—but it may change. For example, if the keyboard works on your laptop but doesn't work on a desktop, you should first check the settings and software on your desktop before dealing with any issues related to the keyboard itself.

Check system settings

If your peripherals work on other computers, or if they used to work properly but suddenly fail, continue to check the settings in Windows or macOS. This will help you determine if your computer correctly identifies peripherals and make sure it is set up the way you want it to.

In Windows, go from Settings to Bluetooth and Devices, where you can find options to configure Mouse, Touchpad, and other devices. We can't go into all the options in detail here, but we'll take the printer that often has problems as an example. Click Printer and Scanner and select a device: You can then click Print Test Page to check the connection, or click Run Troubleshooting to perform a series of critical checks on the device.

On macOS, you can find a similar set of options by opening the Apple menu, selecting System Preferences, and navigating to the screen related to your peripherals. Assume there is something wrong with the Bluetooth keyboard you are connected to - click on "Keyboard" to make sure your computer knows it is connected and check the key configuration (including the key repeat speed). You may not always find a solution here, but it's worth a try.

Download new driver

Driver is a small amount of software that can greatly change the way peripherals interact with machines. They are basically a bridge between external devices and your computer system, ensuring that they both communicate correctly and get the required exchange of information.

Most of the time, the driver installation and update are done in the background, so you don't have to worry about it - for example, you just plug in a new webcam and it works. But sometimes problems arise, installing or reinstalling the driver can get everything back to normal.

First, visit the official website of the peripheral manufacturer to find the latest drivers for the device – you will most likely find what you are searching for on the software or support page. Going back to the previous example, if you connect your Logitech webcam to your computer, you can find the relevant software on the support page. Just download the file, open it and follow the instructions.

Unplug all other devices

Ideally, peripheral devices will work in coordination with each other without any problems, but conflicts will happen. Sometimes, installing new devices can cause trouble for existing devices for whatever reason, and they may not end up working properly. If you have recently made hardware changes to your computer and something stops working, then any device you end up getting could be the culprit.

To determine what exactly is causing the problem, you need to do some detective work. Try turning off the computer and unplug all devices connected to the computer. Restart the computer and reinsert the peripheral device in question. If it seems to be fixed, then it may have problems with another peripheral on the line.

Reinsert the other devices one by one to see if you can find out where the conflict occurs. If the problem persists, try downloading the latest drivers for each device and contact the manufacturer for support.

Unfortunately, if the problem persists and the hardware manufacturer has not yet provided a solution, you may not be able to use both peripherals together.

Reinstall the device

Repeated switchgear is a cliché in technical troubleshooting, but it's simply because it works very well. Likewise, uninstalling the device from the system and then reinstalling the device from scratch usually resolves the issue, resets any errors and clears any data that may have been corrupted or misplaced.

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For some peripheral devices (such as wired mouse), simply unplug it and plug it in. For other devices, such as webcams and printers, you need to uninstall it correctly from the system. On Windows, go from Settings to Bluetooth and Devices, and then to Devices; on macOS, open System Preferences from the Apple menu, and click the type of peripheral you want to delete.

You may also need to uninstall the relevant software (or two) and the device before reconnecting it. In Windows Settings, select Apps and Apps and Features, and then click the three dots next to the program and Uninstall to delete it. If you are using macOS, go to Applications in Finder and drag the program to the Trash icon on the dock to delete it. After you have done this, restart the computer and then reinstall the peripherals.

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