windowsscrolldrivermousehorizontal-scrolling

Windows 10: How do I fix a mouse stuck scrolling horizontally?

I had a mouse that was stuck scrolling horizontally.

It was constantly mimicking the behavior when a user holds down shift and scrolls the mouse wheel. This made using the start menu, and other native Microsoft Store apps (e.g. GroupMe), very difficult. It also caused many applications (e.g. Firefox) to change zoom levels when the control key was pressed.

I tried unplugging the mouse and using Mouse Keys to move the cursor. The application under the cursor still horizontally scrolled. I tried unplugging/replugging my keyboard if the shift key was stuck. I looked at the Windows On-Screen Keyboard to see if it was registering a shift key as stuck.

Solution

  • The problem was in the mouse driver.

    1. Open the Device Manager.
    2. Under Mice and other pointing devices, select/highlight HID-compliant mouse (or similar driver name).
    3. Press the delete key to remove the driver.
    4. Unplug/replug the mouse and let Windows re-install the driver.

    The problem was resolved immediately.