Unless there's a hardware malfunction with your mouse (say, you spilled coffee on your mouse or a bored cat knocked it off your desk), chances are that any performance issues you notice with your device can be easily fixed within your operating system's core settings.

Since there can be multiple factors at the root of a mouse not working properly, troubleshooting the problem is the best way to get your mouse working again. Try these steps, ranked from most common and easiest to most intensive.

Check the mouse for hardware damage. A cracked casing, a missing ball, sticky or silent clicks from the finger switches, or an optical sensor that doesn’t light up all indicate that the device is damaged. Given how inexpensive most mice are, hardware damage usually indicates that replacement, rather than repair, is the best solution.

Clean the mouse. If the pointer is jerky or less responsive than normal, clean the mouse to see if performance improves. It’s easy to clean a wireless mouse or clean a wired mouse with a rollerball.