Category: Bluetooth & devices

Change mouse scrolling settings in Windows

To change mouse scrolling settings in Windows 11, open Mouse in Settings and use the options in the Scrolling group. There you decide how far the page moves with each wheel notch, which way it moves, and whether windows you only point at can scroll. The changes take a minute and need no extra software.

Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse, then change the options under Scrolling.
To check a change, scroll a long web page or document; to undo it, return to the same page and set the option back.
You can set scroll distance, lines per notch, scroll direction, and scrolling of inactive windows.

Tags Mouse

Adjust the mouse pointer speed on Windows

If you want to adjust the mouse pointer speed on Windows, you only need one slider. Moving it changes how far the pointer travels on screen for a given hand movement, so you can make a sluggish cursor faster or tame one that overshoots its target. The change applies right away and takes a few seconds.

Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse and drag the Change the speed the cursor moves when you use the mouse slider.
Turn Enhance pointer precision on or off to change how accurately the pointer follows slow hand movements.
To undo a change, drag the same slider back to where it was.

Tags Mouse

Mouse not working Windows 11

If your mouse is not working in Windows 11, the cause is usually a loose connection, flat batteries or a changed mouse setting rather than a broken device. Work through the checks below in order, starting with the hardware and then moving to the mouse options in Settings. You can reach every mouse setting with the keyboard alone.

Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse and check Change the speed the cursor moves when you use the mouse and Change the primary button on your mouse.
Before that, reconnect the mouse, replace or charge its batteries, and restart the PC to rule out a simple fault.
If the pointer does not move at all, press Windows + I and use Tab, the arrow keys and Enter to reach the mouse page.

Tags Mouse

Open the on-screen touchpad Windows 11

To open the on-screen touchpad in Windows 11, first make its icon available in the system tray, then select that icon. The on-screen touchpad (also called the virtual touchpad) is a touchpad drawn on your screen that you can use to move the mouse pointer. It is handy on touch screens and on devices without a working physical touchpad.

Right-click the taskbar, open its settings, switch on the virtual touchpad icon in the system tray icons area, then select that icon next to the clock.
To hide it again, close the touchpad window, then switch the same virtual touchpad option off in the taskbar’s settings.
The physical touchpad has its own page under Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Touchpad.

Tags Taskbar, Touchpad

Change the battery in Surface pen

To change the battery in Surface Pen, you open the pen, swap the old AAAA battery for a new one, and close it again. The way the pen opens, and which way the battery faces, depends on the pen model, and some models also have small coin cells in the cap. Once the pen is back together, you can confirm in Windows 11 that it still works.

Open the pen, replace the AAAA battery with the + end facing the direction your pen type requires, then close it; Slim Pen and Slim Pen 2 have no replaceable battery.
Pens with two side buttons also have two size 319 coin cells in the cap, and you may need to pair the pen with your Surface again afterwards.
Check the pen afterwards in Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Pen & Windows Ink.

Tags Pen & Windows Ink

Fix touchpad issues Windows 11

You can fix touchpad issues in Windows 11 by checking the touchpad settings first and the driver second. Most problems, such as a switched-off touchpad, a slow cursor or taps that behave oddly, come down to a setting. If the touchpad is not working at all, a missing or outdated driver is the more likely cause.

Open Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Touchpad and make sure Turn the touchpad on or off is on.
If the problem remains, use Reset your touchpad to its default settings on the same page to restore the default touchpad settings.
If the settings don’t help, update the touchpad driver through Windows Update or Device Manager, or reinstall it in Device Manager.

Tags Touchpad

How to reinstall Bluetooth driver Windows 11

To learn how to reinstall Bluetooth driver Windows 11 components on your computer, you can remove the wireless adapter and let the operating system automatically restore it upon restart. Reinstalling the driver resolves unresponsive connections, sudden device drops, and pairing failures caused by corrupt configuration files. You can also review your wireless status and manage connected hardware directly from the system settings menu.

Open Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Devices to toggle Turn on Bluetooth, then restart your PC.
To reinstall the driver files cleanly, remove the adapter using the device management console and restart Windows 11 so it reloads automatically.
Check and manage individual accessories under Add or remove devices if devices require re-pairing.

Tags Bluetooth