How to Fix a Double-Clicking Mouse in Windows
1. If a Single Click Is Double-Clicking
A common reason for a double-clicking mouse is a simple setting in Windows. You may have enabled this by mistake, so it’s worth checking first.
To do so, open a File Explorer window. On the View tab, click Options. Then in the resulting window, on the General tab, you’ll see a Click item as follows the header.
The behavior by default is to Double-click to open an item. If you have Single-click to open an item (point to select) chosen, you only need to click a folder once to open it. Just mousing over a folder or other file is enough to select it.
2. Change the Mouse Double-Click Speed
The click speed is another Windows option that you can change to fix a double-click problem. For most people, the default double-click threshold is manageable, but you might have changed it by mistake or have it set to a level where Windows won’t properly recognize your clicks.
To change your double-click speed, go to Settings > Devices > Mouse and click Additional mouse options in the right sidebar. If you don’t see this, drag the Settings window to make it wider.
When you click that link, a new Mouse Properties Control Panel window will appear. On the Buttons tab, you’ll find a Double-click speed option.
Move the slider per your preference; you can double-click on the folder icon to the right to test it. The closer to Fast you place the slider, the less time Windows allows between clicks to register a double-click. If it’s too close to Slow, Windows might be registering two single clicks as a double-click.
3. Clean Your Mouse
If you ruled out the above two options, your issue likely lies with hardware. You should next take a look at your mouse, especially around the top buttons where you click, and see if there’s dirt or other grime there.
The excessive build-up may interfere with your mouse’s internals and cause it to keep double-clicking or click incorrectly. Give it a clean using cotton swabs, compressed air, and similar tools to remove any grime present.
4. Try Another Mouse
If you’ve walked through all of the above and your mouse is still double-clicking all the time, it may be faulty. To test this, try either plugging your current mouse into another computer or connect a different mouse to your current computer.
Should your mouse continue to misbehave on a different computer, it’s very likely defective. If you try another mouse on your PC and don’t have any issues, that’s another sign your original mouse is defective.
However, if the original mouse works fine on the second computer, or a second mouse has the same problem on your original computer, you may have a piece of software or something else interfering with your mouse’s normal operation. There’s one more step you can take…
5. Reinstall Mouse Drivers
As the last troubleshooting step, it’s worth a try to remove your current mouse driver and let Windows reinstall it. To do this, right-click the Start button (or press Win + X) and choose Device Manager.
Expand the mouse and other pointing devices category and right-click your mouse. Choose Uninstall device, confirm, then restart your PC.
