Adjusting mouse sensitivity on Windows 11 can really change how you interact with your PC, whether you’re trying to get a quick flick across the screen or aiming for pinpoint accuracy in design or gaming. Honestly, the process is pretty simple but sometimes a little finicky — especially if your settings stubbornly refuse to save or are affected by driver updates. Getting the sensitivity just right means less frustration, better control, and a smoother experience overall. This guide should help figure out where that slider lives, what tweak you need, and how to test things out so your mouse feels right at home.
How to Change Mouse Sensitivity on Windows 11
Adjusting mouse sensitivity via Settings
This is the most straightforward way — it affects system-wide pointer speed, so it’s usually what you want if you’re just trying to make the mouse more or less twitchy. Sometimes, the slider doesn’t seem to change much because of driver interference or if a third-party calibration tool is messing with settings. So if you’re not getting the results you expect, keep reading because there are other options too. To get started, open Settings by clicking the Start menu and choosing the gear icon or hitting Windows + I.
- From there, go to Bluetooth & devices (or just Devices in older builds).
- Click on Mouse. If you don’t see it immediately, look under “Related settings” or search for “Mouse” in the Settings search box.
- Here, you’ll find a slider labeled Cursor speed. Moving it to the right increases speed, to the left slows it down. Play around and see how it feels. Sometimes, it helps to keep another tab open with a test window so you can try out quick movements.
Why it can be tricky:
Sometimes, that slider isn’t enough or doesn’t stick. The reason? Windows integrates your sensitivity with your mouse driver, especially if you’re on a gaming mouse or someone installed third-party software like Logitech G Hub or Razer Synapse. In those cases, changing the Windows setting might have little effect because the driver software overrides it. So, for more precision, check the manufacturer’s software or device settings.
Fixing settings that won’t save or seem to reset
If your mouse sensitivity resets after reboot or doesn’t seem to save, that’s often caused by outdated drivers or conflicting software. First, try updating your mouse driver:
Open Device Manager, expand “Mice and other pointing devices, ” right-click your mouse, and select “Update driver.”
For a more thorough update, head to the manufacturer’s website—like Logitech, Razer, or Microsoft—and download the latest driver or software suite. Sometimes, just uninstalling the old driver and reinstalling the latest version can fix the weird save issues. Also, check if your driver software has its own sensitivity or DPI settings.
Method 2: Use a registry tweak or PowerShell (if the slider’s being stubborn)
Not everyone wants to dive into the registry, but if that slider feels useless and you’re comfortable with some tech, changing the registry might help. The setting for cursor speed is stored in the registry here:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\MouseLook for the MouseSensitivity key. It’s a number from 1 to 20. Setting it higher makes the mouse more sensitive. Change it via PowerShell:
Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\Control Panel\Mouse" -Name "MouseSensitivity" -Value 10
Where 10 is a balanced middle ground. After modifying, reboot to see if the sensitivity is more to your liking.
Be warned, messing with the registry can cause issues if not careful, so back up first or create a system restore point.
Extra tips from the trenches
Because Windows likes to be contrarian, sometimes combining driver updates with a registry tweak or resetting the settings inside the device’s own software yields the best results. On some setups, the driver software’s own DPI or sensitivity controls are the real bosses, and Windows just follows along.
Also, turning off “Enhance pointer precision” inside the Mouse options under Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Devices and Printers > Mouse > Pointer Options can help steady movements—though this can be counterintuitive if you prefer acceleration.
Overall, fine-tuning your mouse sensitivity might take a bit of trial and error, especially with drivers and third-party software involved. Just remember, the default Windows slider isn’t always the final word — sometimes you need to go into device-specific settings or even tweak the registry.
Summary
- Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse.
- Adjust Cursor speed slider and test it.
- If it won’t save, update your mouse driver or check the device’s dedicated software.
- For stubborn issues, consider registry tweaks or driver software settings.
Wrap-up
Just messing with your mouse sensitivity can make a noticeable difference, especially if you’ve been struggling to find that sweet spot. Sometimes Windows just makes it overly complicated, but with a bit of tweaking — whether through Settings, drivers, or registry edits — it’s usually fixable. There’s no one-size-fits-all, so be patient, keep testing, and good luck.
Hopefully this shaves off a few hours of frustration for someone. Fingers crossed this helps.