Why Does My Mouse Lag On A Second Monitor? [SOLVED]

Many people find that once they hook up their laptop to an external monitor, or add an additional display to a setup, their mouse starts to act a little odd. Specifically, by beginning to lag when the cursor is moved across to work on the new screen.

This happened to my Logitech M185 mouse a while back, which triggered some crawling of help forums. As such, I have summarised some helpful solutions below.

Reasons why your mouse may be lagging on a second monitor

There are a few reasons why a mouse may be lagging on a second monitor and we’re going to go through each of them here.

If the first solution doesn’t seem to be working, move on and try the next one. Ensure you have restarted your computer each time.

Solution #1: Try another connection port.

If you have a wireless mouse, then there could be some sort of interference that is impacting the connection signal.

Try and change up the USB port that the receiver is plugged into. Sometimes, you’ll find that it doesn’t work brilliantly if it is plugged into a particular port or an external device.

Some users noted that replacing the USB to DisplayPort with USB into HDMI resolved the issue.

Solution #2: Switch the monitor refresh rate.

In many cases, the mouse lag is due to there being a mismatch of the refresh rates between two different monitors

You are going to need to dive into the display options and start tinkering with your monitor settings. Don’t worry though this is dead simple to do.

This process can vary depending on the operating system that you are using. These instructions work for Windows 10 and Windows 11:

Steps:

1. Right-click on a blank spot on your desktop or Press [Win] + [I] to open Window Settings.

2. Select ‘Display Options’.

3. Click on the monitor number that is causing you issues.

4. Scroll down and select ‘Advanced Display Settings’.

5. Select ‘Display Adapter Properties for Display’.

6. Select the ‘Monitor’ tab.

7. Adjust the refresh rate to 60hz (or whatever is the highest frequency that can be matched between the monitors and the main display).

8. Click ‘Apply’ then ‘OK’.

If the lag still hasn’t disappeared, then it’s time to check the other monitor using the same steps to ensure that it is also set to the same hz.

Solution #3: Ensure the mouse shadow is disabled.

If mouse pointer shadow is enabled in your settings this may be the cause of the lag on your second monitor. Some users fixed the lag by disabling the ‘shadow’. Give this a try.

Steps:

1. Click on the Windows Search Icon in the bottom left corner of your screen. 

2. In the search menu type Control Panel and click it.

3. In the top right search bar of the Control Panel type adjust.

4. Select Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows under the System options.

5. In the Performance Options window (Visual Effects tab), ensure the Show shadows under mouse pointer option is unchecked.

6. Click ‘Apply’ and then click ‘OK’.

Restart your computer to check if the lag is resolved.

Solution #4: Update your graphics and mouse drivers. 

Your mouse may be lagging on your second monitor due to incompatible drivers. Two possible causes are outdated graphics and mouse drivers.

Follow the steps below for each.

– Steps to update Graphics Drivers (Windows 10 and 11)

1. Click on the Windows Search icon in the bottom left corner of your screen.

2. In the search menu type Device Manager and click it. This will open the Device Manager window.

3. Click on the > symbol next to Display Adapters to access the drop-down menu.

4. Right-click on your graphics card (i.e., NVIDIA, Intel, or AMD Radeon).

5. Select ‘Update Driver’ from the menu.

6. When prompted click ‘Search automatically for drivers‘.

– Steps to update Mouse Driver (Windows 10 and 11)

1. Press [Win] + [R] to open the Run window.

2. Type devmgmt.msc and click ‘OK’.

3. Click on the > symbol next to Mice and other pointing devices option to access the drop-down menu.

4. Right-click on the correct mouse and select ‘Update driver’.

5. This will open a new window; click ‘Search automatically for updated driver software’.

6. Wait for Windows to look for an available update. If available, it will be installed automatically.

Solution #5: Run Windows Update

You may have outdated software causing the mouse to lag. This is a simple process.

Steps:

1. Click on the Windows Search icon in the bottom left corner of your screen.
2. Type Settings and hit Enter.
3. Type Update in the search bar
4. Click Check for updates. And ensure all updates are installed.

Before you go…

Mouse issues aside, a multi-monitor setup is generally a wise choice for getting more stuff done. There are however ways to improve your setup even further and the following articles will give you the lowdown on how to do so.

• 2 Monitors vs 3 Monitors: Which Is Best For Productivity?
• How Much Will A Dual Monitor Setup Increase Your Power Consumption?
• Do External Monitors Decrease Laptop Performance?