Cannot change right/left mouse buttons.

Question

There is no Buttons tab in Mouse Properties. Sometime in all the recent "upgrades" that gave me a Mouse & Keyboard center, the Button tab disappeared from the mouse properties. I examined every tab and there is no left/right switch button option. I click mouse & keyboard center, but it is just a keyboard center. No mouse settings. I tried changing the registry option in the keyboard settings for switch left/right mouse keys (from 0 to 1), but it didn't change anything and switched back to 0 when I restarted the computer. The tabs in the Mouse Properties cpl are Pointer Options, Wheel, Hardware, Activities, Dell Touchpad, Mouse & Keyboard Center, and Pointers. No Buttons tab, none, zero.

Answer 1

Problem fixed. The registry key seems to have saved finally after the last reboot, and now the mouse buttons are switched.  I set the following registry key from 0 to 1.

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ControlPanel\Mouse\SwapMouseButtons

I no longer worry that there is no Buttons tab in the Mouse CPL. My workplace has me with a  Logitech mouse that the manufacturer doesnt't even seem to support with drivers, so I ordered a new mouse for future use from The Company Store. Thanks.

Answer 2

Sharief,

I have the same issue with my mouse--i am not able to switch between right and left-handed use.

I do this often to balance out any chronic discomfort, etc.

I am running Windows 7, all up-to-date. Recently i decided to load the Windows Mouse and Keyboard Center from the update. I had delayed doing this for many weeks or months, knowing that Microsoft would likely screw something up, as they did royally with Windows 8 program installation and access.

But my Ergo 4000 Keyboard Favorite buttons were no longer working consistently, and i decided to load this update to get that functionality back. The keyboard functionality was corrected.

However, as John mentioned above, the Mouse and Keyboard Center REPLACED the tab in the Mouse settings that allowed me to switch from right to left-handed mousing. It is nowhere to be seen.

I am planning to remove this update, but thought i would research first. Here we are.

Can you help me find a simple solution? (I am not interested in registry settings or anything but a simple Control Panel fix.)

Thank you,

apowell802

Answer 3

Hi Joe,

Glad to know that you have sorted out the issue.

Your efforts to resolve this issue is very much appreciated. Please feel free to reply, in case you face any other issues with Windows in future.

Answer 4

I had this same issue when I accidently clicked on a message that took me to a Microsoft keyboard software update.  I have had this happen in the past on other computers where by this so called "keyboard software update" overwrites the standard windows mouse options.  

To fix it I downloaded FixIt and uninstalled the keyboard software.

Answer 5

Hi John,

Thank you for posting your query in Microsoft Community!

Based on the issue description, it appears that “Buttons tab” in Mouse Properties is missing after recent Mouse & Keyboard center upgrade.

To guide you in the right direction, I need a few more information from the computer that has the issue. Please help me answer the following questions:

1.      Which recent upgrades are you referring to?

2.      What is the model number of the computer?

3.      Which registry keys are you referring to?

I would suggest you to refer to the articles and check if it helps.

Mouse, Keyboard or Touchpad Not Working Correctly

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/kcs/document?c=us&cs=19&docid=277550

Mouse, touchpad, and keyboard problems inWindows

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/help/mouse-touchpad-and-keyboard-problems-in-windows

Your reply is very important for us to ensure a proper resolution. Please get back to us with the above information in order to assist you accordingly.