Windows Explorer window randomly stops responding to mouse clicks

Question

This just started about a week ago:

With my mouse only, sometimes:

I can right-click, but I can't select anything in the context menu as the left click just stops responding.

I can't access the Windows menu as the left-click no longer does anything.

I CAN use my keyboard to navigate around.

I can open Task Manager and the mouse fully works, and if I restart "Windows Explorer," then it goes back to normal, and everything works again.

Things I have tried:

Ran sfc /scannow and DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth, and Windows finds no errors or issues.

Tried 3 different Mice.

Searching the Internet...

I see that this same thing was an issue last year for several folks, but other than restarting Windows Explorer, there were no answers.

Anyone else?

Any ideas??

thanks

Answer 1

Hi, good day!

Have you tried the AI suggested solutions?

---

If the issue persists, open Settings > System > Recovery.

Few things to check on the PC

• Unplug all external peripherals except for the Mouse, Keyboard, and LAN cable before starting
• Disable or uninstall any third-party Antivirus program to prevent it from interfering with the upgrade

Under Fix problems using Windows Update, click Reinstall Now

Once completed, your system will restart.

I look forward to receiving your update and I'm willing to collaborate with you till we resolve the issue. Do keep me informed by clicking "Add comment" below.

Answer 2

This behavior matches a known issue where Windows UI elements stop responding to mouse input while keyboard input still works. Restarting Windows Explorer is the correct immediate workaround, but there are a few additional steps that can help reduce or prevent recurrence.

1. Use Task Manager to restart Windows Explorer when it happens
   • Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager.
   • On the Processes tab, select Windows Explorer.
   • Right-click it and choose Restart.
   This is the same method documented for similar UI non‑response issues and is the fastest recovery when the problem appears.
2. Sign out and sign back in
   • Save work and close apps.
   • Press the Windows logo key (or use Ctrl+Alt+Delete) and choose Sign out.
   • Sign back in to the account.
   This fully reloads the shell session without rebooting and can clear transient Explorer/UI glitches.
3. Run System File Checker if not already done Since sfc /scannow is already completed with no integrity violations, no further SFC action is required. For similar cases where it has not been run, the documented steps are:
   • Open an elevated Command Prompt (Run as administrator).
   • Run: sfc /scannow and wait for completion.
4. If the issue becomes frequent or worsens
   • Consider additional repair options such as Startup Repair/Automatic Repair on Windows 10/11 if File Explorer or the shell becomes consistently unstable:
     • Go to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Recovery.
     • Under Advanced startup, select Restart now.
     • On Choose an option, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair and follow the prompts.

If the problem continues to recur regularly even after these steps, the practical options are to keep using the Task Manager restart workaround or move toward a repair install/reset of Windows to refresh the shell components.

---

References:

• Start button, charms and other user interface elements do not respond
• Error: Windows Explorer has stopped working
• Fix File Explorer if it won't open or start