mouse/touchpad freezes up

Question

mouse/touchpad freezes up

Maribeth Bontrager 0

My mouse/touch pad keep freezing up periodically. The only way to get it going again is to lock and unlock the screen, but that's only a temporary fix.

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2 answers

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Answer 1

John Jefferson Doyon 82,940 Independent Advisor

I have not tried any troubleshooting steps yet. The keyboard does not work when the mouse freezes. I do not have an external USB mouse, only a built-in touchpad. The Windows version is 25H2. The OS build is 26200.8655. Laptop make and model: Dell Inspiron 15 3520.

Thanks. Since locking and unlocking temporarily restores control, please try these steps as soon as the keyboard and touchpad start working again:

Press Windows key + I to open Settings.
Use Tab and the arrow keys to select Windows Update.
Select Check for updates, then install any available updates and restart.

You can also restart the laptop and repeatedly tap F12 when the Dell logo appears. Select Diagnostics and run the hardware test. This works outside Windows and can help check for a hardware problem.

Before proceeding, how are you locking and unlocking the screen when both the keyboard and touchpad are frozen? Are you briefly pressing the power button?

Maribeth Bontrager 0 Reputation points

2026-07-23T21:44:25.3266667+00:00

I ran the Quick Test and the Advanced Test under Diagnostics, but both tests passed.

Yes I briefly hit the power button.
John Jefferson Doyon 82,940 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-23T21:50:34.66+00:00

Thanks. Since both Dell diagnostic tests passed, an obvious hardware failure is less likely, although an intermittent problem is still possible.

The brief press of the power button appears to put the laptop to sleep, and waking it restores the keyboard and touchpad. This may point to a Windows or driver issue.

While the laptop is responding, please open Dell SupportAssist and check for updates. Install any available BIOS, chipset, Intel Serial IO, graphics, and touchpad drivers, then restart. You can also check the drivers directly from Dell’s support page for the Inspiron 15 3520.

Also go to Settings > Windows Update, check for updates, and look under Advanced options > Optional updates for driver updates.

If it continues, the next step will be testing in Safe Mode to determine whether a third-party driver or service is causing it.

When the issue happens, does everything on the screen also stop moving, such as a video or loading animation, or is it only the keyboard and touchpad?
Maribeth Bontrager 0 Reputation points

2026-07-23T22:39:06.65+00:00

ok I tried all of those things and found multiple updates, so I installed everything. I'll see now if the issue will keep coming up or not. Thank you so much for all of the help so far!!

So far, I haven't had a video on the screen when this happened, so I don't know if the screen is part of the problem or not.
John Jefferson Doyon 82,940 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-23T22:48:44.6066667+00:00

Glad to assist! . Hopefully the updates have resolved it.

Please continue using the laptop normally and monitor it for now. You do not need to play a video just to test it.

If the freezing happens again, please note what you were doing at the time and whether the clock, cursor, or anything else on the screen also stops moving. Also let me know how long it takes before the issue returns.

Answer 2

John Jefferson Doyon 82,940 Independent Advisor

Hi, @Maribeth Bontrager

May I know what troubleshooting steps have you already taken? This will help me avoid recommending them again.

Also, to help narrow down the issue:

Does the keyboard still work when the mouse freezes?
Do both the built-in touchpad and an external USB mouse freeze at the same time?
Press Windows key + R, type winver, and share the Windows version and OS build. Also include the laptop make and model.

Maribeth Bontrager 0 Reputation points

2026-07-22T20:06:52.1933333+00:00

I have not tried any troubleshooting steps yet.

The keyboard does not work when the mouse freezes.

I do not have an external USB mouse, only a built-in touchpad.

The Windows version is 25H2. The OS build is 26200.8655. Laptop make and model: Dell Inspiron 15 3520.
Maribeth Bontrager 0 Reputation points

2026-07-22T20:08:12.4433333+00:00

I have not tried any troubleshooting steps yet.

The keyboard does not work when the mouse freezes.

I do not have an external USB mouse, only a built-in touchpad.

The Windows version is 25H2. The OS build is 26200.8655. Laptop make and model: Dell Inspiron 15 3520.