Mouse not working on Linux
A mouse that won't click, scroll, or move on Linux is usually a connection, battery, or button-switch issue. Run through these, then test every button live.
Step-by-step fix
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Replug the USB receiver (try another port) or re-pair Bluetooth; replace the battery on a wireless mouse.
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Run the CheckMyMic mouse test — check left, right, middle, scroll and a double-click.
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Clean the optical sensor and try a different surface or mousepad.
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Adjust pointer speed and double-click settings in Linux mouse settings.
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Update the mouse/USB driver and restart Linux.
Frequently asked questions
My double-click registers as one click on Linux.
That's usually a worn button switch. Run the mouse test's double-click check a few times — if it's inconsistent, the switch is failing. As a stopgap, lengthening the double-click speed/window in Linux's mouse settings can buy the switch some time.
The scroll wheel doesn't work on Linux.
Open the mouse test and scroll over the pad. If nothing registers there, the wheel encoder is faulty; if it does register, the wheel is fine — check the scroll settings in Linux and the app where scrolling misbehaves.
The mouse still misbehaves on Linux after every step — now what?
Test the same mouse on another computer with the CheckMyMic mouse test. If the fault follows the mouse — a button that won't register, phantom double-clicks, dead scroll — the switch or encoder is worn and it's replacement time. If the mouse behaves elsewhere, the problem is this machine's port, driver or settings.
My mouse is too fast, too slow, or jumpy on Linux.
Adjust speed and acceleration in your desktop's mouse settings (libinput handles most modern distros). To see whether the hardware is even sending events, run "xinput list" to find the device and "xinput test <id>" to watch raw events — clean events with a jumpy pointer mean a settings problem, missing events mean hardware.