Computer mice endure a lot.
Not only do we use them as long as we’re on the computer, but we also take out our anger on them sometimes.
They’re mostly faithful, and they’ll last you a long time, yet they’ll eventually go bad.
Today we’re answering the question, “How often do mice fail?”
How Long Does a Mouse Last?
The answer varies according to a couple of factors, including build quality, environment, wired or wireless, but if you have a decent mouse it should last between 3 and 5 years with constant use.
Or maybe even up to a decade.
The Curious Case of Gamers
Since a big portion of a mouse’s lifespan is determined by usage, you can imagine how long a gamer’s mouse can last vs. a general office worker.
A gamer’s mouse will last for a year or two on average, considering the heavy and frequent usage they get.
Somebody doing basic data input for a living won’t have the same issues.
Yet, gamers know well that they have to choose an excellent mouse to last.
Razer, Redragon, and Logitech are among the best and most durable brands.
How Does a Mouse Fail?
The part that’ll fail you -if any- will probably be one of the two buttons.
After some time, the microswitch connecting the buttons with the mouse’s internal circuit will wear out, rendering your mouse (or human interface device) useless.
One of the other points of failure in older mice was the rollers which picked up location signals from the ball inside the mouse.
These would get so clogged with crud that a mouse might only last a year in a really filthy environment.
But these days most mice are optical, so fewer moving parts = longer life expectancy.
We explain how this works in the next section.
Ruining an Optical Mouse
Today’s modern optical mice use tiny cameras to take a massive number of images per second.
Then, it sends them to a small sensor, which analyzes the difference between these images to detect the cursor movement.
Without diving into complicated technical details, they rely on sending and receiving light through a diode – no mechanical components.
The thing is that, if you drop the mouse, or even worse, smash it, for example, you’re risking ruining the LED and the lens.
Hence, the mouse won’t align received and emitted signals and eventually won’t work.
Another reason for the failure of wireless mice is their batteries dying.
If you can take off the plastic cover at the bottom of your mouse, you can test this.
Roll over the batteries with your fingers and try using the mouse.
If it moves, then it’s probably a battery problem.
This can be easily solved by replacing batteries.
Wired Mouse Failure
For a wired mouse, there’s a single point of failure, and that is the wire.
After a while, you might start realizing that your mouse stops working, then works again at intervals.
It’s probably an issue with the wire in such cases, and it’s time to replace your mouse.
Signs of Mouse Failure
Apart from merely dying on you, some signs tell you your mouse’s lifetime is about to come to an end. If you notice one or more of these signs, it’s probably time to change your mouse.
- Intermittent disconnection errors
- The cursor freezes and doesn’t work unless you restart your computer.
- Faulty button presses or scrolls
- Random cursor movements
Wrap Up
A decent mouse will stay with you unless it wears out, and this should be from 5 to 10 years on average.
To extend its lifespan, be gentle with it.
