I’m using a Lenovo laptop at work and it’s been functioning as intended but yesterday I decided to work from home. I only brought my computer from work and left all other external devices there, as I almost have a replica of my office at home.
I connected the computer to the docking station to get access to the peripherals and the screen. Everything seemed to be working just fine at this point. However, as soon as I started being less active, I started to notice one thing.
Within just a few minutes of being idle, my mouse would enter sleep mode. Watching youtube, reading, writing, using the restroom, and taking a break was more than enough to throw the mouse into sleep mode, from which it then had to be woken up.
So why does my Bluetooth keep turning off?
Your Bluetooth mouse could be entering sleep mode because the Bluetooth service isn’t set to automatic, because the power management settings have been set to allow the computer to turn off Bluetooth devices to save power, because the Bluetooth drivers are outdated, or because the mouse is malfunctioning. The power-saving function could also be hard-wired into the device itself, which makes it difficult to make adjustments.
Can this be fixed? Yes, you can prevent your Bluetooth equipment from entering sleep mode. Continue reading as we’ll go through the different techniques that can be used to achieve it!
How To Stop Wireless Mouse From Going To Sleep
As long as the function isn’t hard-wired into the device itself or caused by a malfunctioning or broken device, then I’m sure there’s something we should be able to do to fix it.
Because a few different things could be causing this issue, we’ll have to take a look at a few different approaches to the problem. The first being:
Set the Bluetooth support service to automatic
If the computer’s Bluetooth service has turned off, or if the start-up type isn’t automatic, then that may be what’s causing your Bluetooth device to enter sleep mode after seconds of inactivity.
When a service has an automatic start-up type it will trigger and start as soon as Windows is initiated. The service may also start or stop as a result of an even within the operating system.
- Type services.msc in the Windows search bar and choose Services in the Program list. Provide the information needed to get administrator rights if needed, otherwise, click Continue
- Click on the Bluetooth-support service. If the service is stopped, turn it on by clicking Start.
- Pick Automatic on the Start-up type list.
- Click the Log On tab.
- Click Local System Account.
- Click Ok.
- Restart your computer
Change the Power Management Settings
If your mouse disconnects shortly after you stop using it – or even while you’re using it, chances are your PC is shutting off the device’s communication to save power. This can be changed in the Power Management settings.
- Search for Mouse settings in the search bar located in the lower-left corner and click on Mouse settings in the Program list.
- Scroll down and click on Additional mouse options.
- Under the Hardware tab, click on the mouse device and go to Properties.
- Under the General tab, click on Change settings.
- Click on the Power Management tab and uncheck the box Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.
- Click Ok and restart the computer.
Your device drivers can be found under the Hardware tab. If your device doesn’t come with a specific set of drivers, it will look like your device isn’t listed. However, you should still be able to find the device in the list under the name “HID-compliant mouse”.
Uninstall Device Drivers
Outdated drivers could be causing the problem as well. Before we try installing new drivers, let’s just uninstall the old ones and restart the computer. As the computer boots, it will reinstall the drivers, which can solve the problem in some cases.
Before you proceed, remember that your device most likely won’t be listed as the product’s name. This is because few mice have their own individual drivers installed, instead, they use Windows default drivers.
So, when you’re looking for your device in the Device Manager you may have a hard time finding it. Instead, look for HID-compliant mouse.
- Go to Device Manager.
- Expand the list item called Mice and other pointing devices.
- Right-click on the device then click Uninstall device. If you receive a warning: Check the box Delete the driver software for this device then click Uninstall.
- When the driver has finished uninstalling, restart the computer.
The computer should have reinstalled the device drivers for the mouse during boot. Try to see if the issue still persists.
Update Device Drivers
Since most Bluetooth mice don’t come with specific drivers, we may need to focus our attention on the Bluetooth radio. The Bluetooth radio is a big part of the communication between the computer and its devices and it could be causing problems.
With that said, let’s take a look at how you can find and update your Bluetooth drivers.
First of all, we need to find out which Bluetooth drivers we should download. In order to do so, we must first find out more about your system. Do the following to find out which processor and system type you’re running:
- Search for System Information in the search box and click on System Information.
- Look for System Type in the list. You want to know if you’re running a 64 or 32 bit system. Take note.
- Then look for Processor in the list. We’re looking for the brand, the most common brands are Intel / AMD.
- With all this information gathered, open up your favorite web browser and go to Google. Type in (your processor type) Bluetooth driver download. This should take you to the manufacturer’s website where you can collect the downloadable drivers – make sure they’re suited to your system.
- Find the .exe file in the Downloads folder and run it.
- Restart the computer
You can also try to uninstall the Bluetooth drivers from the computer and then let the computer reinstall them as you reboot the device.
- Search for Device Manager in the search box and click on Device Manager in the Program list.
- Locate the Bluetooth adapter in the list and right-click on it.
- Click Uninstall Device
- Restart your computer. Upon start-up, the computer will reinstall the Bluetooth drivers.
Update BIOS
The basic input/output system (BIOS) is almost like the computer’s nervous system. It helps the computer communicate with all connected hardware, external and internal.
Updating the BIOS can turn out to be quite useful regardless of what you’re encountering. It’s always worth throwing it in the mix. Updating BIOS requires a little bit of information regarding the computer’s motherboard.
This information can be retrieved from the System Information window, where we gathered information in the earlier step.
- Search for System Information and click on System Information in the Program list.
- Look for Baseboard Manufacturer and Baseboard Product to find out the brand and model of your motherboard.
- Open up your favorite browser and go to a search engine, preferably Google.
- Search for the motherboard’s name + BIOS drivers. This should take you to the manufacturer’s website.
- Download the drivers
- Run the installation and follow the guide
- Give it some time and see if the issue persists.
Why Does My Wireless Mouse Suddenly Stop Working?
Sometimes it’s easy to track where the problem is coming from, and sometimes it’s slightly more difficult. When the mouse enters sleep mode as soon as you stop using it, you can quite easily tell that there’s a strong correlation between inactivity and deactivation.
However, if the mouse stops working while it’s being used, then it’s a bit more difficult to pinpoint.
Wireless mice can stop moving all of a sudden because the power management settings are set to turn the device off to save power or because the Bluetooth receiver and the device run out of sync, which can be fixed by pairing the mouse and computer again.
It’s also worth removing the batteries from the mouse, then re-inserting them after a few seconds. This has proved to work for a lot of users.
I would still run the mouse through the steps mentioned above, even though the symptoms aren’t identical. Oh, and furthermore, I suggest you reset your Bluetooth mouse while you’re at it.
Read: Mouse Suddenly Stops Working On Mousepad
How Do You Reset a Bluetooth Mouse?
- Type in Control Panel in the search box in the lower-left corner
- Click Hardware and Sound
- Click Bluetooth Devices
- Click on your Mouse, then click Remove
- Restart your mouse then click Add
- Click My device is set up and ready to be found then click Next
- Select your Bluetooth mouse then click Next
- Complete the installation
Now you have removed and repaired the computer and the mouse. Make sure the device is turned on when you’re trying to add it, otherwise you won’t be able to find the device, which can be quite frustrating.