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Mouse not scrolling, tabs not opening/closing in Firefox

  • 2 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 11 views
  • Last reply by Julephenia

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I'm having a number of issues with my Firefox out of nowhere.

1. My mouse will no longer scroll, nor will my keyboard arrows. I must use my touchscreen. 2. I have "new tabs" instead of "new windows" selected, yet if I click anything, it goes to a new window. 3. I cannot close tabs without right clicking. 4. I cannot SWITCH tabs at all. 5. I cannot close Firefox without going to my start bar and right clicking. 6. Firefox seems to be aware something is wrong, opens up in a troubleshooting mode... and then doesn't troubleshoot.

(It is entirely possibly my infant slammed on the keyboard and changed a setting I can't find.)

I'm having a number of issues with my Firefox out of nowhere. 1. My mouse will no longer scroll, nor will my keyboard arrows. I must use my touchscreen. 2. I have "new tabs" instead of "new windows" selected, yet if I click anything, it goes to a new window. 3. I cannot close tabs without right clicking. 4. I cannot SWITCH tabs at all. 5. I cannot close Firefox without going to my start bar and right clicking. 6. Firefox seems to be aware something is wrong, opens up in a troubleshooting mode... and then doesn't troubleshoot. (It is entirely possibly my infant slammed on the keyboard and changed a setting I can't find.)

Chosen solution

Hmm, there could be a common factor here:

  • Holding shift when using the mouse scroll wheel makes it do nothing (1)
  • Holding shift when clicking a link opens it in a new window (2)
  • Holding shift when starting Firefox displays a dialog to choose between Troubleshoot Mode and a Refresh (6)

But most likely you are not holding down the Shift key, and instead either Firefox or Windows is confused about the keyboard state. If you jab it a half dozen times, can you "unfreeze" it? If not, you could consider doing a regular shut down and restart of Windows. This can help in resolving issues with Firefox not properly understanding the state of input devices like the mouse and keyboard.

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Chosen Solution

Hmm, there could be a common factor here:

  • Holding shift when using the mouse scroll wheel makes it do nothing (1)
  • Holding shift when clicking a link opens it in a new window (2)
  • Holding shift when starting Firefox displays a dialog to choose between Troubleshoot Mode and a Refresh (6)

But most likely you are not holding down the Shift key, and instead either Firefox or Windows is confused about the keyboard state. If you jab it a half dozen times, can you "unfreeze" it? If not, you could consider doing a regular shut down and restart of Windows. This can help in resolving issues with Firefox not properly understanding the state of input devices like the mouse and keyboard.

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I restarted.

Everything is fine, now.

My guess is that my baby managed to keyboard smash despite my best efforts... and did something weird.