I really like my Mighty Mouse. It’s elegant yet functional. However, the scroll ball hasn’t been working too well lately. My hands are sorta oily and it probably doesn’t help that I eat in front of the computer sometimes. Specifically, the down scroll doesn’t work well – it just sort of slips.
You can’t disassemble a Mighty Mouse easily (I’ve tried that but I didn’t like the surgery that was required.) I’ve tried blowing it with compressed air. That didn’t help. I’ve tried cleaning it with alcohol like you can do with tape heads – that didn’t seem to do it. I’ve tried applying a wet paper towel to the ball and rolling that on top. That seemed to help a bit but not for long.
So I found myself on Amazon about to buy a new one for $49 when I read the comments for the top review. “Larkenfield” suggested rolling it around on a clean sheet of paper for a minute. So I unplugged my Mighty Mouse, got a new sheet of printer paper (I used 96 brightness 24 weight Advantage Premium Laser Jet paper made by Georgia Pacific but I assume any clean sheet of paper will do), turned over the Mighty Mouse so the scroll ball was resting on the paper, then rolled it around in all sorts of directions for a minute. You can tell when it gets clean when you start hearing it scroll with a sort of clicking sound. And there you go – your Mighty Mouse’s scroll ball is unstuck.
It’s been working very well all day so hopefully that will keep this Mighty Mouse in good shape for a little while longer. Too bad there’s no Reset Mighty Mouse… menu option. :)
I’ve had similar results using almost any kind of cloth. Rolling it on your jeans should do it. Unfortunately it looks like I’ve worn out the clicker on my Mighty Mouse– over the past couple of days I have to push really hard to get it to register a click.
man i tried all the things but cracking it open…well, i even tried that but gave up when i realized that i was ruining the surface with the sharp blade…then i found this paper trick and it worked…no way, i sw this idea first and said no way, that’s stupid. i wonder why this would work and not solvent and cleaning cloth. wow. thx…
Wow. This somehow really works. Thanks guys.
Wow! It works!
I just spent the past half an hour with lint-free cloths and screen-cleaner to no avail.
Great tip!
Hey there, yeah it’s a cool trick, actually I rang the Apple support line for my still in warranty Mighty Mouse and the guy on the phone suggested this same trick telling me it’s used in the office quite a lot!
Ciao.
J’ai essayé : ça marche ! Merci beaucoup !
I try it : it’s work ! Thank you very well !
It works very well, thank you!!
Started to notice my mouse sticking a bit over the last couple weeks, then today it wouldn’t scroll down at all (scrolling other directions worked fine though). Your tip saved the day. Thanks!
I was really upset when my scroll ball stopped working. I was even MORE upset when I saw that the wireless mouse sold for 79.99! I don’t have the money to replace it. But this trick actually fixed it. I thought at first that there’s no chance this will work, but faced with the option of dropping 80 bucks on a replacement, I figured it’s worth the try. Works perfectly now. Thank you very much for posting this hint. You just saved me a bunch!
Wow, I tried this – I couldn’t believe the amount of goop that came out of that little opening. No wonder it wasn’t working!
Works great now. Thanks for the extra 49 buck.
Thank you!
Thanks worked in 10secs!!!
THANK YOU!!! Excellent tip, cheap and easy
Thanks for the tip. It really works!
wow…this worked better than anything else I’ve tried….let’s see how long the fix lasts. nevertheless, thanks!
wow this does work thank you!
SWEET! Totally totally worked!!!!!!!
Thanks!
Why… why me… it only doesn’t work for me, I must have the nastiest finger grime ev0r.
I may have to do surgery.
hallelujah. I am no longer the exception. Thanks a lot! – I can now scroll up and down on your page.
I’ll de damned! Worked like a charm. Thanks!
[…] glad to see that some of my previously blogged Mac and iPhone Tips have helped people. I’ll try to share more of […]
OH MY GOD
this woooooooooorked
oh my god i haven’t used the scroll baall in months and it works perfectly fiiiiiine
thank you sooo muuuuuuuuuch!!!!
My scroll ball has been out for ages and it makes using my mac a lot more tiring since i have to grab the side bar to scroll up or down. Now it is working again i am so grateful thank you for the awesome simple tip!
THANKS!!!!!
Im having a problem with the scroll down. The scroll up works just fine. I have gone through two mighty mice this way. Wish I found this earlier!
Thanks… now you need to help me clean the keyboard and make the mac run loads faster! Great tip, thank you
Wow!
Works like magic!!!
Thanks for that…
I like others, had my doubts….but it worked! It worked even better when I did it on my jeans. who knew? Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Not being able to use my scroll button was driving me nuts.
Thanks for the tip, I was becoming upset. Why the hell does this work so well?
[Louie: LOL I’m not sure myself – I think the scroll ball gets gunked up with oil and dirt – so the paper sorta sucks it out as you roll the mouse on it.]
Thank you, Thank you.
I’ve been living with a scroll down only (no up) mouse for about 8 months now!
Little did I know I was one sheet of paper and 2 minutes away from easy mousing!
Thank you for this tip! I had resigned myself to using a defunct mouse and thought, no way is this going to work…but it did! Thanks!!
This tip should be on the top of this list for people who have been as frustrated as I have been with my mouse. I had just studied how to take the mouse apart and clean it… although it looked interesting I was not looking forward to that kind of time. This was fast and easy!
Thank you Thank you!!!!! I was about to go out and buy a new mouse too, since it stopped scrolling up, but the upside-down clean sheet of paper trick worked great!
Thanks for the post can help. My MightMouse could scroll down but not up. I tried pushing down on the tracking ball and while it was down turning it and that also cleaned it fine.
how silly is this: was wondering why my mouse wouldn’t grab, drag and drop
.. till I disconnected it, and rubbed it clean on my jeans – hey presto – works fine now !
was thinking I had some kind of weird virus …
cheers !
Thanks!!! I`t works!
AMAZING! What a life saver!
As weird as it sounds, it works!
Yay!!!!! It really worked. It helped by rolling it up and down a bunch of times. Made my day. Thanks!
I LOVE YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
thanx so so so so much! it works perfectly now!!! =D
This why search engines rock. I little tip like this that all can use. I was going to buy a new mouse some day. Now my 50 can go somewhere more fun. Thanks
yep, it works! just online checking the address for the nearest apple store to buy another mouse and googled my problem and viola! found the solution! Thanks!
Worked for me! Thanks
The only solution that works! Thank you!
Bedankt, werkt prima
ik was bijna op weg naar de winkel om een nieuwe
Fantastic!!! It didn’t take much rolling (I used Epson Matte paper). It works sooooo much better than I remembered. It had been a gradual decline so I guess I had adjusted to working with the scrollball in its previously dirty state.
THANKS SO MUCH! One less thing on a landfill and I’ll put that $ toward some debt. Good juju to you!
Thanks this worked great…it now scrolls again….
thank you so much. so frustrating to try to work with the gunked up mouse that nothing could clean properly.
It works, took me a few attempts because I did not roll the ball vigorously enough. I need to really go at it, all of a sudden I see the gunk coming off onto the paper. Thank you!
This works. Thank you very much!!!
I can’t believe this worked. I’ve been fighting this stupid roller ball for like week.
Mine does it on and off and i’m usually able to dig the dirt out with a piece of paper… this time no avil… That is hilarious how good this suggestion works! I actually see the dirt on the paper that came out from doing your suggestion!
amazing!!!!! thanks!
Hallelujah! I managed to resurrect that dead old mouse!
you’ve just made my day!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!
Thank you! I tried alcohol, windex, water, air, cloth, you name it. 10 seconds of rolling it on paper changes everything!
It worked like a charm!! Thx for the tip!