Mouse stickiness change with multiple monitors after Windows 8.1 Update 1: Bug or feature?

Anonymous
2014-04-06T22:26:14+00:00

There is a new bug that won't let the mouse to the other screen unless you move the mouse quickly across the monitor edge. Before, this would only happen on the corner edges to allow easier access to the charms and apps bar. Now, it happens to the whole edge.

These four videos demonstrate that the mouse stickiness issue happens in both desktop and metro mode and that it is inconsistent - only happening sometimes. I hope these videos help paint a clear picture of what is going on.

Desktop Mode

http://youtu.be/-0mrPXXtkfw No bug

http://youtu.be/3TVYvu4Yi5g Bug

Metro Applications

http://youtu.be/hOEeo9r0xs8 No bug

http://youtu.be/b-Usdhnvl3A Bug

Is this issue already known and will there be a hotfix, or is this a new feature?

November 12th 2014 Update

Mouse stickiness still a problem as of today for Windows 8.1. As of Windows 10 Build 9879 which was released today, the mouse stickiness is fixed! This mouse stickiness only happens when dragging a window around and is used to assist in snapping windows. Outside of this, the stickiness issue is gone! I think this was what Microsoft intended to do with the mouse stickiness, but I believe it was a hard bug to diagnose, but they finally fixed it!

November 2nd 2014 Update

Mouse stickiness still a problem as of today for Windows 8.1. As of Build 9860 of Windows 10 Technical Preview, the mouse stickiness bug/feature has started happening.

June 9th 2014 Update

Still no official word from Microsoft. I have found a fix, but it is more of a workaround. Just don't use any metro apps, and it should be fine. Very rarely you will get the stickiness again. If it does occur anyways just press WIN + P and click Duplicate. After all monitors are duplicated, press WIN + P again and then click Extend to go back, and the mouse stickiness issue should be gone.

May 16th 2014 Update

According to Shawn "Cmdr" Keene \[MVP\] at the end of page 2, this is NOT a bug and it is an intentional design. I hope that Shawn is incorrect and would like further verification by an employee of the Windows development team.

There is also a "fix" by editing some registry values, but this removes the mouse stickiness on the corners and makes it very hard to access the apps and charms bar in between monitors. I do not believe this is a fix to the problem.

May 5th 2014 Update

Still no word from Microsoft that this is a bug or feature.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Search, touch, and mouse

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-04-10T06:20:11+00:00

    Yep I have this exact same problem, while I'm not sure it is a "bug" per se, I think it might have been intended to be a design to help with the newer UI aspects of Windows 8, I do believe the programing logic on how and when it happens is broken.

    Like others have found out, it's definitely related to having Metro apps "opened", but I know that I've had times when I force closed all Metro apps and it remains, as well as I've had a few times with Metro apps being open and the mouse catching didn't happen.

    The most consistent way to reproduce is to open a Metro app; if that isn't enough, try switching/minimizing between the desktop and that app(s).

    The two biggest problems I have with it are: 1) it's inconsistent on when it activates; if due to having a Metro app opened/close/minimized etc., and 2) there seems no way to turn it off.

    I actually believe this function might be useful... if it correctly understood when a Metro app was actually open and more importantly in *focus*. If it was designed solely to help with activating the charms bar or metro app switcher, even when Metro apps are not open, I would greatly desire the ability to disable it when I'm strictly on the desktop or even when metro apps are technically "open" but are minimized.

    Regardless of its intended purpose and the fact that the programing logic is inconsistent/broken, there needs to be an option, a simple check box, to turn it off and return it to how 8.0/8.1 pre-update worked.

    I assume there's a registry edit we can make to turn it off, but if there truly is no setting/check box a normal user can access to turn it off, then I am highly disappointed in the WinDiv team who implemented this without considering such things.

    For an update that's supposedly meant to help desktop users enjoy Windows 8 more and even maybe encourage them to adventure further into Metro apps, this change (while seemingly intent on being helpful) adds a great deal of annoyance and making simple multi monitor tasks infuriating.

    If this somehow is just a weird bug that no one actually designed, where the mouse pauses at the edge of a monitor and only breaks through at a certain speed threshold... then that really is an impressive bug and hopefully a fix will be out soon.

    If not, and this is just a "feature" with inconsistent activation... then please fix that activation logic and.... even better yet, give us the option to turn it off.

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-04-12T06:56:35+00:00

    I have the issue as well on only 2 monitors...

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  4. Anonymous
    2014-04-18T07:11:45+00:00

    The solution is to change the MouseMonitorEscapeSpeed value as mentioned here: http://winaero.com/blog/fix-mouse-pointer-sticks-on-the-edge-when-moving-between-multiple-monitors/

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  5. Anonymous
    2014-04-18T16:15:58+00:00

    This did not fix it for me. Also in that post it says it's a feature, not a bug, yet for me it happens inconsistently.

    It stops happening if I close all metro apps;

    It stops if I show/hide the title bar in a metro app;

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