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
    2014-05-16T21:46:16+00:00

    I can confirm for you based on the developer feedback that the mouse sticking to the edge was intentional design.  I have replied back to the team to ask if it was also intentional to not do this on desktop mode, but haven't heard back yet.  But the core question - mouse stickiness - was intentionally developed and added to the product.

    Shawn,

    I have a lot of trouble believing that the mouse sticking to the whole edge is an intentional design. 

    I am not sure what you mean when you say you are asking the team if it was intentional to "not do this on desktop mode." If you have read through the responses and even looked at the video, it does happen in desktop mode, sometimes. It also doesn't happen in metro applications, sometimes.

    Regardless, the core question is not if mouse stickiness was intentionally developed or not; we all know that it was. The issue many of us are having, to put it concisely, is that the mouse stickiness is happening to the whole edge instead of only close to the corner edges, and it is inconsistent - happening only sometimes.

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-05-16T22:11:41+00:00

    I can confirm for you based on the developer feedback that the mouse sticking to the edge was intentional design.  I have replied back to the team to ask if it was also intentional to not do this on desktop mode, but haven't heard back yet.  But the core question - mouse stickiness - was intentionally developed and added to the product.

    Shawn,

    I've made it very simple to understand what I am talking about through a variety of videos if it is still unclear.

    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

    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.

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-05-16T22:56:47+00:00

    It's intentional design to help reach the edge controls, the edges are sticky unless you are moving fast enough to reach escape velocity.  Luckily you can adjust this using the above-referenced value in the registry.

    this is different than the corner stickiness. This affects the whole edge which is downright annoying.

    this should be a bug as the behavior is inconsistent and it literally makes the desktop unusable. Whoever designed it (if this is indeed intended), needs some usability classes.

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  4. @CmdrKeene 90,631 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2014-05-16T23:32:58+00:00

    I can't argue with that, I didn't write the code or conduct the usability studies. I will post back anything I hear.

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  5. Anonymous
    2014-05-16T23:43:45+00:00

    I can't argue with that, I didn't write the code or conduct the usability studies. I will post back anything I hear.

    Thanks for keeping us updated, Shawn. Hopefully we will hear back from the Microsoft team.

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