The Easy Way to Lock Your Mouse to One Screen: A Complete Guide

What to Know

• Download and install Dual Monitor Tools.
• Open the program to Cursor > Sticky. Select Change next to Lock cursor onto screen.
• Next, select Enable this Hotkey, and then pick a shortcut and select OK.

This article explains how to use Dual Monitor Tools to lock the mouse cursor to a single screen on a multi-monitor setup.

How Do I Stop My Mouse Moving to My Second Monitor?

While some games and apps let you screen-lock the cursor, the Windows operating system doesn't provide a method if you need to do so in other apps or on your desktop. Your next best option is to use the free Dual Monitor Tools app. Here's how:

1. Download Dual Monitor Tools and install it.

2. Right-click or tap-and-hold the tray icon for Dual Monitor Tools, and then select Options.

   

3. Select Sticky under the Cursor heading in the left-hand menu.

4. Select Change next to Lock cursor onto screen.

   

5. Tick the Enable this Hotkey box and then input your chosen shortcut.

   It can also be useful to enable Allow cursor to move freely if this key is pressed so you can quickly and temporarily disable the screen lock if necessary.

   

6. Press OK when finished. Trigger the shortcut to lock the cursor to one monitor, and then activate it again to free the mouse.

How Do I Lock My Cursor to a Game?

Many modern games will automatically set your screen mode to borderless window without locking your cursor if switching between applications, but that can be problematic if your mouse keeps straying to the second display when you move it past the bounds of the screen.

To stop this behavior, either use the Dual Monitor Tools method above or switch your game's display mode to Fullscreen (non-windowed) within its settings.

Step-by-Step Guide: Disable Mouse Acceleration in Windows 11

FAQ

• How do I lock my mouse to one monitor without using third-party software?

  Another way to stop your mouse from moving to your second monitor is to adjust your display settings. Right-click the desktop to find the display settings link. From there, you'll see your current dual-monitor setup with side-by-side alignment. Select your second monitor and drag it to a diagonal position. Now, your mouse will only go to the second monitor when you move the cursor diagonally.

• How do I move the mouse to a second monitor in a game?

  To be able to move your mouse between two monitors, go to the game's graphics options and enable the Borderless Windowed option. Then, check your aspect ratio settings; if switching to Borderless Windowed changed these settings, change them back to avoid your game window being too big or too small. Press Alt + Tab to switch between the two monitors.