Several months ago, my favourite gaming mouse, a Logitech G500, developed an annoying problem that I will call “ghost clicks”. This is how I explained it to Logitech support:
If I hold the left mouse button for a long time, such as if I want to select a long section of text, it will randomly “let go” and my selection will be broken, even though my finger did *not* let go. Another case is if I click and hold a scroll bar to slowly scroll a webpage, it will randomly “let go”, as if the button released and re-clicked by itself.
Fortunately, Logitech has an excellent 3-year warranty and my mouse was only 2 years old, so they sent me a brand new G500s (the G500 model is now discontinued). Being the holiday season, I decided to gift the new one to my brother, use a spare mouse at work (3.5-year old MX518, still going strong!), and make do with my semi-broken G500 with the ghost-clicks at home.
Long story short, I had a mouse that still felt and looked great, but with a left mouse click that only worked about 70% of the time. This is just tantalizing enough to convince you that everything is OK, and then BAM! – a ghost click when you least expect it. After a few months I was determined to fix it.
A review of the different solutions
Searching on the internet, I found lots of people reporting similar mouse problems, many with Logitech but others as well, with almost as many DIY solutions. For example, this tutorial [Red Ferret 2012] shows how to fix a Logitech M705 by opening up the microswitch (the black box) and restoring the “bend” in the piece of copper (“leaf spring”). Sounds great! But I couldn’t understand why this should work — could a simple bend on the non-moving end of the copper really cause this trouble?
Researching further, I actually found a number of distinct solutions, all claiming to fix this or a similar problem (the tutorial referenced above actually links to #2):
- Bend the central curve outward [Overclockers 2005]
- Make the central curve ‘flatter’ and/or make a curve at the non-moving end of the spring [Overclockers 2009]
- Clean the metal contacts [Superuser 2011]
- Replace the entire microswitch assembly (requires soldering)
- File off the plastic ‘indentations’ under the mouse buttons [Instructables]
- A different, cheaper mouse (Dell OEM). Seems to imply a mechanical problem with cheap plastic used in the button design rather than an electrical one.
- Insulate against static electricity buildup [Youtube 2013]
- Really? This guy claims to get the problem with a brand new G500 mouse, but only in low humidity. I guess it’s possible, but for most people it’s a wear-and-tear issue.
- A software fix to detect and ignore double-clicks [Daniel Jackson]
OK, so two solutions that contradict each other (#1 and #2), two that sound very dubious (#5 and #6), and a software fix (#7) that, while creative, attacks the symptom rather than the root cause. To me, the best-sounding solution was #3, as the problem described was an exact match for my own. This solution makes a lot of sense since it’s targeting the part that makes electrical contact when you click, and over time, oxidation most likely builds up and interferes with this contact. And it turns out that this was the solution that worked for me!
Red Ferret essentially recommends Solutions #1 and #2, though it confusingly seems to imply that the curve at the end is more important, as opposed to the central curve that’s pointed out by Overclockers. The importance of this “end curve” is later disputed, since not every mouse/microswitch has it — for example, that user’s MX Revolution and my G500 don’t. These sites had the most comments reporting success though. Supposedly the curve in the middle of the leaf spring affects the stiffness of the clicker. (It’s possible these people had a different problem than I did — many people actually described their problem as the mouse double-clicking when it should single-click, while I mostly experienced spontaneous release while holding down the button.) The issue I have with this solution is that “bending it” is so vague and imprecise, it is hard to know which shape is the correct one. Also, putting the copper spring back into its place was so incredibly difficult that while trying to wrestle it into place with a pair of tweezers, I most likely bent the damn curve out of shape again anyway.
Finally, if you don’t want to fiddle with tiny, finicky springs, then solution #4 is for you. Just replace the whole microswitch assembly without opening it up. Of course this requires the ability to solder and de-solder the thing from the circuit board, trading one steady-hand activity for another. I’ve tried soldering before and was no good at it, plus I wasn’t patient enough to wait for a new switch to arrive. So I set out to fix my spring!
Taking apart the mouse!
Since solutions #1-3 all involve taking apart the microswitch, I figured I’d try them all out at the same time. Here are the steps.
DISCLAIMER: This repair will require you to work with very tiny parts. A steady hand, a pair of tweezers, and lots of patience is recommended. I take no responsibility if you damage your mouse, or if you lose the pieces and/or your sanity! 😉
1. Peel off the sticky pads to reveal 4 screws (a 5th screw is behind the “Logitech” sticker — just poke a hole through to reach this one), and unscrew them. Tip: the pad has two layers (a smooth one and a sticky one); make sure you dig under both layers before removing.
2. Pry apart the upper shell from the base. Tip: Remove the weight cartridge first, then you can use the empty slot as a finger-hold. Watch out for the ribbon cable that connects the two pieces.
See these two black boxes labelled “Omron”? Those are the microswitches and the little white bit should make a clicking sound when you press on it.
3. a) Before doing the next step, cover the top of the switch with a piece of sticky tape, so you don’t lose the white bit.
3. b) Pry apart the top half of the microswitch casing. This is the 2nd hardest part of the whole procedure. Take a look at the shape of the top half and try to wedge a sharp blade at the seams.
Before you remove the leaf spring (that metallic, copper looking piece), study it carefully. One end is fixed. The other end is mobile and moves up and down (the spring action should snap it upwards if you’re not applying any force). This mobile end has a bump on the bottom, which makes contact with another metallic piece at the bottom, this is what closes the switch and sends the signal that the mouse button is pressed. There is also a curved part in the middle, on the underside. The open end of this curve is also fixed (this will be important when you put it back later).
(WARNING: While the next step is very easy, it can be very difficult and time-consuming to put the spring back. A few commenters have suggested that you can clean off the corrosion without removing the spring, by using a piece of sandpaper or a US dollar bill. Then you could skip step 4 and step 6, the hardest part of the repair! Thanks to BIPED, Edsel, and Milton for the suggestion.)
4. Remove the leaf spring. This is very easy. Just nudge it sideways toward you and it will pop out.
5. The bump which makes contact is probably dirty. Just scrape it a bit with a small flat head screwdriver and it should be shiny again. Below is the result after cleaning.
(If you want, you can also try bending the spring outward/inward or however you think is best. I did not do this.)
6. The hardest part of this repair: Putting the spring back into the switch. There are three (3) key spots you need to fit. Look closely at the photos below and you’ll see that two of the metal things sticking up actually have a microscopic notch on the right-hand side; the fixed/non-moving end of the spring fits into the left-most notch (not under!), and the open end of the curved part of the spring fits into the notch in the middle. The mobile end of the spring slides right under the “roof” of the 3rd spot. When you get it right, the spring should be stable, should be able to strike the contact easily, and spring back quickly.
This part is difficult because of the precision required. The spring is extremely tiny and thin, and likes to bounce right out of your fingers. The notches are extremely small; I wasn’t able to see them with the naked eye. I highly recommend a small pair of tweezers. Even with this, it took me about 30 tries before I was able to get it right.
7. Now put the pieces of your mouse back together and you’re done! To make sure you did it correctly, test the clicker at each step, i.e. try clicking the spring mechanism, then try clicking the white bit on top of the black box, then finally try clicking the left mouse button with the USB plugged in.
All in all, it took me about 1 hour 45 mins from start to finish (based on the timestamps of my photos). My mouse click is now working 100% and I can do long drags with no hiccups. The fix was a success! And it’s clear to me that the culprit was the buildup of either corrosion or residue on the copper contacts. Bending the spring made no difference; my clicker was always very springy, and bending it (or trying to) didn’t change that.
Regardless of the reason, I am pretty happy. The G500 was an expensive mouse and 2 years would have been too short of a lifespan. Hopefully this gives it a few more years of life.
UPDATE 2015-Nov-15: It’s nearly two years later and I’m still using the same G500 mouse with no problems in sight. I’ve also updated this post with a few small suggestions from the comments. Thanks everyone!
Thank you! I was becoming crazy with this double click thing, you saved my life!
Why is replacing the switch dubious? You may say it’s not practical and all that but if you replace a failing switch with a working one, problem solved.
BTW, when cleaning the contact you should avoid scratching it because if you remove the coating your repair won’t last long.
This problem is pretty weird. I have the same mouse and this problem comes and goes. Last time I opened my mouse I put some conductive tape on the plastic piece that presses the switch(testing the static electricity theory) and so far it’s working ok, but I don’t think it’s going to last. Next I will get some conductive tape on top of the switch and ground it on the board but – like you – I’m skeptical and I’ll probably end up replacing the switch.
Actually, I never said that replacing the switch (solution #4) was dubious. I said solutions #5 and #6 seemed dubious. Replacing the switch requires soldering, which as I admitted, I’m not very skilled at. The solution I recommended is one step easier than soldering in my opinion. Thanks for your comment!
I broke my spring doing this.. ah well i was gonna replace the mouse anyway but for now i am mouseless 🙁
Thank you so much for the detail in this writeup. After thinking I had a wiring problem at a weak spot, and wasting time soldering, it ended up being a dirty contact in the switch. The large images really helped.
If I could make one suggestion to anyone struggling with replacing the spring: align the fixed position notch, and then hold the spring from shifting laterally. Then all that is required is to raise the forked arch vertically (towards yourself, looking from above) until it latches.
I know this is 5 years old but thank you! After struggling for 30 minutes, following your tip and making sure to pull the arch up using a small screw driver I was able to get this on the first try. It snapped right into place and the mouse works perfectly now.
Damn… my right click had been broken for some time, would hold… especially bad during FPS games for iron sights/alternate fire modes.
I read about different methods and had thought the spring needed to be “retentioned” but it seems your fix of cleaning the contact worked wonders. Only took me 15 minutes as Im quite used to working with mini/micro electronics. Would have never guessed it was the contact itself, but it was very apparently corroded/dirty.
Cheers!
This worked perfectly! You saved me having to buy a new mouse, much thanks.
you just saved me! the triggers were oxidized. you don’t even have to remove the copper triggers (its such a pain to put back, i had to find that out the hard way.)
i followed your steps for the left trigger. but for the right one i just cut out a small strip of sandpaper and wedged it in between the trigger and slid it a few times carefully both sides and it works perfectly now.
Thanks so much, just a bit of pain to restore the copper spring, but once you get it, is way simple, putting the left end at the higher side and then force a little by side to put it in side.
The mouse works fine now 🙂
Sounds identical to my problem, so thanks in advance for the step-by-step guide!
Update – Additional steps/warnings:
1) When removing the Teflon glides (feet) to access the screw holes use a knife to get started even if you dig into the housing a tiny bit. The adhesive film they attach to their glides is not attached that well to the glides themselves, but is very strongly attached to the housing. If you start to peel it off and see a matte finish on the underside of the glide, you are detaching the glide from the adhesive pad. Use superglue to reattach the corner, and move to the opposite end and try again.
2) When attaching the damnable spring, start by seating the end that points to the front of the mouse. Then bend the spring slightly to get the opposite end (the one with the contact) into place. You will notice the spring is bowed outwards, when it should be flat. Now take a ball-point pen and press down with very gentle pressure on the curved part until the little ‘feet’ are forced into place. If you go too far it will be obvious as the spring will fall to the bottom and not have any tension – so start over and try again. If you bend the whole spring or the curved part, just bend it back using gentle force. Once it is properly seated, it is very likely to work. If not, then you have to break out the solder and replace the microswitch, as you probably will not want to see another of these springs for quite some time. GL!
Just buy real teflon tape and apply new slider feet, once you use real teflon tape on this mouse you will wonder why you ever kept the real feet on ANY mouse honestly.
The tip here for the spring is excellent. Trying out what Chris said worked on the first try.
This tip got me out of a long string of failed attempts that had me close to throwing the mouse out of the window. Thanks Chris!
I’ve read through all the “solutions” you did, and finally decided just to open up my G500 and see if cleaning the spring would stop the double-click problem. The spring looked pretty uniformly clean already though, but I found that when I put it back (which your instructions helped immensely for) that it clicked differently, more solidly.
I think maybe the problem in my case is that the spring was just loose, and taking it out/putting it back in restored it to its proper working position and resolved the problem.
Thanks a ton for posting this article. I just successfully cleaned the copper spring plate and the mouse click issue is gone!
Thank you so much for this post. You were spot on with everything. Yeah that step was the hardest part.
A HUGE thank you for this tutorial. I had my credit card in hand and was about to hit “purchase” on Newegg for a new mouse before I thought…”why not try this first”. I’m glad I did because it worked amazingly well! I saved myself $80 and am still able to use my favorite mouse!
Thanks again!
Totally fixed my mouse it seems, advice for putting the spring back – just pull it forward with tweezers to release then place it back in and pull forward and down over the lip to resite it. Mouse seems completely back to normal now after just scraping the crap off the contact on the spring and contact points.
thanks man
Thanks for this article! The double-clicking problem in my G500 seems to have been fixed by cleaning off the corrosion on the contacts as you described.
Thank you so much! I had seen articles about static (and a youtube video) and tried a fix similar, but to no avail. This absolutely fixed my problem, although it was a little rough getting the springs back in. I might have bent my left click spring slightly, it has slightly less spring than the right once reassembled, but I like it.
Thank you for your most helpful documentation!
A small remark: there might be a way around removing that spring. I just soaked a small piece of paper in isopropylalcohol (isopropanol) and rubbed it gently against the contact. It worked.
Hiya, I think the reason for the confusion is because there are different variations of the spring on different mice, so unless you have the identical product, you may not find the solution works. One thing I will say is I have now fixed something like 3 or 4 Logitech mice using the instructions on our site, and they’ve worked perfectly afterwards. So whether or not it is cleaning, or bending or not, I’m a happy bunny. YMMV. 🙂
PS I believe the bending – i.e. keeping the central part straight, and ensuring the ‘already existing’ curve is re-established – restores the tensile strength to the spring, which gives it the click again. Just my guess.
I must say it worked, I had already tryed a different tutorial that was talking about humidity and protecting the switches with plastic, but it din’t worked. I coundn’t really clean the spring, it looked already clean to me, but after half an hour trying to get it in place again now the click is much more audible, and it works very well, maybe it got out of place or something.
Thanks a lot for your tutorial.
It solved my issue as well. On my mouse, most of the xydation was on the metallic parts making contact with the spring leaf.
Great FIX! thank you for this guide!
I actually did the fix from the YouTube video – and I believe he IS CORRECT. My mouse only started working badly in my office when the humidity went way down in the winter. During the summer months it was fine, and I did track a few days the humidity in my office with a small thermometer&humidity guage and it did work worse with low humidity. I did not replace any switches, only put some electrical tape and since then for the past 2 years it has been 100% fine.
Well, I certainly can’t argue with success! And you are not the only one to point out that the electrical tape worked for them. It seems that different people may hit different problems with their mouse, each needing different a solution. It’s one of the reasons I decided to collect all the different proposed solutions in one place. Thanks for sharing!
Anyone if spraying contact cleaner into the switch will work?
Yes, you have a good chance of restoring the contact if the problem occured due to exidation. Just look for contact cleaner with oxide disolving properties.
Solved my issue in about 20 minutes, thanks
My g500, the left or right(forget which, been using this cheap $4 mouse for awhile now) button stopped working altogether very suddenly. Well, I got a extended warranty to replace it with a g502, not that I need to send in the old mouse to do so, so maybe I’ll monkey with it after its been replaced.
Your post was a lifesaver man. Oddly I didn’t paid attention where you mentioned the sticky tape to fix the tiny white part (where you took off the black casing).
I did pushed it down with my thumb so it didn’t fly away, but it was even harder to put it back.
Anyway kudos to you my friend.
Thanks for the guide! my mouse is clicking like new again!
Many, many thanks for this guide, and especially on your excellent macro photos.
With your advice and help, I’ve managed to fix my Logitech G700 that developed this problem after just one year of usage. In previous years I’ve dumped several Razor mice because of this problem, unaware that there is something that can be done about it.
It took me approx one hour to fix G700, and it was a very unpleasant experience.
First, I would not recommend using a sharp object to remove sticky sliding pads as they are cut and damaged very easily.
I had no problem opening the mouse and opening the micro switch housing, and here I would like to especially thank you for the advice about a sticky tape that held the white click-tip in place. Ingenious!
But, when I finally started working with the leaf spring, that proved to be extremely difficult task. It’s so microscopic and so thin that it bends and breaks on even touching it with tweezers, let alone trying to do something useful.
I’ve managed to break the rear non-moving part while taking it out, but luckily, this didn’t affect the operation of the micro switch.
Putting it back was a nightmare as well as it bends and wiggles in all directions.
On the YouTube video explaining the problem, it is suggested to clean the contact tip without removing the leaf spring, but on modern Omron micro switches, like the ones used in Logitech G700, that’s well nigh impossible, as this contact tip is surrounded by other things all around. So the only way to go was to completely remove it, clean it and then put it back.
Also, putting the sticky sliding pads back is a real pain because you have to match their position with millimeter precision, or otherwise they stick out and prevent smooth sliding of the mouse.
Seems that this manufacturing problem exists for ages now, and it is impossible for me to believe that Logitech and Omron don’t know about this. Or, is it that they want us all to just keep on buying these things again and again each year?
For all those that went through the same experience as we did, I’ve made a petition to Logitech and Omron with which we can try to make them do something about it.
https://www.change.org/p/logitech-fix-left-mouse-button-micro-switch-corrosion
I actually found that ingenious tip to hold the white bit in place with tape while reading the comments on another site. It was a user by the name of CurtisR on the Overclockers forums who deserves the credit!
Thank you for your most helpful documentation!
Broke the leaf spring during the six step but managed to weld with another omron box of a G5, of course the right click.
Ty dude you inspired me to do this whole thing, time to date my gf with the saved bucks!
This saved me a bunch, I can finally drag windows again!
Putting the leaf spring back together was a pain in the ass but I finally found a quick way to put it back on. You push the side closest to the end of the mouse against the metal part, then slip the side closest to the mouse wheel under the hook, the push the middle section down with some tweezers until it locks into place with the two little hooks coming off either side.
Thank you Ross! That method worked for me very well, after struggling for a while trying to get the plate back on.
I wish I found this sooner… I made this an excuse to buy the G502 (which is an excellent replacement), but nothing beats your first love, at least in gaming that is 🙂
Thanks for that. It was indeed really hard to get that tiny contact back on properly, but it worked eventually! Good job with giving details on each step too!
Thanks for this little guide, as it too has saved me the cost of a new mouse!! Nice instructions, and i have to say for re-installing i ended up using Ross method. He is correct that with just a little pressure you can pop the spring part right into place after positioning it like he suggests, by far the fastest method, but you could end up bending the spring if you press too hard. Kudos to you both!! Great job on the images too, very very helpful indeed!!
thanks 🙂
fixed my g500
Thank you so much mister for your guide.
To register my case: I cleaned bump contact and its opposite with a cotton swab soaked with trichloroethylene.
Reassembling all now button click seems louder and maybe stiffer than right button.
I am not sure but I may speculate about a spring misalignment in its place about origin of malfunction. Reassembling it I noticed a certain left-right free of movement that could unseat the bent part from its place a little bit and could make whole spring wobble on the horizontal plane and so could make contact unstable.
Many thanks, your write up is clear and very readable.
I have the same mouse but had attributed this behaviour to the unusual stress that gaming puts on the mouse. I think that if I had one tip to give to past me before I started this is that THERE IS NO NEED TO MODIFY THE SPRING. In the write-up it’s not clear whether you did it or not, and so I guess you did and took what seemed like the most likely option and spent the next 2 hours fine tuning the springiness of the click. (And I no longer have the factory behaviour)
So thanks again, mouse works perfectly except from what is the result of my stupidity.
It’s true I mentioned that the reader could bend the spring if they liked, but I myself did not try to bend my spring. Sorry if that misled you. Also, I’d say about half of the two hours was spent taking photos at different angles and with different cameras. 🙂
i became crazy like a serial killer because of ghost clicks, i break my mouse with a hammer in disgust.
Followed every instruction, so far soo good. I bent the little metal spring on accident on removal but it wasn’t a problem. LIFE HACK: i used a dollar bill to clean it (Think of it as really fine sandpaper). Thanks for your research and helping me fix my mouse.
Perfect, thank you! Let me offer an additional tip for cleaning the little contact piece, I picked this tip up for cleaning a furnace flame sensor. Use a dollar bill. It is just abrasive enough to clear the corrosion without damaging the surface much. I’ve used a bill to clean my spring twice now, and my mouse works like new again both times!
Thanks! I watched several Youtube videos on this, and it wasn’t until your very detailed explanation of how (and how not to) put the spring back on that I got it right. Now my G500 works like a champ again. Yay!
Just a suggestion to the article writer: Good tips, and informative instructions but you need to put a better disclaimer/alert about how difficult it is to get the spring back in its place after “easily” removing the spring in the first place.
Most of us is expecting a coiled piece of metal as the spring, and not a flat piece of metal.
Thanks for the guide.
This saved me from buying a new mouse.
Only the spring took 2 or 3 tries to insert, the rest was easy.
Thank you very much for your post. Helped me a lot.
I would like to thank you. I don’t need to buy a new mouse.
Like said before, just the spring thing was a little difficult. For the rest, no problem.
Again thank you very much.
Thanks a lot my friend, it worked like a charm!! I could not receive a new mouse from Logitech RMA and you just saved me from having to spend $80 on a new mouse (that would not be as good as this one). Best wishes!
Thanks, this article helped me a great deal! I have some suggestions to the two hardest steps:
– I found that the best tool when removing the black plastic cover from clicker mechanism is a thin needle. Just stick it between the cover and the body and push – cover will “jump” away”. Do the same at the opposite end.
– For putting the spring back – the best way turned out to start with the fixed end which I positioned correctly and while holding this end in place I bent it upwards which allowed me to put the loose end in place. The final step was, while still holding the fixed end with my finger – just push the entire spring down – it bended and then finally even the middle part landed in place
Wow–what a tip! That needle made removing those two black plastic covers a breeze. Thanks a bunch!
Great article. Actually I encountered this twice on a logitech mouse, and no later than today I was actually soldering a new switch to the mouse.
One friend of mine told me the quality of the switch used is questionnable. He gave me a couple of switches from the same brand, but made in Japan instead of China. The device looks exactly the same but is made elsewhere. I noticed the click is a tad harder (I actually think it feels better), but apart from that it works perfectly, this is easy to compare as I did not replace the righgt click.
Note the dis-assembly of the upper board is a bit of a pain since you have to desolder the 12 pins connector that goes down to the lower board, and resolder it once done with the switch replacement. Note that it is actually fairly easy.
Thanks, that seemed to do the trick. My G500 developed the problems after about 3 and 1/2 years of use, but I really dont want to exchange it, since it works perfectly otherwise.
I have a similar problem on another mouse and I will try the same solution.
THANKS TO YOU..
I Now have a fully working G500 Mouse again!!! 🙂
The Switch is easier if you hooked the plate back on top then
lift the spring into place. 🙂
Working like new again!! 🙂 Thank You 🙂
So, i had the same problem this week.
did as advertised, cleaned the contact and gave it a rub with sandpaper.
just tested it with the FPS game that gave me grief since i couldnt hold the RMB down to aim and it works perfectly.
cant thank you enough. i was allready looking to buy a new one
Thanks, you fixed the mouse.
THANKS A LOT 🙂
Tried this with a G600 that had an issue with the right button for the past 2-3 years.
Works perfectly now 🙂
Note: I also scraped the connector, which the bump on the leaf spring touches when pressed down. The connector was quite dirty (oxidized)
THAAAAAANK’S!
I was on the brink of getting a new mouse, but though that trying to fix it would be nice. After cleaning it a bit the problem seems to be gone. Thanks a lot for the detailed guide. =)
Just did this with the dollar bill cleaning method- works great now! I was moments away from ordering a new mouse!
Thank you very much. I had the same issue and cleaning the contact areas with some light sandpaper action did the trick. No bending involved. Having needle nose tweezers really helped putting the spring back.
Thanks! i followed your steps and it worked out perfectly. I tried to leave the spring in place to avoid having to put it back (the hardest part), but… it fell out during opening. crap… so i ended up trying 10 times to put it back. I bend it a little by accident but it was OK. for anyone trying to do this… make sure you have a good high table, lot’s of light and a pair of tweezers!.. and when opening the switch start at the left bottom side and with a Stanley knife go in between the top shell and lower part. pry it outside (left) and lift.
I just wanted to say thanks for posting this. Followed the instructions and my mouse works great again! Thanks so much!
There’s no need to take your mouse apart… here’s an even simpler fix.
The problem is indeed caused by low humidity and it was driving me crazy : (
To increase humidity inside the mouse during the winter months, I simply keep a slightly damp facecloth on my desk on a small plate. When I’m not using the mouse, I place it on the facecloth so that evaporation humidifies the mouse.
It works like a charm : )
Peter
Thanks, it works fine !
Thank you so much! 🙂
Amazing this saved my mouse !
I must say thank you.
My spring broke in the process of fixing mine, so I ordered the micro switches. This turned into a month long project involving shipping and learning to desolder. But hey, I fixed it!
Thank You!!!! The oxidization fix solved the problem on both my G500’s. I am so unbelievably happy. The bank note trick worked like a charm and didn’t have to remove the springs at all
Thank you very much, fixed my mouse. Two things to add:
1. For me it was a lot easier to remove the top black cover with some pliers with an elongated head.
2. Putting the spring back -> http://i.imgur.com/sQFBQ6G.jpg
I started with the first two parts of the spring and the last part was on the top of the base mechanism. The whole thing was kind of stable. I grabbed the last part of the spring, pulled it to the side and placed it under the last piece. It worked on the first try.
Thank you again very much.
Thank you for all this information.
Dirt/oxidation was indeed the problem of my g602.
putting the spring back was really really hard…The location of the spring on the g602 turns the things harders.
thanks again!
Thank you so much for this. I had the left click go bad on my old g500, and bought a g500s to replace it, and a few years later the same problem happened. Thanks to your article I just fixed it in about 20 minutes!
thank you for a detailed followthrough and great pictures – much better than the low rez stuff on youtube.
My G500 is good as new 🙂
Thanks for this walkthrough. Saved my mouse from the trash. I also was able to complete the fix without removing the spring. I cut a sliver of sandpaper, maybe 2-3mm wide, and put it between the bump and contact. Then I pushed down on the switch with a dental pick, and slid the sandpaper around a few times with tweezers. I gave it a quick blast with electrical contact cleaner and reassembled. Done in 10 minutes or less. Thanks!!!
Made my day! Also didn’t take of the spring, worked perfectly!
Had this problem on a Logitech M90 mouse. Followed your instructions and cut a very fine strip of 800 grit sand paper and rubbed it inside the small gamp between the contacts with some tweezers. I never removed the leaf spring.
Works perfectly now.
Thank you, I’ve just put a few more years to my beloved G500. It took me just 20 min to finish it, with spring replacing.
Thanks, that was some worthy 20 mins mate 🙂
Thank you so much! i have a g700 and instead of taking off the spring, i just gently rub an x-acto tip on the contact. I just was not going to take off that spring, it look impossible to put back. That thing is so tiny.
thank you!. Mi G500, is ready to now!.
Excellent fix! Thank you!
1. Knowing I might need to open the mouse again, I made holes in the feet rather than buying a new set:
Feel where the holes are by pressing the feet (use the pictures) and use the corner of a new razor blade to press through and make a + or * shape. This makes flaps the screwdriver can go into. If the mouse doesn’t move as smoothly, you can cover the feet with matte (not glossy, it doesn’t slide) clear tape (or Teflon tape if you have it). Let the tape wrap up and seal over the edges when you trim, otherwise it might snag when you move the mouse.
Further advice:
Step 3b. The black casing snaps over the base at both ends of the rectangle. Looking from the side, the casing covers the base at the ends. Use a needle to separate/pull the lip outwards until that end unsnaps and you can use your hand to lift off the other end.
Dollar bill folded to a point seems to have worked great for cleaning.
Thanks a lot bro! You really helped me out)
mine stopped working because i slammed it on the desk when i rage quit
i mean it double clicked after. stupid mouse.
hey thanks man! This worked! My 4 yr old g500 is working like a charm once again. <3
Thanks man, just did the fix with a dollar bill in about 20 min. There was visible corrosion on the contact, now it’s back to new.
Thank you so much! 🙂
i have some tips.
steps in order.
1) dont pry the tape all the day, pry half way to discover the screws underneath.
2) use the sharpest knife, and ease slowly into front left corner of that little black box. the front will eventually pop off, and you can use fingers to pry off carefully.
3) hardest part, just study the piece, there is two places it must sit with accuracy.
That would be the front, and the middle, both have a small ledge where it must sit.
the back end doesnt, except for putting over the little bar.
4. when everything done, before putting mouse cover back, touch black box for click test, make sure it make click sound.
I won’t lie: It was a bit tricky.
However, it was well worth the effort!
The black residue on the little metal knob came off really easy! Scrubbing it lightly with newspaper was more than enough to clean it.
I was unlucky, the metal thing popped off (I was not careful enough), and I had to spend about 30 minutes finicking it back on.
Long story short: Thank you for the closeup shots on how the metal thing should be! My random right-click-unclicks are now history! (5 minutes of testing, but I can feel how much better it is)
Thank you for this article with detailed pictures! My mouse will now live for another year or more 🙂
Thank you, man.
I’ve just fixed my g500s. And thinking where I put my old g500, because I have the same case as you.
Putting the spring back into the switch was a little bit tricky, but it’s doable, so I do appreciate your post !
Thanks again.
Thank you, Thank you! $ saved and one less mouse in the landfill.
FWIW, I did NOT remove the leaf spring, but instead folded a piece of paper towel lengthwise, cut it so it would fit between the contacts folded over, slid it in, put a drop of rubbing alcohol on it, and moved it back-and-forth a bit to clean the contacts. Mouse now works like a champ – going on three days without a ghost click. Yay.
I followed these instructions, and fixed my mouse.
Fantastic! Thanks!
I believe part of the cause of the malfunction is the mechanism being so brittle, it’s either getting bent out of shape over time, or it was simply bent from the factory, because the poor Chinese children (or whatever) that put it together made a mess of it.
This is outstanding. Thank you very much. Contact oxidation was almost certainly my problem.
For most people also, if you have some stiffness issues with the spring, slightly bend the contact (large filled-in end) end of the spring, up for more of a click, down for less of a click.
This was excellent. My issue was slightly different – Sometimes it would take me 2 or 3 presses to get the item to “click”, and then sometimes it would automatically double click when i only tried to single click.
This worked perfectly for me. I didn’t notice any discoloration on the spring after removing it, but scraped it a bit anyway with a fine razor, and after fiddling with it for an hour, finally got the thing back into place. It clicks like new!
Thank you so much for this guide. Saved me from buying a new gaming mouse.
I fixed it by spraying contact spray into the microswitch. No disassembly other than opening the case required, works great now.
Your article saved my G500.
thank you 🙂
It was a bit tricky to put the leas spring back to its place bat it was worth it. Thank you for the post, it saved my G5.
*leaf spring, *but it was worth it. For the grammar nazis :*
This worked great. Thank you
Another fixed M500 here. Saved me the cost of a new mouse, much appreciated!
I was also able to clean the leaf spring without disassembling it, just using some contact cleaner and a tiny piece of Post-It paper to sand the contact surfaces with. As mentioned before, hold the leaf spring in place while sanding, as the spring has a tendency to pop out from under the retaining bit when introduced to sideways motion.
Great instructions on disassembling the micro switch and thanks for the tip on fixing the little white button with sticky tape. No more ghost clicks, mouse works like new.
I got a G502 mouse. Often, it double clicks instead of single clicks. Only right mouse button, luckily. Smashing the mouse hard against a solid object usually fixes it.. for a while.
Great guide, mines been double-clicking for a few months now and it was frustrating as hell. All working fine now!
It works great! thank you very much!
thank you! I used needle-nose pliers instead of tweezers, much easier on the fingers.
Just fixed my G500 with this! Thank you very much!!
Hopefully it will last a bit!
I was on the brink of buying a G502, then I gave this a try. I applied the method and the problem is fixed. I could put the phosphor-bronze spring leaf back rather easily as I did several times for trial. I used needle nose pliers when opening the switch. I also used a dollar bill to file the contact. You have to clean the contact only. You will see it begins to shine. Now no more ghost clicks and my aged G500 seems to live forever. Thanks a lot!
Just fixed my G500s with this. Also had the random let-go effect while dragging. Great guide!
Hope it will last, though.
Damn you saved my mouse i was going crazy for weeks for this stupid problem while i was aiming someone on cod…ffs smashed my mouse so many times thank u.
Saved my g302
I have 2 of these mice. One actually did, IMO, have the ‘humitidy issue’ from the guy’s video. Putting tape on the contact area fixed it. It started happening when our office conditions got drier in the winter. It’s been fine ever since. My home mouse has the issue now and that humidity fix didn’t do it so I am going to try cleaning the contact as you show here.
crush the POS up and buy a good mouse! I have 5 other cheaper mice, that combined, didn’t cost as much as this one and I have not had one problem with any of them… not to mention they still work flawlessly after 6+ years of service and this one started acting up within 6 months.
My G500 has served me well for about six years, until it started acting up a few weeks back. My right click kept “letting go” of the click which was extremely frustrating. I followed your little guide and it’s working wonderful now.
Thank you so much – a few years into the future – for helping me out with this problem. I was already looking up new mice but they all either looked like a sad Michael Bay Transformer or didn’t have the functions I was looking for. Great guide!
I’ve had my G500 for what feels like 10 years (It’s the oldest piece of hardware I own, easily) and I was so sad when I started to have this clicking issue. Thanks you soooooooooo much for the guide, saved me from having to be tempted to go out and buy another for like $100. I only had to pay $2 for some tweezers.
Also, advice for anyone doing this, a headlamp was very helpful to have both hands free and still have light on the situation.
I have owned the g500 since it came out, it replaced the G5 series mouse I had, which developed a similar issue to the 500. I followed this procedure and managed to use a small pipecleaner brush and isopropyl alcohol to clean the button. Took about 45 minutes being careful, and now the 500 lives on!! Thanks so much for posting this procedure and information, very helpful, now to find the old g5 and revive that also!
Cheers
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This worked out perfectly for me! Thanks a lot, saved me quite a few bucks.
I tried to clean the spring without pulling it off, but it suddenly jumped off while I was trying to do it gently. Quite an adventure to get it back on! Oh well, took 20 minutes and a streak of luck, but it’s now back on, and the mouse works better than ever!
Thanks for the tutorial, mate. Love the G500, replaced my G5 with it because the larger form factor, weight, and gram inserts make it a really solid performer. I was seriously dreading having to go shopping for a new one so this is sincerely appreciated :).
Thanks!! 🙂
Thanks !
Totes worked! Thanks! This was awesome.
Just had to say thanks followed this and worked like a charm. I absolutely love my g500 and would hate to get a replacement for it.
Thanks a lot for the detailed guide!
It took me ~30 minutes, and than I closed the mouse again.
Clicked it… and it didn’t work…
Than I realized I forgot to plug it back in 🙂
Works perfect!
Thanks!
You have saved my G500 and my money!
Thanks a lot !
Thanks, fixed my G400.
Thank you so much for this. My G500 is about 5 years old and just developed this problem. I will probably end up soldering on a new switch assembly
I was fixing it my self, but now noticed this guide and want to say its just +++, thanks to the autor for such great job.
Thanks for the guide. Saved me from tossing my favorite old G500.
Thank you man, you saved my mouse !
I just opened the small black thing with a knife (didn’t have a better tool…) and I just cleaned the metal part that makes contact without unmounting it. Double click now works perfectly ! Great!
Yeah. I don’t think the tension of the spring matters. It’s oxidation and dust causing the problems. Use a small brush, paper towel etc. and clean it. Bingo.
Thanks so much for this guide! I was so sad when my mouse started phantom clicking.
May I say that logitech is becoming shittier over the years.
I’ve been using logitech for over a decade (before g-series).
The last best mouse I’ve been using was the g9X (2008 and still operationnal).
These years I’ve tried (bought) their brand new G “blueishes” series which ended in crap-shit ghost clicking + bad optical sensor.
Please tell me that this is normal because of our consumer society trend.
they did not even went through 5 months to end up in crap-s*
I love you. All these years later.
Thank you for this guide man! It helped me alot and completely fixed my double clicking problem.
If you can have a phone repair person do the soldering, I recommend replacing the whole switch if you’re in doubt about your skillz here. That spring is a real bugger. I broke the plastic lid a bit getting the box open, broke the spring, killed the mouse (it was on its way anyway).
I did clean a mess of lint out before, successfully extending its life, but 2nd try was death to mouse.
Fussy job, you’ve been warned again!
Thanks! 🙂
Did not remove the spring just scratched it a bit with a scalpel above and bellow until I had good contact again.
Going to try this on two G500 mouses that both developed this problem. Frustrating to drag a file and have it get ghost dropped off into a random folder and then you have to go hunting for it.
My G5 from 2005 still works great to this day except for a poorly designed middle clicker.
Thanks a lot !
Thanks you so much!!!!
My solution (which really works well on my mouse) is to open the mouse and use WD-40 on the switch. Let the WD-40 enter the switch (No need to open it), then clean, the switch works without any trouble, and it lasts a long time.
Hello!
You have a good summary about the solutions to the issue here, and also point out why some of these guides are confusing and contradicting.
Here is what just dawned on me: You *flatten* the curved part (no, you don’t bend it like in some other guides), and I also never bothered with the tilted end part. You flatten the curve since when you have re-assembled it, it acts like a spring where it is bent. Because you flattened it, it now has more tension again.
HOWEVER: I want to discount all the solutions where people take out the copper part. I do no think this is the reason for accidental clicks. I think the reason is oxidized contacts and/or dust. Leave the copper part on, but clean everything with 96% alcohol. Clean especially between the tiny contacts, with an alcohol soaked paper towel or coffee filter. I fixed mice like this, without having to take the off the copper part.
*IF* you however decide to take off the copper part (as said I don’t think tension is even the problem with poor clicks, people fixed it likely because them messing with the part got also rid of dust and oxidation), then reassemble like this:
1.) Slide it under the large hook first and then fix on the small outer hook. Make sure the curved part sits above the middle part and doesn’t go below. Careful, the entire thing is still loose like this. Hold it.
2.) With a screwdriver you carefully push the curved part down until it snaps in. Hold the copper part while doing this, everything will only get “stable” once the last part has snapped it. Alternatively, use a needle and slide through from the side, and then pull down the curved part with the needle.
Other guy: I was thinking about WD40 or other types of “contact sprays”, but alcohol works well for me, also for other types of switches. And you are right, you do NOT have to remove the copper spring.
It’s 2018 and this article is still useful! I bought this mouse 9 years ago and it was just this year that it started double/triple clicking or randomly releasing while holding the left-mouse button. While pressing down on the left-mouse button, if I were to press harder, it would just randomly continue clicking.
I followed the steps of opening the mouse, blew canned air in every nook and cranny, and cleaned the metal contacts without having to pry the metal spring off. What wonders it did!
I have tried cleaning the contacts and it never worked for me. The only thing that works for me is changing the microswitch by de-soldering and soldering. However, not everyone can do it but if you can then this is the only thing that you should be doing and it makes your mouse as good as new.
Thanks a lot for the detailed guide! I’ve already used it twice to repair the left switch of my G500. First time I restored the shape of the spring and cleaned the contacts. It had worked for about a year, and then the double-click struck again. So i decided to simply replace the leaf spring without resoldering the switch, and it worked like a charm.
P.S. Putting the spring back into the switch is as easy as removing it if you use a pair of tweezers, it just has to be done in the exact reverse order. Each repair took about 10 minutes for me.
I’ve been using my G500 for over 6 years now, bought in 2012 and had to do thia procedure once for my LMB about two years ago. Now RMB is showing the same symptoms, going to disassemble it today and fix my mouse for what I hope will be another 5 or 6 years of flawless service. Now that’s value!
Thanks to the author of this guide.
Thanks for this guide. But I recently bought Logitech G502.
I had the same problem and after reading this, I decided I would simply try spraying a bunch of Tech Spray Contact Cleaning into the narrow openings on top of the mouse, fairly soaking it. Result was minutes later a perfectly working like new mouse. I would give that a shot first before opening the mouse up.
Hey, thanks a lot for the write up. I’ve been dealing with this problem on and off for longer than I’d like to admit… Finally got around to taking it apart and cleaning off the contact and now it is working wonderfully. That spring was a nightmare.
You’re awesome.
Mangled the little gold thing putting it back on. Trashed it.
Thanks a lot for this write up and helpful photos, followed the advice here (tweezers + sandpaper + alcohol without removing the spring) and so far so good! There was whiteish residue all round the contact point, came right off. Was able to clean some crud from the wheel’s optical slots at the same time as a bonus.
Thanks a lot for this information. Now I am preparing myself to start following this tips. Hope it will work.
Thank you for the write up! I just finished after an hour of messing with that spring. What a pain! I cleaned the spring off with a pencil eraser and put it back together. So far so good! I was ready to throw my G500 out, but it’s been given a reprieve.
I got a switch from another mouse and soldered it on the pcb.
Now my G500 is working again, after about a 2 year vacation. 🙂
Thank for the write-up.
Thanks! My g500 from 2010 was starting to act up. I bought a G402 as a replacement but I didn’t like it so I decided to try this guide. Now my g500 now seems back to normal, clicks are reliable again and I can forget about the G402! Your article is 5 years old but still extremely useful!
Thank you so much for this! I was able to take apart my g500s, clean the contact, and replace it. Replacing the spring was surprisingly way easier than I thought it would be. Used some tweezers to hold it and it just snapped into place after fiddling with it for a few minutes. Works great again!
thahks a lot!!!
Thank you – it worked for my G500s mouse – at least as I run test for double clicks on https://codepen.io/blink172/pen/vERyxK it seems that everything’s fine!!!
Also – I found it easier to rip a very thin strip of small-grain sanding paper (I use it for hobby) and sand down the part without disassembly of the spring.
I can confirm small-grain sanding paper is sufficient to remove corrosion. You don’t need to disassemble the metal spring, which makes this repair far easier ?
Thanks again for the tutorial !
Thx for the guide, it worked perfectly!
This saved me so much time and money, I almost threw the mouse away before I knew I could fix it. Thank you so much for the concise instructions!
My god this saved my mouse. At first I thought it was windows 10. I googled it and there was actually somethings that could fix it but it improved actually but not 100%. It was when working with my work laptop, a mac, that I realized this is a mouse problem. I just used this tutorial and it’s back and working. Thank you so much!
Just realized this post has been serving us for 6 years now. Amazing!
Thank you for this extremely helpful repair guide! And the few addendum comments with tips about placing the leaf spring…
Just a few notes from my own repair experience that might be helpful to others.
This issue definitely seems to be corrosion based (see below), but exacerbated by weather. My G500 ‘phantom clicks’ had been slowly getting worse for a long time. Then when my region recently hit a time of year where the weather is very changeable, the G500 became almost unusable in the course of a few days. The following week the weather changed again, and the problem diminished to the state it had been prior.
After dis-assembling the mouse and removing the leaf spring, I was dismayed to see no obvious corrosion on the contact point, even to a secondary pair of younger, sharper eyes. HOWEVER, when looked at with a microscope, sure enough there was a minuscule circular ‘wear’ spot covered in dark corrosion. It took a surprising amount of scrubbing with a q-tip and alcohol to remove the corrosion. Fine grit abrasive paper would definitely have worked better, if it had been available.
Clearly the particular corrosion that some mice experience will clean off more easily than others. And just because you can’t see any problems with the naked eye, doesn’t mean the corrosion isn’t there.
Lastly, after finally seeming to get that damnable spring back into proper position, it wasn’t audibly clicking when depressed. We had to remove the cover on the left switch and compare in order to see that the bendy part of the leaf spring was ever so very, very, very slightly out of position. A tiny, tiny adjustment gave it the tension necessary to ‘click’ properly.
Hi – I also wanted to chime in and report that this guide indeed did resolve my issue! I was very worried that I would have to replace my G500, as I have loved it for what seems like almost a decade now with no issues. I started having the false double click issue and was concerned that I would have to get a new mouse, but this guide did indeed solve the problem.
I did not notice any visible corrosion but cleaning with alcohol and cotton swabs resolved the issue for me. It was very difficult to get the spring back in place but I was able to after many many attempts. It also took me about 1 hour and 45 minutes to resolve as well.
One thing I should note – I damaged one of the corners of the black microswitch casing removing it, it sort of snapped / disintegrated off, but the housing was able to still fit atop the bracket as only one of the sides was damaged. When resealed inside the case, there is apparently sufficient pressure to keep everything in place. Hopefully this won’t become an issue in the future.
Thank you again for this great guide!
This guide has kept my G500 out of the landfill for 4 years. I simply open the left switch, fold over and narrow cut a piece of paper towel, dampen with rubbing alcohol, open the switch contact (press with small screw driver), slide the paper towel in between, close the contact, and work the towel back-n-forth a few times. Then do again with a piece of dry towel. Takes 15 min. Usually good for 9 months or so! Thank you!
Thanks a lot for this guide. My G500 has perfect left click now again (dragging was a absolute nightmare I almost threw the mouse to the bin).
I also managed on this exact model to clean the spring’s contact and the contact below without removing the spring : I used a very thin flat screwdriver to lightly scratch it worked like wonder.
Thanks again !
8 years i been using this exact mouse. I also glued a very small piece of a razor blade to the top part where it contacts with the white button of the clicker. The top part has grind away a bit.
Well, this is my 2nd repair on my G500. I’m not sure how long I’ve had this mouse; I think I got it sometime between ’12 and ’14. It’s my favorite mouse and I intend to keep repairing as long as possible or until a suitable replacement comes along (and I’ve been trying). In this repair the spring had completely failed; the cross bar at the front fell off when I pulled the spring out. And I don’t mean it broke from me pulling it out; it failed from…repetitive strain! Anyway, I was going to order another omron switch, but decided to pull apart one of the mice in a pile of old pc equipment. It was just some cheap piece of junk, and I was giving it a small chance that there might be a usable switch in there. At first I thought I had no luck because the primary (L&R) buttons were flat, square buttons. But the center had 4 rectangular buttons that were somewhat similar to the Omrons, so I pulled them apart and found a spring that was slightly different shape, but gave it a shot and it worked! Despite having to find another switch, the repair went fairly quickly (after having practiced before).
Here to say thank you – even in 2023 this is super useful.
My G500 is ready to run 10 more years now!