Why does mouse movement become jerky when Firefox is running?
When Firefox is running on my laptop (Windows 7 x64), mouse movement becomes jerky in every program. If I close Firefox, the issue disappears. Firefox's CPU usage doesn't jump or anything so I don't know what's causing this. I've tried running without hardware acceleration, without smooth scrolling and without all of my add-ons but it still happens. It also doesn't matter what website I have open or which USB port I use for the mouse (it also happens with the internal touchpad).
The only thing I've found is that it only happens when I have an external monitor connected (via HDMI). If Firefox is running on the laptop display, mouse movement is jerky on both displays. If it's running on the external monitor, mouse movement is seemingly only jerky on that external monitor.
I have the latest video card drivers (Intel HD Graphics) and mouse drivers.
All Replies (9)
Could you try disabling graphics hardware acceleration? Since this feature was added to Firefox, it has gradually improved, but there still are a few glitches.
You might need to restart Firefox in order for this to take effect, so save all work first (e.g., mail you are composing, online documents you're editing, etc.). Then perform these steps:
- Click the orange Firefox button at the top left, then select the "Options" button, or, if there is no Firefox button at the top, go to Tools > Options.
- In the Firefox options window click the Advanced tab, then select "General".
- In the settings list, you should find the Use hardware acceleration when available checkbox. Uncheck this checkbox.
- Now, restart Firefox and see if the problems persist.
Additionally, please check for updates for your graphics driver by following the steps mentioned in the following Knowledge base articles:
Troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration issues to solve common Firefox problems
Upgrade your graphics drivers to use hardware acceleration and WebGL
Did this fix your problems? Please report back to us!
As I said in my initial question, I've tried disabling hardware acceleration and I have the latest drivers.
Another thing I noticed: if I disconnect the external monitor, then reconnect it, mouse movement is fine on both monitors until I move a program into the external monitor. Then mouse movement gets dodgy on both monitors again.
Check in safe mode
Try the Firefox Safe Mode to see how it works there. The Safe Mode is a troubleshooting mode, which disables most add-ons.
(If you're not using it, switch to the Default theme.)
- You can open the Firefox 4.0+ Safe Mode by holding the Shift key when you use the Firefox desktop or Start menu shortcut.
- Or use the Help menu item and click on the Restart with Add-ons Disabled... menu item while Firefox is running.
Don't select anything right now, just use "'Start in Safe Mode" To exit the Firefox Safe Mode, just close Firefox and wait a few seconds before using the Firefox shortcut (without the Shift key) to open it again. If it is good in the Firefox Safe Mode, your problem is probably caused by an extension, and you need to figure out which one.
Please follow the Troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration issues to solve common Firefox problems article for that.
When you figure out what's causing your issues, please let us know. It might help other users who have the same problem.
I've already tried in safe mode. Sorry, that's what I meant by "without all of my add-ons".
Another thing I notice: if Firefox is on my laptop screen but doesn't have focus, then mouse movement is fine everywhere except where the Firefox window is.
hello draqonQ, i've seen very similar reports in this question & here. did this start with firefox 18? please also go to firefox > help > troubleshooting information & copy the info form the graphics section into a reply here - this might help debugging the issue... thanks
I'm afraid I can't be sure whether it started with Firefox 18 - I only got the external monitor last week. Graphics info is below:
Graphics
Adapter Description
Intel(R) HD Graphics
Adapter Drivers
igdumd64 igd10umd64 igdumdx32 igd10umd32
Adapter RAM
Unknown
Device ID
0x0046
Direct2D Enabled
true
DirectWrite Enabled
true (6.1.7601.17789)
Driver Date
7-31-2012
Driver Version
8.15.10.2827
GPU #2 Active
false
GPU Accelerated Windows
1/1 Direct3D 10
Vendor ID
0x8086
WebGL Renderer
Google Inc. -- ANGLE (Intel(R) HD Graphics)
AzureCanvasBackend
direct2d
AzureContentBackend
direct2d
AzureFallbackCanvasBackend
cairo
thanks could you also add the type of monitor & on what resolution it's running? and is there a spike in cpu usage in the windows task manager while the lags are occuring?
philipp moo ko soppali ci
The internal screen is 1366x768. The monitor is a Dell Ultrasharp U2312HM running at 1920x1080 (native resolution). I'm using the latest drivers for it (although they're from 2011 I think).
ok thanks for all of this information - i've filed bug#841752 for this issue.