The Symptoms

From the moment I began using my M1 Pro MacBook Pro, I noticed something peculiar. Occasionally, the scrolling function on my Bluetooth-connected Magic Mouse would cease to work. Meanwhile, the trackpad remained unaffected, and both left and right clicks continued to function properly. The only problem was with the scroll feature.

Initially, I brushed it off as a minor glitch, attributing it to the newness of both the M1 Pro and Monterey operating system. I assumed this was a temporary issue that would resolve itself—pun intended. Fortunately, the problem was infrequent, appearing only every few days. I genuinely believed it was an M1 Pro quirk that would vanish after an update.

However, three months later, I realized I was mistaken. The revelation came while using another MacBook Pro, this one a 2019 Intel i9 model, which I use for work. While I was engrossed in coding, I experienced the same scrolling issue again when trying to navigate down a method. Switching to my browser did not help either. It’s essential to note that I was using a different Magic Mouse this time. It became clear that it was macOS Monterey causing the scrolling disruption.

The Solution

It may sound somewhat trivial, but the solution is surprisingly straightforward. Although I refer to it as a "fix," it’s more of a temporary workaround, as I am hopeful for a future update to Monterey that will permanently eliminate this hassle.

The remedy is the classic "turn it off and back on." However, it's not the laptop that needs resetting—it's the mouse. Simply toggle the switch off and then back on. This action reconnects the mouse to your device, restoring its functionality as if the issue never occurred.

How Long Does It Last?

Determining the duration of this workaround is challenging since I rarely power off my laptops. I typically put them to sleep when not in use, but it seems the issue reappears roughly every 2–3 days. I suspect the problem arises after waking the device, although I haven't documented my experiences to confirm this. Nonetheless, this “fix” is straightforward, and if you habitually turn off your computer after each session, you might not have noticed the issue, as the mouse reconnects automatically at startup.

In summary, until a permanent solution is released for macOS Monterey, if your Magic Mouse loses its scrolling ability, simply switch it off and on again, and you’ll be back in business!