microsoft / microsoft/PowerToys
Mouse Without Borders: High-DPI gaming mouse can cross to remote PC but cannot return (regression in 0.98)
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- C
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Description
### Microsoft PowerToys version
0.98.0
### Installation method
Microsoft Store, PowerToys auto-update
### Area(s) with issue?
Mouse Without Borders
### Steps to reproduce
1. Set up two PCs connected via Mouse Without Borders on PowerToys 0.98.0, both on the same local network.
2. On the primary PC (PC1), connect a high-DPI gaming mouse () at 14000 DPI with 1000Hz polling rate.
3. Also have a standard Bluetooth mouse available on PC1 for comparison.
4. Move the gaming mouse cursor from PC1 toward the screen edge shared with PC2 — the cursor successfully transfers to PC2.
5. On PC2, move the cursor back toward the screen edge to return to PC1 — the cursor stays trapped on PC2. The edge detection does not trigger the handoff.
6. Disconnect the gaming mouse and repeat steps 4–5 with the Bluetooth mouse — both directions work correctly.
7. Downgrade both machines to PowerToys 0.97.2 and repeat steps 4–5 with the gaming mouse — both directions work correctly.
### ✔️ Expected Behavior
The cursor should cross the screen edge and transfer control between machines in both directions regardless of mouse DPI or polling rate, as it did on PowerToys 0.97.2.
### ❌ Actual Behavior
- Gaming mouse (14000 DPI / 1000Hz polling): Cursor transfers from PC1 → PC2 successfully, but returning from PC2 → PC1 fails. The cursor reaches the screen edge on PC2 but MWB does not release control back to PC1.
- Bluetooth mouse (low DPI / ~125Hz polling): Works perfectly in both directions on the same 0.98.0 setup.
- Downgrading to 0.97.2 on both machines immediately resolves the issue with the gaming mouse. This is a regression introduced in 0.98.0.
### Upload Bug Report ZIP-file
_No response_
### Additional Information
The 0.98.0 release notes mention "Continued refactoring Mouse Without Borders by splitting the large Common class into focused components." This restructure likely introduced a regression in the remote-side edge-detection or input-processing path, where high-frequency / high-magnitude position deltas from gaming mice overwhelm or bypass the boundary check on the receiving machine.
### Other Software
No other software involved. Issue is purely between two instances of PowerToys MWB.
Razer Synapse is not installed — mouse is running on default firmware/drivers only.
**Environment**
- **OS:** Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (both machines)
- **Mouse:** Razer Basilisk V3 X HyperSpeed — 14000 DPI, wireless via USB dongle
- **Razer Synapse:** Not installed (stock drivers only)
- **Bluetooth mouse (comparison):** Same mouse, just bluetooth setting, works both directions no issue.
- **Network:** Both PCs on the same local network
- **MWB service mode:** Tested both with and without — same result
- **Working version:** 0.97.2
- **Broken version:** 0.98.0
Contributor guide
Research direction
The report identifies Mouse Without Borders and a regression between PowerToys 0.97.2 and 0.98.0, but names no files or tests. Start by reproducing the one-way handoff with the Razer Basilisk V3 X at 14000 DPI and compare it with the Bluetooth mouse and older version. Done means the gaming mouse crosses between both PCs in both directions on 0.98.0.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Domain
- desktop, networking, operating-systems
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Quiet
- Clarity
- Needs clarification
- Newbie friendliness
- 45/100