Mouse dongles interfere with Chromebook touchpads

A dongle (USB connector) for a wireless mouse can cause intermittent problems with the touchpad on a Chromebook. Therefore, as explained in this document, you should always unplug the dongle before using the touchpad. 

Note: This document applies to all portable computers, specifically to Chromebooks and generally to laptop PCs.

While getting started with your Chromebook, you might plan using only a wireless mouse, never the touchpad. You might decide to leave the dongle plugged in at all times as shown in Figure 1. However, should you later want to use the touchpad, it will almost certainly not work properly until you unplug the dongle. Your touchpad should always work as described in Chromebook touchpad tips.

Figure 1 - While using a wireless mouse (instead of the touchpad)
with your Chromebook, connect the dongle to a USB port. 

Note: When I started using a Chromebook, I didn't want to bother with the touchpad. Therefore, I never unplugged the dongle. When I gradually started using the touchpad, and having intermittent problems, I thought I was just too clumsy for the touchpad. Recently, I wondered whether removing the dongle might let the touchpad work correctly. To my astonishment, it immediately worked properly and smoothly.

Each wireless mouse works only with its own dongle. If you lose the dongle, your mouse is useless. Therefore, while not using the dongle, you should keep it in its storage slot, which is inside the mouse as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2 - While using the touchpad (instead of a wireless mouse) with
your Chromebook, disconnect the dongle and store it in the mouse.