Irbea
Level 1 (4 points)
Notebooks

Q: Problem with cursor - won't switch to hand over a link

I was hoping someone could help with this.

My dad's mac has a problem with the cursor. He is using the trackpad and when trying to click on a link it won't work. The arrow does not change into a "hand" symbol and he cannot click on it. This makes it nearly impossible to navigate. It seems that the links are not recognised. He tried using a mouse via USB and nothing changes.

He tried to update to El Captain but he can't because the mouse does not work. The simple, restart or switch off/on does not work. The problem persists on both Chrome and Safari.

Any help appreciated, thank you.

MacBook

Posted on Jun 16, 2016 4:15 AM

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Irbea

Q: Problem with cursor - won't switch to hand over a link

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  • Helpful answers

  • by JovonaP.,Helpful

    JovonaP. JovonaP. Jun 17, 2016 9:42 AM in response to Irbea
    Community Specialists
    Jun 17, 2016 9:42 AM in response to Irbea

    Hi Irbea,

     

    Thank you for using Apple Support Communities. I see you're dad has been having issues with clicking links on his MacBook. Those are some great troubleshooting steps in trying to fix this issue. I am happy help.

     

    Based on the steps he has already done, I would try testing this in safe mode. This will allow his MacBook to perform certain changes and prevent some software from loading. Please follow these steps for safe mode:

     

    Try safe mode if your Mac doesn't finish starting up

     

    While you're in safe mode, you might notice that the MacBook is running slower or the screen is flashing.  No worries though, this is normal.  Check out this article for more information on it: 

     

    Limited graphics performance in OS X recovery or safe mode

     

    If you continue to have issues try testing in a new user:

     

    How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac

     

    Have a great day!

  • by Irbea,

    Irbea Irbea Jun 17, 2016 9:45 AM in response to JovonaP.
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    Jun 17, 2016 9:45 AM in response to JovonaP.

    Hello

    Thank you for replying.

    He managed to find out what the real problem was (much simpler than it seemed). A pop up advert that was transparent had not been closed properly and it allowed him to see through but not to click on the links. It worked as a veil in between the cursor and the pages so the cursor would not recognise the link. He figured it out as he run a program to clean up the computer, which eventually got rid of all pop-ups. Thank you anyway.