Bluetooth Apple Magic Mouse jumps and moves erraticlly on screen

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Level 1

8 points

Bluetooth Apple Magic Mouse jumps and moves erraticlly on screen

Hello,

I am having problems with my Magic Mouse (cursor, pointer) jumping around on my screen when i attempt to use it. I checked preferences and the connection is fine. Has anyone else experienced this? And if so how do we remedy this annoying problem?

iMac 27" 3.06Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo, Mac OS X (10.6.2)

Posted on May 30, 2010 1:04 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Andreas Sch.

Level 1

4 points

May 30, 2017 11:57 PM in response to cameron.purdy

Had the same issue, and it turned out to be to much power drain on the USB port!

I had two external 3,5" hard drives connected to a USB hub without power supply => mouse is laggy and jumping.

Plugged them in a USB hub with external power supply => mouse moves smooth again.

Thanks for your tipp!

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Answer 2

Aug 26, 2010 10:01 AM in response to Apollo77

I had this jumpy mouse problem on and off, and I finally took the time to diagnose it. It turns out that the bluetooth adapter flakes out and even turns off when it doesn't get enough power, and it appears to pull it's power from the USB bus (it may be USB internally; I don't know.) I can reproduce this problem easily just by plugging in more and more USB devices, and the mouse will freak out and/or the bluetooth adapter will shut down (click on the bluetooth icon and it says "Bluetooth not available").

Unplug your USB & firewire stuff (which is what caused the issue on my MBP), shut down the machine, let it rest for a few minutes, then power it back up.

Peace,

Cameron.

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Answer 3

Jan 3, 2017 2:53 PM in response to Apollo77

I was having this issue with the latest wireless mouse (with the inbuilt battery). The cursor was totally erratic. For me the fix was a combination of clearing out the bluetooth plist file and giving the lens under the mouse a clean. After doing both of those things I had everything working nicely again.

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Answer 4

Noahe

Level 1

10 points

Aug 24, 2017 5:11 AM in response to 小罗

I bought an old, used A1016 keyboard and A1197 mouse and was experiencing this poor mouse tracking too. I have two monitors connected to my MacBook Pro, one through HDMI, one with an aftermarket StarTech Lightning to DVI adaptor.

I followed along as people reset PRAM, wrapped their adaptors in tinfoil, etc… I almost dismissed this comment, but then thought why not try cleaning the optical sensor really well. So far, the mouse is working great. Just like a wired mouse.

I can't believe I didn't try this two weeks ago.

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Answer 5

May 31, 2010 5:09 AM in response to Apollo77

Hello a:

I suspect the problem is with the mouse. I do not know of a setting that would cause what you describe. You might try it on another computer (Apple store or elsewhere) to see what happens.

Barry

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Answer 6

Skyenet

Level 1

4 points

Jun 14, 2010 9:01 AM in response to Apollo77

I am also having similar problems. Only started a few days ago.

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Answer 7

jm1066

Level 1

0 points

Jun 21, 2010 6:31 AM in response to Apollo77

Me too.

It was a bit like this back when I got my Mini Core 2 Duo and it had bluetooth trouble. An updated eventually fixed it and its been fine for a year.

Just last week, mouse started jumping. Only update recently was safari i think.

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Answer 8

Jul 16, 2010 7:13 AM in response to Apollo77

I just purchased a 27" iMac with the i7 core and this problem started within a week after setting up my new machine. Wish their was an answer or Apple would acknowledge the issue.

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Answer 9

ggabe

Level 1

0 points

Aug 26, 2010 10:35 AM in response to cameron.purdy

that sounds like a windows fix

i have the same erratic behavior with both my mighty mouse and a usb logitech mouse. I am thinking it must be a software bug.

I would sincerely appreciate some help to trouble shoot this annoying issue

thanks

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Answer 10

Aug 28, 2010 9:05 PM in response to Apollo77

I have had my iMac now for about a month and in the last week or so my Magic Mouse has started doing the same thing. Definitely not the kind of magic I want to deal with. I have not tried the unplug the USB like one person said, but all I have in is a printer. It is really becoming a big issue. I really hope Apple come out with a software fix. I do not have an Apple store near me.

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Answer 11

Sep 8, 2010 6:33 AM in response to Apollo77

I was about to post this same question and then I found this thread.

Magic Trackpad was working great, I love using it.

Then one day after a week or so of use it starts acting erratically.

I assumed it was the batteries (although still above 70%) and changed them. Yet with fresh batteries reporting 100% it still refuses to take input and does its own erratic thing.

I've had to switch it off constantly today because even when I switch to using the trackpad on my MBP (Core2duo Nov '06 model) the pointer jumps about on the screen and worse still "clicks", on things which causes mayhem.

The suggestion of the USB power doesn't seem to affect me as all I have is the Apple aluminium keyboard plugged into my MBP. No other bluetooth devices being used or nearby. It's happened at 3 different locations too I can't blame interference from anything nearby

Shame as I had thought Apple had finally produced a "mouse" that was worth of their brand and reputation.

Message was edited by: Gilbertfield

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Answer 12

Sep 13, 2010 10:14 AM in response to Apollo77

Well I experience the same but ONLY during select applications which makes me believe it might have something to do with the way they interpret the scroll data .. I only get the using cubase 5 and civilization 4 which to my knowledge bot apps could benefit from some updates ..

I don't think it has to do with the mouse

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Answer 13

tgoldst

Level 1

0 points

Sep 15, 2010 7:13 AM in response to Apollo77

I have a new iMac 21" and the Magic worked ok for the first few days (other than the inexplicably slow tracking and painful ergonomics) then suddenly one day it started jumping erratically around the screen making it almost unusable. I am amazed so many people are suddenly having the same problems and wonder if Apple is aware of the situation.
I had installed Magicprefs to fix the tracking issue so I tried turning that off, but the problem remained.
Based on Cameron's reply above, today I tried unplugging extra USB devices (only had powered down hard drive and a mouse for backup) and it did not make any difference. Then I unplugged the Mini-Displayport to HDMI adapter I use to run video to my TV and so far (half an hour) I have not seen the problem. So if it is some kind of bus power issue it is not limited to the USB and Firewire ports. Something for people to try. I would love it if they issued some kind of fix for this so I don't have to keep unplugging the video cable all the time.

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Answer 14

wendine

Level 1

0 points

Oct 2, 2010 12:09 PM in response to Apollo77

If you accidentally moved the mouse to the edge of the mouse pad, then the cursor started jumping randomly. Try to remove the mouse pad or use an over-sized mouse pad, then the problem can be solved. That's my experience.

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Answer 15

funkho

Level 1

0 points

Oct 8, 2010 6:02 PM in response to tgoldst

I started having this problem after I plugged in my 27" cinema display. I realized that when I did that, I moved an older 22" monitor to a secondary MDP port on my video card.

After reading your post, I pulled the MDP cable out and suddenly, my problem is gone.

Thanks for the suggestion.

I hope Apple comes up with a fix soon.

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