Disable trackpad on Apple 13" M1 laptop with Big Sur

Question

Level 1

4 points

Disable trackpad on Apple 13" M1 laptop with Big Sur

I am using the above laptop (2020 13" M1 16 Gig of Ram and 2 TB SSD) and have attempted to disable the internal trackpad while I am using an external mouse/trackball. I have engaged the "disable trackpad when external mouse is detected," but it causes the computer to reboot itself. How can I avoid the reboot, or is that a normal feature with this new machine?

I should add that the external trackball works as expected, but with the internal trackpad activated the palm of my hand often causes the cursor to travel to an undesirable location, with unintended consequences.

Thank you in advance,

Ron

Posted on Jan 3, 2021 1:34 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Jan 5, 2021 6:26 PM in response to neuron99

Big Sur does not allow kernel extensions, and enforces that policy. So a lot of Drivers that have not been updated stop working.

Check with the manufacturer for a Big Sur compatible Driver.

Reply

Answer 2

Brian_P7

Community Specialist

Jan 5, 2021 5:28 PM in response to neuron99

Hey neuron99,

To make sure we're on the same page, you've attempted to disable the trackpad on your Apple Silicon MacBook to make use of an external mouse. However, despite the setting being toggled on in Accessibility, the trackpad still responds?

If so, take a moment to confirm that the setting that has been toggled is "Ignore built-in trackpad when mouse or wireless trackpad is present" under System Preferences > Accessibility > Pointer Control > Mouse & Trackpad.

If so, and the trackpad still responds, there may be a driver or compatibility issue with the external mouse. We'd recommend checking the user manual for the mouse, or reaching out to the manufacturer.

You can see more info about accessibility controls with your Mac here:

Change Mouse & Trackpad preferences for accessibility on Mac

Cheers!

Reply

Answer 3

neuron99 Author

Level 1

4 points

Jan 5, 2021 6:04 PM in response to neuron99

Hello and thank you for your response. However, I may not have explained my problem with adequate clarity. So, here goes.

With the ”disable trackpad box” checked and an external mouse plugged in, the computer crashes, reboots and generates a crash report. But after the reboot the trackpad is disabled and the external mouse functions thereafter.

So the problem is the initial crash reboot.

Reply

Answer 4

neuron99 Author

Level 1

4 points

Jan 6, 2021 5:18 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

The attached, external mouse is using Kensington's latest driver, and all of the functions that I have tried so far are working, therefore, the driver appears to be OK, or is funtional. However, a driver incompatibility issue remains an acceptable explanation, but given the plethora of reports on the Net, in re the new machines and their USB ports, I am inclined to consider that the problem is either Big Sur or the M1 architecture.

Reply

Disable trackpad on Apple 13" M1 laptop with Big Sur

Similar questions