Sticky Trackpad on Brand New M1 Max

Question

Sticky Trackpad on Brand New M1 Max

Hi all!

I just received my 16" MacBook Pro M1 Max on Friday November 5 (installed a couple of minor softwares before being prompted to update to current version of OSX Monterrey). My trackpad has been sticky since OSX update (or at least that's when I noticed it). Not always sticky but only sometimes. If I'm clicking and dragging to select large blocks of text in any and all software I've tried (working in Microsoft Word, leaving comments on social media and editing as I write, clicking and dragging sliders in Clip Studio Paint etc), I can't physically click the trackpad for a number of seconds afterward. It behaves like whatever it was I clicked and dragged is still being dragged, even when there's no pressure on the trackpad. The trackpad button releases on its own but only after several seconds.

I've been in Trackpad settings and tried different things in there and still no luck. Changed trackpad click pressure, tested with and without force click enabled, tested with and without tap-to-click enabled. Went into Accessibility and tested different settings there, like Spring Loading Delay set to shortest possible. Under additional Trackpad options, I also tested Enable Dragging Without Drag Lock on and off. Trackpad displays same sticky behavior.

I tried to boot in safe mode to test the track pad issue but when I log in after doing the start up key combination, (and reaching the "select your start up disk" screen) it doesn't say "safe boot" in menu bar and seems to just be booted up normally. I'm concerned this computer could be having some kind of deeper problem.

This is a brand new computer and certainly still covered by warranty and well within my return period. Maybe I need a trip to the Genius Bar. Sometimes brand new release gadgets are buggy but still. I'm concerned lol. This was not cheap.

If anyone here has any kind of advice to share, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Posted on Nov 10, 2021 6:10 AM

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Answer 1

Erica_S1

Community Specialist

Nov 11, 2021 7:38 AM in response to Photography_By_Kira

Hey there Photography_By_Kira,

We understand you're experiencing an issue with not being able to click with the Trackpad on your new MacBook Pro after performing a dragging motion with it.

You've done some great troubleshooting so far!

Next, create a new admin user on the Mac, log in to it and check for the issue there. This helps to determine if the issue is user-specific or system-wide. Here's how: Set up users, guests, and groups on Mac

Thanks!

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Answer 2

Erica_S1

Community Specialist

Nov 15, 2021 7:14 AM in response to Photography_By_Kira

Photography_By_Kira,

Thanks for sharing those additional details. We can certainly understand wanting to clarify between expected and unexpected behavior.

You can learn more about the Force Touch trackpad in your MacBook Pro here: How to use the Force Touch trackpad

These pages may also help with adjusting the trackpad settings:

Change Trackpad preferences on Mac

Change Mouse & Trackpad preferences for accessibility on Mac

If the trackpad issues persist, reach out here to look into this further: Get Support

Cheers!

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Answer 3

Nov 12, 2021 1:02 PM in response to Erica_S1

Hello, Erica_S1!

Thanks for the reply.

I've created the admin user and encountered the same sticky trackpad issue while logged into that other admin user account. I figured out a few days after receiving and using my new laptop that the entire trackpad is a button which was not the case with my old mid 2012 MacBook Pro. Can you confirm if the trackpad in my M1 Max is a mechanical button or if it uses haptic and is merely an engine creating the sensation of clicking like the iPhone 7 home button? I was trying to test that by shutting down the laptop and then clicking the button but all that happened was yes, the button did indeed click but then unexpectedly powered on the computer. Is that normal behavior?

I even turned off all additional trackpad features and functionality in system preferences and reduced it down to just a basic trackpad and still encountered the weird stickiness when I tested it again in Microsoft Word, the notes app, and even this comment as I typed it so it's not limited to one software.

I realize I've been operating the trackpad with one finger to move the cursor and click with my thumb as is my habit since I'm coming from an older laptop which isn't necessary since the whole trackpad is a button. I also had to use a little heavier touch pressure on that old trackpad to click on anything. Do I really just need to use a light touch on this new one? Are these new trackpads really that sensitive? Does my new laptop think I'm force clicking when I'm not? Should it still be behaving this way even with all other features (including force click) turned off in system preferences?

It's not such a bad problem that I have to use a separate mouse. I still can use my trackpad without too much difficulty but I'm not sure exactly how much of this is user error, or normal behavior for this laptop or how much of this could be an actual problem with my unit.

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Sticky Trackpad on Brand New M1 Max

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