Trackpad keeps selecting everything!

ARRRGH! Same thing is happening to me also.

I updated my MacBook 13.3 today, and the problem started. My trackpad keeps selecting everything on the screen, drawing selection boxes when I don't want them.

Extremely annoying, Apple! Don't think I'll update next time you suggest it for fear that your "update" will screw me up royal.

since i did the apple update for the trackpad & magic trackpad this is happening to me too.
rebooting helps, but this is a bug, which needs to be fixed.
i cant reboot when i am mixing with traktor for example.
also switching off "tap-to-click" doesnt help.

http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbookpro.html

Sent feedback to Apple and referred them to this discussion. Also found a couple of other internet discussions about this topic. One person said she had turned off one finger dragging so I tried that and so far, so good. But as this problem happens randomly, it is too soon to say it's working as a fix.

Still, Apple needs to fix it!

I´ve got the same Problem. No solution, too! Annoying Bug.
Hope Apple will fix this soon!

Same problem here. SUPER annoying and inconvenient. Apple should treat this as a critical bug with urgent need to be fixed.

This is happening to me too - not very happy about it at all! Makes life very difficult. Am currently re-updating in the hope that Apple have solved this problem in an update today.

My trackpad on my late 2008 Macbook Pro also often (sometimes all the time...) selects everything on the screen where the mouse cursor is at that time.
Really annoying, because it just keep clicking and selecting, so moves windows, change cursor position during typing and lots more annoying things.

BUT I don't think my / the problem is software related !!!!!
I have my Macbook now for little over 2 years, and what I suspect is that the housing of the Macbook (to the left and right of the trackpad) is bending down towards the bottom of the laptop (so towards your legs if the laptop is just sitting in your lap). Maybe it's material fatigue or it becomes softer when it becomes warm/hot because of the battery....

It sometimes gets so worse that I just have to touch the long edge of the laptop soooooo very gentle, with one finger, and it responds as a mouse click.

The problem comes and goes. Sometimes its not there for weeks, and other times its there for a long time.
Really annoying because the laptop is now over 2 years old, and I don't think I have warranty anymore.... (and also because it is the "old" all silver Macbook Pro 17" and they don't make these anymore. And I like the look of it better then the new line of Macbook's.

Ideas anyone ?????
Thanks!!

Some news...

I also am having this "stuck" trackpad issue with my 13" 2010 MacBook Pro. It started happening almost immediately after downloading and installing the trackpad update. I called Apple a couple of times about this and they gave me a case number. They took several steps with me to try and resolve the issue but were unsuccessful.

They finally put me in touch with a senior advisor, who emailed me an Apple data capture utility that does just what it's called and then dumps a data file onto your desktop. I run it when the trackpad starts to "stick" and then send them the file. Per my last communication with them, they've forwarded the files to engineering who is currently analyzing the files to determine what the deal is.

As soon as I hear something back, I'll let y'all know.

I also reported to Apple's Tech Support phoneline. They acted like they'd never heard of such a thing.

They did have me reboot the system with Option+Command and R+P, which cleared it temporarily. But the problem's back again today.

C'mon Apple we love ya, but fix the fix.

In the meantime...I've found that a way to get rid of the problem temporarily (until it happens again, which is often far too soon) is to move the pointer to the very top of your screen and then press and hold the ESC key and move the pointer back down the screen then release the ESC key. It seems to work most of the time but perhaps not always.

Yup this is happening to me, since the recent update

i find a quick double tap undoes the selection...wont stop it happening again but gets rid of it 🙂

Hope this helps while Apple twiddle their thumbs

Came to post this exact issue, hadn't found anything via a Google search.

In response to 'b leo' - I've tried turning off tap-to-click, that doesn't affect it. The trackpad acts as if it is being pressed constantly, however it's undoubtedly a software issue as rebooting will reliably fix it, as others have noted.

Somewhat relieved to find others are having the same problem, as I was dreading the inevitable trip to the Apple Store only to have to explain to the tech, "no, it's not doing it at the moment, but sometimes it does, I swear..."

I have been having the exact same problem since downloading a software update a month or so ago - unfortunately I don't know what the update was! But I am happy to see I am not alone - hope Apple fixes this soon as it is extremely annoying and happens at least daily. It's the only problem I've had with my MacBook Pro.

Turning off inertia or toggling any other setting will NOT correct this issue, as multiple other people have reported. I've tried everything, and a few times I thought I'd "fixed" it, but it always came back.

Thursday night I reinstalled OS X (clean install after a backup), ran software update and installed everything BUT the multi-touch update, and I haven't experienced the issue once - compared to multiple times a day, each day, since having previously installed the update. I sent this feedback to Apple, along with the previous data captured by the diagnostic software they sent me.

Soooo...if you must, as I did, a clean reinstall will restore your trackpad to working order.

PS - I had tried a "lazy" reinstall prior to the "clean" reinstall. It didn't work.

I am a techno fool and couldn't reinstall anything if I tried, but all this is quite interesting - I am going to print out all of this and take it with me to the Apple store. I paid for a year of support or something when I bought my computer so I may as well make use of it!