Apple Event: May 7th at 7 am PT

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Level 1

2 points

Trackpad gets stuck on drag mode

Sometimes, my trackpad will randomly start trying to drag everything and it will only drag things. I usually need to restart my Mac to fix it. Logging out doesn't seem to do anything.

Macbook pro, Mac OS X (10.6.4), 13"

Posted on Aug 25, 2010 9:24 AM

Best reply

nelsnelson

Level 1

4 points

Posted on Aug 25, 2010 8:59 PM

I am having the same problem. The stupid glass trackpad on my laptop keeps forcing itself into drag mode.

It is as if I have somehow clicked the trackpad and held it down while moving the cursor around. (When in fact, I have NOT, I repeat NOT clicked or otherwise inadvertently touched the trackpad in any manner other than tracking the cursor about the screen.)

Random UI elements suddenly start being dragged around the screen by the cursor. Or selecting massive amounts of text from some unknown origin selection point. Hitting the esc key does nothing.

The only thing that seems to work is forcefully hitting the trackpad, but I'm sure that will just wind up exacerbating the issue or outright breaking the trackpad entirely.

Meanwhile something has usually been dragged into the trash, or off the dock, or text is removed from my document and clipped onto the desktop.

It is very annoying and frustrating.

View in context

41 replies

rudlab

Level 1

0 points

Nov 19, 2010 5:10 PM in response to jetsfan1457

I have had the same problem with MagicTrackpad since I started using it with my MacBook Pro 17" (early 2008) last september. At the same time the built in Trackpad on the MacBook Pro continues to work perfectly normally. So does my MagicMouse.

Resetting the PRAM makes no difference. I can stop the misbehavior of MagicTrackpad for a short time by making a right click somewhere in a text document. After a short while the misbehavior starts again.

The local Apple dealer has already exchanged my first MagicTrackpad for a new one after having deemed the first one as not functioning properly. However the second MagicTrackpad misbehaves just as the first one. My (unsatisfactory) solution is to turn of MagicTrackpad and use MagicMouse instead, - with no problems turning up!

Jan 11, 2011 9:53 AM in response to jetsfan1457

Hopefully I can help people having problems with this behavior.

This is a new feature of the trackpad on unibody macbook pros. When you

1. have "One Finger - Dragging" enabled
2. double tap a draggable item
3. begin dragging it
4. lift the finger up

the system will 'hold' the drag for around half a second. That is, if you place your finger back on the trackpad, the draggable item is still 'stuck' to your finger. This was designed on purpose so that you can drag something all the way across the window even if you run out of space on the trackpad. It behaves this way REGARDLESS of whether 'Drag Lock' is checked.

A lot of people do not like this feature, and would like to turn it off, but you can't, it's hard coded in the firmware. Restarting does not 'fix' it, people just happen to click after the half second sometimes, and this is why they report it's intermittent.

Personally, I have disabled 'One Finger' dragging, and have enabled "Three Finger" dragging. This is a new way to interact with the machine, but I learned it quickly, and I find it's an improved workflow. 1 finger for click and double-click, 2 finger for scrolling, 3 finger for dragging, 4 finger for app-switching.

Of course, the best solution would be for Apple to allow the drag delay to be configurable, so people can set their MBP trackpads to behave like "normal" (i.e. all other manufacturer) trackpads.

axeffect

Level 1

0 points

Apr 8, 2011 10:13 AM in response to jetsfan1457

I actually have been having the same problem and I have a really weird solution...You may think I'm crazy, but...

After it gets stuck (thinks its using multiple fingers, etc) I knock lightly to the right of the trackpad, like I'm knocking on a door, but really light as not to damage anything.

It fixes itself pretty instantly...a lot here suggest it is a software problem, but it's strange that something like this would resolve the issue.

Any ideas? I'm honestly thinking about taking it into Apple for a replacement.

zero-out

Level 1

4 points

Feb 6, 2012 9:11 AM in response to jetsfan1457

from MacRumors: "I shut off Bluetooth, and the problem IMMEDIATELY went away."

Yep. Only thing that worked for me. I can actually live with that.

detyro

Level 1

0 points

Mar 21, 2012 4:49 AM in response to zero-out

AAARRRGH!!!

I've been having this problem for the last couple of days - random dragging and locking up...

When zero-out mentioned 'Bluetooth' I thought - OH NO how can I be so STUPID!!!!!

I thought about how I had been working over the last couple of days and figured I had NOT been using my mouse only the trackpad...

So I thought the problem was with the trackpad...

as I had left my mouse in my bag...

and...

NO!

the problem WAS that I had left the mouse in my bag and...

I had left the mouse TURNED ON...

soooo...

it was connected via Bluetooth and squashed in my bag...

sooo...

when I moved my bag the mouse got squashed and stuck in mousedown...

OH I FEEL SO STUPID!!!

So check what peripherals you have connected and that they are turned on/off as needed 🙂

Apr 28, 2012 11:53 AM in response to jetsfan1457

I had my trackpad replaced 3 weeks ago because it had basically stopped working altogether. Worked great for three weeks - today it began to stick on drag to the right. Very frustrating. Tried a restart - that didn't work. Tried the quick double-click to reset it and that didn't work. Dragging was not turned on in Preferences - tried turning everything off anyway - that didn't work.

What worked for me was to connect my Logiteck wireless mouse. As soon as I started using that my trackpad was no longer stuck. I am now using the trackpad again.

Apr 28, 2012 11:56 AM in response to jetsfan1457

Hmmm just read detryo's response... perhaps that was my problem as well??? oops!

May 27, 2012 11:30 AM in response to jetsfan1457

Same problem and then I noticed connection lost and realized it was my blue tooth mouse in my bag! Check if you have a device that is messing up the click!

haavee

Level 1

0 points

Mar 8, 2013 2:29 PM in response to jetsfan1457

Hi,

I just started having this problem too on my late 2008 unibody MBP: the trackpad behaving like it's continuously being in "clicked" (drag) state which renders the macbook completely useless.

Reading this thread I thought: it could be the battery. Thus I took it out (whilst on power) and _instantaneously_ the problem went away.

No reboot nor adjusting "click-to-tap" settings in SystemPrefs - as soon as the battery was out the trackpad started behaving normally.

By the looks of it the battery is bulging (it's the original one) so I might get me a new one!

cheers,

Apr 4, 2013 6:24 AM in response to rudlab

If your Macbook battery is removable and is located directly under your touchpad a bloated swollen battery could be the problem. Try this:

Remove battery
Connect to magsafe power and boot up.
Try using your touchpad

If this fixes the problem you likely have a swollen or bloated lithium battery. My symptoms on my 15" late 2008 Macbook Pro were that the touchpad acted like it was stuck in drag mode. The bottom left and right touchpad switches would not click or took great effort to press. I had to hit the touchpad very hard for a mouse click to be recognized. It also screwed up opration of my bluetooth mouse. I noticed several months earlier the battery cover no longer closed tightly; there was a gap. I should have been more curious as to why.

MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) MacBookPro5,1

FB4700LL/A ( MB4700LL/A )

http://sites.uci.edu/lifepo4battery/2011/05/19/swollen-lithium-batteries-swell-c osts/

"Battery bloat or “swollen batteries” is a common occurrence among older lithium ion batteries. It is commonly caused by overcharging a battery and then leaving it unused for a long time. It may also be caused by extreme changes in temperature. More often than not, battery bloat essentially “kills” the battery, rendering it unusable or unsafe for further use."

jevel

Level 1

4 points

Feb 23, 2016 10:41 AM in response to detyro

I logged in only to share the same here.

Been having trouble with all sorts of weird stuff on my MBP17.

Turns out I was cleaning my desk in my home office a few days back and managed to pile the keyboard and trackpad on top of eachother, causing the trackpad to be kept pressed down.

As soon as I was within reach of the trackpad, my MacBook would start misbehaving. Took me a couple of tries to sort it out. 🙂

-KJ

Trackpad gets stuck on drag mode