Cursor focuses on wrong display, window, screen, breaking most basic functionalities

Hello Apple community,

I'm experiencing a frustrating issue that's affected three of my MacBooks: an M1 Air, an M2 Pro, and now an M3 Pro.

Frequently (around 99% of my usage), my mouse cursor doesn't focus correctly. Here are a few examples:

• I click into a text box to type, but the text appears in a different text box in another app on a different screen.
• Keyboard shortcuts like CMD+C/V/A often don't work, either failing to copy or paste.
• The blinking cursor indicator (pipe) is missing in the text box where I'm typing.
• Pressing "K" doesn't pause a YouTube video because the focus isn't on the video, even after clicking it.

Initially, this issue was only on my M2 Pro. It was so disruptive to my basic tasks that I thought it was defective and upgraded to an M3 Pro, but the problem persists. The M3 Pro started exhibiting this behavior immediately. It's currently running macOS Sonoma 14.5, while my M1 Air is on macOS Sonoma 14.6.1. I check for updates daily, hoping for a resolution.

I use a DisplayLink adapter with my M1 Air, but the issue occurs regardless of its use. To troubleshoot, I unplugged the DisplayLink adapter and exited its software—no change. I even disconnected all peripherals, leaving the laptop standalone, but the issue remained. I would click and type in one input box, only to find it typing in a completely different window that isn't even open. Same steps were taken with the M3 Pro but nothing worked.

The only temporary fix I've found is to lock my laptop and log in again, which resolves the issue for a few minutes before it returns.

I've spent months searching forums and resetting every conceivable setting, but nothing has worked. I'm at a loss and need to find a solution soon, as I'm considering purchasing another laptop. I've always been a fan of MacBooks, but it's hard to justify their cost if such a critical issue, which severely impacts my productivity, can't be resolved. Any help would be greatly appreciated!