Having a big issue with my MacBook. Every 20-30 mins the cursor stops working-both the track pad and the mouse. Any suggestions?
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
Original Title: MacBook cursor stops working
MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 15.7
Cursor position update is performed at very low priority in the background. When very little background "spare time" is available, the cursor can seem to freeze.
this is not the same as when your Mac is so busy doing foreground tasks that results will be delayed, which produces a "wait" cursor, often a spinning colorful wheel.
By far the easiest way to cause poor performance, instability, overheating and crashing is to install ANY third-party speeder-uppers, Cleaners, Optimizers, Third-party Virus scanners, Bit Torrent, or a VPN that you installed yourself. They are relentless in scanning your files, non-stop, looking for virus-like patterns in Everything, or looking for files that have changed. When completed, they do it all again.
¿Are you running anything like that?
Try booting into Safe Mode to see if it still has the issue.
You can also run the third party app EtreCheck and posting the complete report here so we can examine it for possible clues.
How to use the Add Text Feature When Posting an EtreCheck Report - Apple Community
it could also be that it's not just your cursor that have frozen but the whole computer, in which case keyboard input would also be ignored and the clock would stop running showing the same time forever
a dead internal fan could cause overheat which could cause this as could periodic defect system memory
If that is a 2019 15" MacBook Pro, then it has two fans.
Identify your MacBook Pro model - Apple Support
To check the temp. and make sure the fans are running use MacFanControl.
https://crystalidea.com/macs-fan-control
Another reason for it to run warm or hot, is that it has collected up some dust over the years.
If you're not into DIY, then it maybe time for a service and cleaning at your local AASP.
If you are into DIY, then search some reliable Tube videos or iFixit cleaning guide.
Another way to check for bad fan is to run the diagnostics.
The fans have RPM output sensors, and at one point the diagnostic turns the fans to Maximum and looks for the top RPM to be indicated. it also makes quite a whooshing noise.
I also like a tiny "heartbeat" indicator that has been available on Macs for long time, but its setting has moved.
The "Time Separators" -- colon or other symbol between hours and seconds on the MenuBar time can be blinked, at a steady rate, under software control.
in recent macOS:
Settings > Control Center > (scroll way down to Menu Bar Only) > Clock (Clock Options)...
.. Flash the time separators ON
Thank You for your insight. No, I’m not running anything like that. So, let me be more specific - freezing is probably not the best description. I can move the cursor around, but clicking on anything doesn’t work, I can’t click the apple to restart, or get a new window, or anything. After a few minutes of this the computer crashes, or I just reboot it with the power on button. It’s quite disruptive to work flow.
Yeah, that sounds like the cause. The MacBook gets really hot at times especially when using Illustrator (which I use 99% of the time). Thank you so much! I’ll check to see if the clock runs. And the fan too.
BTU
How do I fix a MacBook cursor that stops working every 20-30 minutes?
