How do I remove a persistent giant arrow that appears on my Macbook Pro?

A giant arrow appears on my Macbook Pro Desktop ... I rebooted and it seems to pop out from the left as I type this post.


WHAT FEATURE HAVE YOU GUYS ADDED TO CAUSE THIS AND HOW CAN I DELETE THIS? IT IS UNNERVING AND APPEARS TO BE AN INTRUDER???


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: GIANT ARROW IN MY INTERFACE THAT KEEPS REAPPEARING AS I PRESS THE SHIFT KEY

MacBook Air, macOS 26.3

Posted on Sep 24, 2026 8:38 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Sep 24, 2026 9:28 AM

Please clarify what 'giant arrow' you are seeing. A screenshot would help.

Take a screenshot on Mac - Apple Support


If you are seeing an arrow like this, that is Caps Lock.



If you are seeing an arrow like this, that is the assistive pointer.



To turn that off, go to System Settings > Accessibility > Display and toggle it off.



Have you rebooted your Mac? If not, that's the first step. If that does not help, then see if the problem is present when you boot in safe mode. That process performs some system cleanup and clears caches, and also disables 3rd party extensions that may cause problems.

 

Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support


If that does not correct the issue, test in a new user account. A newly-created user account will have all settings at default, and if the issue does not occur in that new account then it provides guidance on what may need to be changed to correct the issue.

 

Add a user or group on Mac - Apple Support

 

Once the testing is complete, the new account can easily be deleted.

 

Delete a user or group on Mac – Apple Support


Those steps will help to isolate the problem.


It might help to download and run EtreCheck, written by a long-time forum member. The free version is fine. Post the full report using the Additional Text button. No personal information is revealed. 


6 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Sep 24, 2026 9:28 AM in response to sbcontheweb

Please clarify what 'giant arrow' you are seeing. A screenshot would help.

Take a screenshot on Mac - Apple Support


If you are seeing an arrow like this, that is Caps Lock.



If you are seeing an arrow like this, that is the assistive pointer.



To turn that off, go to System Settings > Accessibility > Display and toggle it off.



Have you rebooted your Mac? If not, that's the first step. If that does not help, then see if the problem is present when you boot in safe mode. That process performs some system cleanup and clears caches, and also disables 3rd party extensions that may cause problems.

 

Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support


If that does not correct the issue, test in a new user account. A newly-created user account will have all settings at default, and if the issue does not occur in that new account then it provides guidance on what may need to be changed to correct the issue.

 

Add a user or group on Mac - Apple Support

 

Once the testing is complete, the new account can easily be deleted.

 

Delete a user or group on Mac – Apple Support


Those steps will help to isolate the problem.


It might help to download and run EtreCheck, written by a long-time forum member. The free version is fine. Post the full report using the Additional Text button. No personal information is revealed. 


Sep 24, 2026 12:34 PM in response to sbcontheweb

I have been able to rid myself of it.


When I pressed my Shift key, a straight white arrow outlined in black appear in my upper LH side of the screen.


In Accessibility, the feature that allows key choices to migrate from app to app defaulted to be ON. I clicked it off.


IMHO, if Apple makes any changes to the interface, a detailed sheet should let us know about each one. That was quite a waste of time.


Sorry.



How do I remove a persistent giant arrow that appears on my Macbook Pro?

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