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trackpad moving but not clicking

When my macbook is awoken from standby the trackpad moves the cursor around as normal but will not respond to a tap or a click. A restart won't get it working again, but a little later it will start working once more. At the moment I can't identify what gets it going, possibly by clicking using the magic mouse but can't be certain of that.


Any ideas? Others seem to report erratic behaviour, but the problems seem slightly more mechanical due to oversensity of the trackpad or the trackpad not working at all.

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Jun 27, 2012 6:15 AM

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Posted on Jun 27, 2012 7:11 AM

I don't know about you but sometimes if there is a cord touching the trackpad, the trackpad sees it as a finger so it think's you're still clicking from before.


if that's not the issue, make sure you're fully up to date (run software update) and then make sure you have the most up dated drivers for any pen tablets you might have.


lastly I would do a PRAM reset which does address mouse issues.


http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US


Important: If your computer does not retain parameter RAM (PRAM) settings when it is turned off, this generally indicates that the battery needs to be changed. Refer to Macintosh Family: Batteries and Part Numbers.

Be sure to learn about when to reset NVRAM and PRAM before attempting these steps.

Resetting PRAM and NVRAM

  1. Shut down the computer.
  2. Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
  3. Turn on the computer.
  4. Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.
  5. Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
  6. Release the keys.

Your computer's PRAM and the NVRAM are reset to the default values. The clock settings may be reset to a default date on some models.

Resetting PMU on PowerBook or iBook computers

In some troubleshooting situations, if resetting PRAM does not resolve an issue, resetting the PMU may be the next appropriate step. For information on when this is appropriate and for instructions on how to reset the PMU in your PowerBook computer, see Resetting PowerBook and iBook Power Management Unit (PMU).

49 replies

Jan 12, 2013 8:44 AM in response to NJFH

I had the same issue... I was using my magic mouse before I shutdown my computer and magic mouse was still powered on after my computer restart. I restarted computer several times but did not help. After reading this post, I turned off my magic mouse and restarted computer again and trackpad click was working fine. I didnot needed to reset the PRAM and NVRAM.


I hope it helps!


Thanks

Tushar

Sep 21, 2013 9:00 PM in response to NJFH

I've found a very easy way to reproduce this issue with the magic mouse. If you are holding the magic mouse click as you switch it off with the underside power switch, it gets into this state. Basically the magic mouse button is permanently pressed and this prevents the touchpad click from working.


Probably a similar problem if the magic mouse goes to sleep with the button pressed down (like it might be in the bottom of a bag)??


It should really release the buttons when it loses connection to the mouse.

Feb 27, 2014 2:23 PM in response to NJFH

I just purchased a Mac mini today with the wireless keyboard and Magic Trackpad. I had to use a hard wired mouse to do the initial start up, but now after the computer is up and running, the track pad mouse is moving but I cannot "click" anything.


This is the only mac in the house and I do not have any other mac hardware around, like mice or anything. Any ideas?

Apr 10, 2014 1:36 PM in response to NJFH

After two trips to the Apple Store, then reading this thread.....we're never gonna mention this problem at work. Never. I just reproduced the issue per jonfrost's instuctions above. Exact same issue.


Funny thing is, the first time I took it to the Apple Store, they diagnosed some problems with the logic board and shipped it off for 3-5 days to have several parts replaced. No cost to me of course, but good thing those other issues were discovered in the process.

trackpad moving but not clicking

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