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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

Oct 14, 2015 6:35 AM in response to topfunky

Take me out and dunk me in a vat of motor oil. I tried everything including sending all my other hardware with input devices to my sister in Uganda. Totally convinced this was not my problem I went back to setting pram's and vram's and pounding my head against more useless bulletin boards that continued to tell me what to do if my mouse would click. Finally, I picked up a pillow in the corner of my office to suffocate my frustrated self and found a white wireless mouse grinning at me.

Apr 4, 2016 1:14 PM in response to twheeler 77

I can't believe what worked for me. After rebooting, reading different websites, trying to fix it on my own, perplexed why one day the trackpad was working just fine, and then it stopped clicking.


Thank you, Twheeler 77, for posting your amazing words of wisdom!! Your the best.

twheeler 77 wrote:


In case anyone has the same issue as above but not relating to the Magic Mouse (I don't use one), it may be from dust or crumbs in the clickpad (if mechanical models). Try holding the laptop upside down and tapping the clickpad hard several times. This worked for me. I promise to ease up on the cookies, ha.


Worked brilliantly for me!! Your the best.

Sep 20, 2016 12:32 PM in response to sakthivels

Hi. None of these worked for me. Here's the difference...


My laptop ran out of battery while connected via bluetooth to a magic mouse and keyboard. I took the laptop only to a school, plugged it in, powered it up and noticed the trackpad wouldn't click but would tap.


In my brilliance (Lol!), I went into the Settings and turned off the "tap to click" check box. OMG! Now all I can do is move the cursor.


I tried zapping the PRAM but not the other one with no luck.


Any thoughts on this one?

trackpad moving but not clicking

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