Jumpy erratic cursor/arrow - Moves & Selects without touching

Same here. I've also noticed the keyboard will be sluggish, the screen will sometimes act as if I'm triple swiping for no reason. Hitting ESC will get it back in order, but only for a bit. No problems I've noticed with external mouse, just the touchpad. Have tried shutting everything down, but no discernable software pattern.

This *****. Change it.

Same happening with me. It's not a glass issue as the same is happening on two MBPs ever since the last update. I thought it was a virus at first. I haven't found a resolution yet but hope Apple get their act together soon as it makes the MBP almost unusable. I've tried playing around with the trackpad settings and it made no difference. I first noticed it when I changed my Energy Saver settings. Not sure why that would trigger it but almost immediately after that, it started to misbehave. I restored all settings and the same problem occured. I'm convinced it's happening as a result of the recent update.

Too bad I didn't see this topic sooner, but I don't hang out in this particular area of these forums. Someone used the word "virus" and caught my attention! 🙂

There are many possible causes for this problem, including potentially serious hardware issues. None of them involve a virus, though. See:

My mouse keeps moving around on its own, as if someone is remotely controlling my Mac!

same here.. 2012 MBA 11" just started occurring with last 2 updates.... have resorted to using my Magic Mouse again.. that works fine.. so without knowing MUCH.. the issue is related to the pad driver.. since the mouse runs fine... I notice most when MS office and Chrome are highly utilized.. 8gb RAM so system memory shouldn' t be the cause either.. unless there's a leak that memory cleaning utilities aren't finding..

I am having the same issue with my 13" 2010 Macbook Pro. I had the battery replaced but still have the same issue after I've used it for a while. Had the problem with Lion upgraded to Mountain Lion and still have the problem. It just started doing this in March 2013. What updates would cause this?

Thanks Thomas,

Your link really helped! I have recently changed my MBP power supply and although it would appear to be an official Apple one, it was bought off eBay. Simply unplugging the power supply resolves the issue completely. I can't tell you how frustrating it has been.

That's a new one for me, but it makes sense that an aftermarket charger could have the potential to cause something like this. After all, some folks with malfunctioning chargers or similar issues have reported getting mild shocks, and a mild electric current in the chassis could influence how the trackpad works. I'll have to update that document to mention that possibility!

I had the same problem. If your machine is out of warranty...

Unplug the trackpad cable from the circuit board and plug it back in a few times.

This fixed the problem for me.

It seems there must have been some corrosion or dirt at this connection.

You will need a small phillips heand and triwing screwdriver from Amazon ( it is not available at your local stores).

Look at the You Tube videos about replacing your trackpad to see how this is done.

None of the other solutions online helped me

Great suggestion. Based on the article, I checked the battery status and it shows that it needs servicing. Mine is the original battery, so if it is swelling as the article suggests, that may be the problem. Thanks.

Obviously by the number of views on this post, it seems as though alot of people are having a similar problem. I have been reading and searching for solutions before I call Apple. I have a late 2011 MBP..and my trackpad is all over the place moving around and bring up pages, scrolling, zooming, whatever it is.. you name it.Its been going on for a few months, and I will admit that yes I have had food and drink nearby, but no spillage, but I wouldn't doubt a crumb or 2 may have seeped in.. (which was my first instict)... My second is talking to my cousin's ghost who passed a couple years ago..pretending he is messing with me...:) (ok, I am trying to make light of this annoying situation. Bottom line, is that the only temporary solution that I have tried is blowing around the edges of the trackpad trying to clear any debris.. the other is taking a blow dryer.. and on a low setting and cool and do the same thing... you dont want to mess up anything with too much heat.. It is only temporary I am sure.. but it has been the only thing that has worked to get the trackpad acting normal..until the next time.. Has anyone had the same issue or tried?

I have noticed that this issue does seem to occur when my MBP is warm. If I am using a program which doesn't cause my MBP to heat up, it won't occur for a long time. Eventually it will reoccur, but not as soon as when I play a power hungry game or stream a video. And when it does happen, not only does my cursor move seemingly on it's own, but my MBP switches to Launchpad on it's own. So if heat is an issue, using anything to cool down your MBP might bring about a temporary fix. (I did have my battery replaced as another post suggested the swelling of the battery might cause the problem, but it did not help)

By the number of post, I really think this is an update issue. Maybe something in an update is causing everything to heat up more. My MBP seems to be running warmer than usual. Does anyone else notice this?

Just my observation.

I, too, am having this trouble. It's terrifying to see my 2009 MacBook Pro acting so out of control.

My power supply is the original Apple hardware that came with the machine, the battery was replaced at an Apple store earlier this year, the behavior happens whether I'm on battery power or plugged in. No spills or other shocks to the machine.

Even typing this, with fingers no where near the trackpad, finds the cursor flying over to the dock, screenful of widgets sliding over, almost impossible to work. Cursing like a madman, scaring my co-workers...

Did the problem occur prior to replacing the battery? If not, I'd guess that the tech who replaced your battery screwed something up.

I'm beginning to think its because of the battery replacement. I had my battery replaced at an AppleStore here recently because it bloated up and I couldn't depress the button on the trackpad.

That bloating could have cracked it. It seemed to work fine for about a month tho before I started seeing this random cursor movement problem tho and it seemed to start coinciding with that recent security update.

Anyone else's built in battery get bloated?

In my case, Thomas, no, I've never experienced this problem before, it's just manifested during the past couple of days. I checked my calendar to see when I had the battery replaced, and that was back in January, so it's hard to assign blame. Other people are talking about battery swelling and I don't see any traces of that.

I made an appointment at the local Genius Bar for late this morning, will post back later.