Macbook Pro cursor jumping around

To users who have problems with the cursor moving on its own, I had the same problem using os 10.10.3. I did not want to reinstall the OS and

my data. I purchased CleanMyMac3, and for the past week this problem has gone away. For my it was worth the $40.00 to purchase this program.

This problem was making almost impossible to use my Mac Book Pro. Hope that this suggestion is helpful and that it works for you.

luis5255 wrote:

I purchased CleanMyMac3, and for the past week this problem has gone away.

There is absolutely nothing that CleanMyMac could have done that would have affected this problem. What you observed was just coincidence. CleanMyMac is a scam, often installed alongside adware, and like all "cleaning" apps, has no real purpose. See:

The myth of the dirty Mac

(Fair disclosure: I may receive compensation from links to my sites, TheSafeMac.com and AdwareMedic.com.)

In addressing this problem (which looks like it has been going on for quite some time) I thought I would post my own situation and solution (so far).

15" 2.53GHz MacBook Pro Mid-2009, 8 GB RAM, 500 GB hard drive, running Yosemite 10.10.5. About 4-5 days ago, the cursor was behaving erratically: jumping around, opening Launchpad, moving files and windows. I tried resetting PRAM and SMC, all to no avail. Also did the "hard push" on the trackpad and opened the back (but did not take out the battery, as I did not have the tools to do so) to see if there was moisture inside.

Solution (thus far): start the computer in Safe Mode. While I did not test any third-party programs, I did delete a Safari Extension that was not helping me or needed anymore (iGive.com). While I don't believe the extension was the source of the problem (the erratic trackpad behavior would happen even if Safari wasn't open) I do believe there were some file and/or directory issues causing the problem. I've had the computer on now for about six hours straight, and it has not jumped around yet (fingers crossed).

Thanks to all who have posted so far, especially Linc Davis. Good luck to all those still having the issue.

Linc,

thank you for your detailed suggestions; haven't tried them yet but will soon. My question is undoubtedly naive but here goes. If you always use external power, why should you need to change your batteries? How do batteries get "swollen"? How often do you recommend changing batteries? I have a MacBook Pro mid 2009 and other than a recent jumping cursor, have had no trouble with it. My desk top is my work horse, but my laptop gets plenty of use. Candace

I just had the same problem after cleaning my trackpad with Windex on a paper towel. Luckily I live in a dry climate and it fixed itself in about 45 minutes. If you have to clean the trackpad, do it very sparingly with as little liquid as possible!

I've been having the same issue with my Macbook Pro as well-- first with the trackpad, then I purchased a magic mouse to see if it would solve the problem, but unfortunately it didn't. There seemed to be a correlation between the amount of power the mouse had and how wonky it was. At full power it is unusable, but as it loses power the cursor won't jump around as much. I tried the suggestions above, except for replacing the battery, and none of them worked. I explained the issue to my boss and he pointed out that my mouse is being used on a reflective white surface and since the magic mouse uses an optical sensor, that might be causing the jumps and increased sensitivity. So I flipped over my navy canvas notebook for a mousepad and the problem was gone immediately.

But why was it jumpy before I got the mouse? Still not sure... maybe a swollen battery?

Could be a misalignment of the trackpad. Try to push gently the trackpad to the side from the outside without opening the Mac (the trackpad must be centered by some reason get off-centered). I had the same problem after installed a new logic board and was becoming me crazy until I do this. Maybe was good luck but it works.

Just have a look at these solutions, worked for me... cheers

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1248?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

Another suggestion to add to the list -- check that all the keys on your keyboard are operating cleanly and not sticking. (the principle being to do the simplest thing before you escalate to power supplies, SMC and PRAM resets and goodness know what else, not to mention jazzrascal's crazy oscillating cover). Space bars and other frequently used keys sometimes get clogged and wear out.

Viz:

shut down, power off and disconnected

check that each individual key operates cleanly without sticking, or extra or unusual clicks, and returns fully to the disengaged position when released

if you find a sticky key then search for the cleaning method appropriate to your keyboard (types of key mechanisms vary)

and then, just for good measure

invert the keyboard and apply a clean brush, like a soft clothes brush, over all the keys to loosen and remove accumulated blueberry muffin.

Seeing the same issue with Early 2011 Macbook Pro 15" 2.2Ghz. I'm finding a corralation with the computer TEMPTERATURE and the trackpad skipping around. When I turn up the fans and cool the device down the trackpad returns to normal function.

Can anyone else recreate this / confirm this on their devices? Thanks.

OK... this may be weird, but true. I work as an entertainer on cruise ships. Been having trouble with the jumping cursor thing like everyone else explained. Then I sat at a table on land while we were in port. No Problems. Get back to the ship and it starts again. Wifi, bluetooth, on or off didn't matter as others have mentioned. I usually sit in my bed and work with the my laptop (macbook pro circa late 2012, Maverick 10.9) . So I got thinking, on a table, no problem (on land)... on the ship, problem. Mac is never level or not vibrating slightly from the ship when it is moving. So I have been consciously making sure my computer is level and cushioned from vibration with a pillow (allowing air flow for fan). NO Problem. Tilt my computer, even a little bit, and it starts up again after a while.

This being said, my wife did recently "clean" my computer and admitted she used some windex and it might have been a bit too much around the trackpad (ugh, I know...Windex, she has been educated since). She did the same to hers and has been having problems too with her trackpad. Also, we accidently left our computers outside one night on our patio. We live near the beach and moisture is pretty prevelant overnight outside.

My thoughts, unscientific for sure, is that moisture is somewhere under, or at the edges of the trackpad and is affecting control. Hers is getting better everyday, and we spray air around the edges of the trackpad regularly to help evaporate the offending liquid.

My 2 cents... maybe it will help someone with this mystery. Cheers

I had this problem on and off for ages and finally discovered it was the power supply causing it - I have a few different power supplies - the original which came with the Mac (Macbook Pro 17inch 2009) and others which i have bought online.

The original PSU never gives me problems but some of the others do - i have only just discovered this so havent worked out which of the other ones do give problems yet (its not all of them which do) - might relate to temperature of the unit though!.

I have different PSU because i take my mac around to work in different places so find it is much easier if i have a power supply already set up where i am going.

Hope this helps - a good way to test is to remove the power supply and let it run on battery and see if that stops the problem.

yes i tried step 3 . in safe mode it works well.. after rebooting its giving same problem..could you please solve the problem i am having for 4 months

Thanks. That is what was happening with mine. Note: aftermarket supply which costs half the price. It runs very hot too. I wish I had ponied up the dough and bought aapl now :-)

Hey, Linc, as requested I am posting that my cursor behaved normally in safe boot mode. Two other important factors to include; occasionally the computer will shut down with a kernal panic error; and the cursor jumps around without clicking anything. So logically (I assume) I erased the hard drive, reinstalled os x and uploaded my timewarp backup. However the problem continues to persist.

Any solutions? I am wondering if maybe I should erase everything but the essentials from the backup, ie. documents, games, some apps, and erase the rest. Perhaps the problem is coming from something that I backed up in the hard-drive; is there a way to identify if the cursor jumping around is a result of the faulty operating system or something else?

Thanks, Ian.