jdddcarlson

Q: Macbook Pro cursor jumping around

My cursor for my macbook pro is jumping around? anything I can do to fix it?

MacBook Pro

Posted on Aug 22, 2013 8:21 AM

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Q: Macbook Pro cursor jumping around

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  • by david320212,

    david320212 david320212 May 5, 2014 11:27 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 5, 2014 11:27 AM in response to Linc Davis

    Thanks, Linc!

     

    I used the fix you suggested, and it took care of everything in about 30 seconds - I did not have to take it any further to fix it than the "restart and test" in Safe Mode to take care of it.  Works like a charm, now!

  • by lostarbor,

    lostarbor lostarbor Jun 2, 2014 9:06 PM in response to Jzeeward
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 2, 2014 9:06 PM in response to Jzeeward

    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 :-)

  • by ianvangiesen,

    ianvangiesen ianvangiesen Jun 19, 2014 5:39 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 19, 2014 5:39 PM in response to Linc Davis

    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.

  • by niepan,

    niepan niepan Jul 16, 2014 8:30 AM in response to asilos
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 16, 2014 8:30 AM in response to asilos

    I got similar issue. If I press tab or shift key, the cursor will stay calm for few seconds to few minutes, then it acts up again.

    If you have tried all sort of recommendations and still have no luck,  you may want to simply test your keyboard and make sure there is no key got stuck!

     

    Here is how to test the keyboard

    1) System preference -> language & text

         select  "Input Source"

         check Keyboard & Character Viewer

     

    2) Click language input on top right bar

         in the drop down menu, select "Show Character Viewer"

     

    What I discovered  is that I got a partially stuck arrow key which caused the cursor jumping around, the arrow key turns itself on from time to time!

    Fixing the bad key solved my issue.

  • by niepan,

    niepan niepan Jul 16, 2014 8:35 AM in response to niepan
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 16, 2014 8:35 AM in response to niepan

    Also installed ClamXav free anti-virus software. It did help to clean up my Mac a bit.

  • by harinder9585,

    harinder9585 harinder9585 Sep 5, 2014 9:55 PM in response to jdddcarlson
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 5, 2014 9:55 PM in response to jdddcarlson

    Hey I had this issue in my macbook pro. Seems its a hardware issue I just pressed my mouse pad from all four corners and then from centre for few seconds and the problem went away. I was thinking that some one hacked my computer but when i turned off my wifi it was still happening so i just went online and saw the solution in one of the threads and it worked very well for me. The cursor stopped instantly.

  • by TravelRhythm,

    TravelRhythm TravelRhythm May 12, 2015 4:49 PM in response to jdddcarlson
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 12, 2015 4:49 PM in response to jdddcarlson

    Just solved this: It was mechanical, not a hardware problem. It's been jumping for days, highlighting things, etc. I held down the clicking pad and blew air around it several times and viola. I had spilled a little water on it when it started up.

     

    Try to dry it out or un-wedge any dirty that could have gotten stuck in the corners.

  • by rbeckmann,

    rbeckmann rbeckmann May 21, 2015 1:09 PM in response to jdddcarlson
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 21, 2015 1:09 PM in response to jdddcarlson

    My cursor had been constantly jumping around. My trackpad had been tight up against my keyboard. I moved my trackpad about 4-5  inches away from the keyboard and it eliminated the problem.

  • by luis5255,

    luis5255 luis5255 Jun 20, 2015 7:53 AM in response to jdddcarlson
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 20, 2015 7:53 AM in response to jdddcarlson

    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.

  • by fnrobert,

    fnrobert fnrobert Jun 20, 2015 8:05 AM in response to jdddcarlson
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 20, 2015 8:05 AM in response to jdddcarlson

    Thanks for shares how to fix the problem.

  • by thomas_r.,

    thomas_r. thomas_r. Jun 20, 2015 8:34 AM in response to luis5255
    Level 7 (30,924 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 20, 2015 8:34 AM in response to luis5255

    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.)

  • by jvaughn76,

    jvaughn76 jvaughn76 Aug 20, 2015 7:14 PM in response to jdddcarlson
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Aug 20, 2015 7:14 PM in response to jdddcarlson

    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.

  • by Thailand Amulets,

    Thailand Amulets Thailand Amulets Sep 23, 2015 12:37 PM in response to jdddcarlson
    Level 1 (24 points)
    iLife
    Sep 23, 2015 12:37 PM in response to jdddcarlson

    I found my solution.. switch off siri on iPad stops cursor jump

    On Macbook switch dictation off

    end of problem

    Its Siri trying to both analyse and rewrite your stuff.

  • by cccoggins,

    cccoggins cccoggins Nov 15, 2015 1:10 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 15, 2015 1:10 PM in response to Linc Davis

    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

  • by Chuckmyers1,

    Chuckmyers1 Chuckmyers1 Nov 29, 2015 8:53 PM in response to jdddcarlson
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 29, 2015 8:53 PM in response to jdddcarlson

    This may sound crazy but, if you haveaiphone 6 near your wirelessusb, move it three feet fromcomputer. Tell me if that works.

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