Mouse cursor lags with external monitor

Question

Level 1

14 points

Mouse cursor lags with external monitor

hello,

i have just purchased a dell u2913wm monitor with a native resolution of 2560x1080. when connected to my macbook air (with mountain lion) using a mini displayport cable my cursor starts lagging on both screens. basically, when i move the mouse along a line on my desk the cursor results in a very erratic trajectory. this occurs when using a usb mouse and with the integrated trackpad. if the monitor is turned off or unplugged the mouse is smooth again. .

a similar problem was reported a few years ago but somehow the thread is just archived ( https://discussions.apple.com/thread/1965949?start=0&tstart=0 ).

also, i had trouble with the monitor that osx recognised it as ypbpr, so i had to force it to treat it as rgb device, because otherwise the image was unsharp.

on my macbook (mid 2010) running mavericks the cursor is smooth, so the monitor and the cable are apparently not faulty.

MacBook Air, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5)

Posted on Oct 24, 2013 12:23 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

R.Beck

Level 1

4 points

Nov 21, 2016 10:21 PM in response to flo.riano

SOLUTION HERE:

Unplug screen connector (In my case mini-dp to HDMI) on the mini-dp end and plug it in again.

I personally use both bluetooth keyboard and trackpad, running OSX Sierra on a MacBook Air early 2015.

This solved the cursor lag after sleep.

Note: The cursor lag is both for the onboard AND external trackpad.

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Answer 2

pilotkid

Level 1

8 points

Jan 16, 2017 2:19 PM in response to mihaifromtimisoara

Is the foil still working for you? I'm "trying" to use my Magic Trackpad with a HP Envy 32 external monitor with my 2015 MacBook in clamshell mode and my trackpad is basically unusable. The mouse just skips all over the screen...I am also having a delay with my Apple Bluetooth Keyboard!

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Answer 3

itqc82

Level 1

4 points

Feb 13, 2017 2:19 PM in response to pilotkid

No it hasn't been fixed. I deal with this issue since 2013 and I must admit that I am very frustrated that Apple did nothing to fix it so far.

I will soon change my laptop and I don't plan to buy another Macbook. This is sad since I used to like those computers.

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Answer 4

Mar 23, 2017 1:22 PM in response to flo.riano

I'm experiencing the same BT mouse cursor jumping with a brand new MBP 13" 2016, and an external new Dell 22" monitor, and a logitech mouse. I'm connecting via a usb-c dongle/adapter to HDMI to feed the monitor. Is it an issue with the monitor or HDMI?

In my last job I had a 15" MBP 2012, and external dell monitor that worked fine with the same mouse, but it was connecting via miniport to VGA connector (I think).

Issue makes the $2500 MBP a piece of junk. go apple go.

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Answer 5

annivun

Level 1

9 points

Apr 24, 2017 3:27 PM in response to jasdipBoy

This, combined with the resolution issues of external display's makes me think all the designers live in a cocoon bubble of Apple everything. The business world does not, and they need to go out and see how their products are used.

Highly thinking about switching back to Windows on my next purchase.

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Answer 6

csfulham

Level 1

4 points

Jun 7, 2017 1:55 AM in response to flo.riano

SOLUTION:

I too think this is a wireless interference issue with the HDMI cable and the wireless mouse's USB antenna.

I found the same with my MBP model A1502:

- External Dell monitor creating terrible mouse lag.

- HDMI port adjacent to the wireless mouse USB antenna.

- I switched from the HDMI port to using the Thunderbolt port on the opposite side of the MBP

(using an HDMI->Thunderbolt adapter)

- No more lag.

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Answer 7

Aug 17, 2017 6:45 AM in response to csfulham

I get the mouse lag no matter the mouse used, be it a usb mouse, or the touchpad of the laptop (Macbook Pro 2016 with touchbar). It can be seen clearly by dragging the mouse on the external monitor and then dragging the mouse on the laptop screen (the mouse cursor moves in a much sharper way on the laptop screen).

This is on a Macbook 13,2, on mac OS 10.12.6, with a Dell P2415Q and HDMI cables (either a direct HDMI to USB-C cable or with an adapter for USB-C to HDMI and a straight HDMI-HDMI cable). Laptop has only USB-C ports, so I don't see how trying a different cable would help.

Reported this bug with a link to this thread to apple, they probably won't do anything about it.

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Answer 8

TheERROR

Level 1

11 points

Sep 11, 2017 2:28 AM in response to alxdw

Yeah... amazing. I do bought think for 2300 EUR and mouse chopping quite a lot, where on ALL another system no problems as far. It's awesome, that there is such easy solution... wait a minute... the new MBP don't have any port on second side... it's even do not have nothing that 2 USB-C like (whatever Apple call it) ports...

I'm quite angry...

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Answer 9

Shid3vil

Level 1

20 points

Oct 16, 2017 9:47 AM in response to flo.riano

My magic mouse 2 have been having issue on high sierra with external display. My macbook lit is closed.

Out of all the ways suggested.

Indeed changing the USB port to the other side works but if you wish to continue using the USB port.

Another way is to change to a better HDMI cable which works for me.

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Answer 10

laurinpb

Level 1

4 points

Feb 4, 2018 1:16 AM in response to flo.riano

Same problem with an 26“ Ijyama monitor connected via HDMI to a 2014 15“ Retina MacBook Pro with Intel HD Graphics. Sometimes this setup works for several hours until the cursor suddenly starts freezing and jumping on external mouse and integrated trackpad. Additionally, the external screen turns black for a couple of seconds repeatedly. Unplugging the monitor solves this issue immediately, but plugging it back in will result in the MBP not recognizing the monitor anymore. A reboot does not help, and Windows via BootCamp does not recognize the display either. Same issue with other HDMI cables and other monitors. Only thing that helps is waiting til next day and waking the MBP while the monitor is plugged in. Then the setup will most likely work for 3-5 hours.

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Answer 11

flo.riano Author

Level 1

14 points

Oct 26, 2013 6:55 AM in response to flo.riano

Also the update to Mavericks on my Macbook Air did not fix the issue. I had to reapply the fix for using RGB instead of YPbPr, but the mouse still hangs...

It would be great to hear if other users with a Macbook Air (13", with Intel HD 5000 Graphics) and a Dell U2913WM have similar issues or if it works. A brief reply stating what MBA model and what Dell monitor you have and whether your mouse cursor runs smooth or not would be highly appreciated.

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Answer 12

Corey888

Level 1

0 points

Oct 27, 2013 12:03 AM in response to flo.riano

I'm having the same exact issues and I did the same fix that you did as well. Solved the issue with forcing RGB but I'm still experiencing the mouse lag/skipping.

I have a brand new MacBook Air (mid 2013) 13" with an i7 and Intel HD 5000. The monitor I'm running is a Dell 2713H.

Updating Mavericks lead me to forcing the RGB on again but same as you the mouse lag still stayed.

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Answer 13

flo.riano Author

Level 1

14 points

Oct 27, 2013 2:42 AM in response to Corey888

First of all, thanks for your reply. We should try to get to a working solution together.

I have got a few more questions:

1. What cable are you using?

2. Does your cursor skip all the time when the monitor is connected?

For me it's not - it just happens sometimes (but when it happens even an OS X reboot does not help). The last few times I was able to fix it by changing "DDC/CI" and "DisplayPort 1.2" in the monitor settings (menu "Other Settings"). The strange thing is that it does NOT matter whether I disable or enable the mentioned settings. It seems that the only important thing is that I CHANGE the settings - I guess it resets or forces OS X to re-read some display related settings and then gets it right.

3. Have you tried the apple support? I assume that it will not help, as first of all it didn't help the people in the link I posted above and secondly I guess that they just tell us to buy a compatible Apple display (which is not really an option).

I must emphasize again that my Macbook (unibody, mid 2010) does not have these issues at all, so it must be related to the Macbook Air (mid 2013). I assume that there is a problem with the Intel HD 5000 driver.

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Answer 14

flo.riano Author

Level 1

14 points

Oct 27, 2013 4:50 AM in response to flo.riano

I just had a chat with Apple support and was advised to bring my computer including the large screen to the next Apple store. I expect that Apple does their testing, evaluation and debugging without the consumers being involved, so I am a bit disappointed. The support person told me that there must be a hardware problem as they do not have a large track of other users having the same problem.

So apparently the problem is not acknowledged as an official bug which needs to be fixed by Apple.

Please, if you want Apple to fix this, talk to the support. Here is a link to the support chat https://getsupport.apple.com/ConfirmationAction.action# . This only works if you have a valid care protection plan. If you don't have one, you probably need to call the service number, which you can find on http://www.apple.com/support/contact/ .

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Answer 15

Kraasa

Level 1

5 points

Nov 3, 2013 7:10 AM in response to flo.riano

Hi all, I have the same problem when I connect my Philips 272P monitor (27" (2560x1440) via cable display port - no reduction - minidisplayport <> displayport) to my new Macbook Pro 13" with retina display (currently available), the mouse cursor lags at regular intervals during movement. Mouse cursor skip all the time when the monitor is connected.

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