Force Touch Trackpad input while typing

@pittershawn: maybe I'm missing something here, but on my MBP using macOS Sierra, there is a configuration setting that solves this. Go to Preferences | Accessibility, then scroll down to "Mouse & Trackpad". There is a check box for "Ignore built-in trackpad when mouse or wireless trackpad is present". Checking this box completely disables the trackpad on my MBP, allowing me to use the mouse and not worry about brushing the trackpad.

I have the same issue. I am a touch typist and occasionally the lower palm area below my thumb will brush the trackpad while typing and register as a click (moving my cursor to another location). It would be great to be able to adjust run an app or software that would ignore input from a defined portion of the touchpad.

A nice simple app where you can just draw a few squares or round rec's to identify what area of the trackpad you want to ignore input... (like this)

I installed MagicPrefs.

http://magicprefs.com/

(Download , Put in Applications folder and Run.)

System Preferences > Trackpad

1.) Disable the MacBook Pro Trackpad Tap to Click, and Secondary Click

System Preferences > MagicPrefs

2.) Configure MagicPrefs One Finger Tap for Left Click, Set Zone Area for Tap

3.) Configure MagicPrefs Two Finger tap for Right Click, Set Zone Area for Tap

MacBook Pro 13" running SierraOS purchased in Dec 2016 in Singapore. Issue when I am using Apple Mail. I would be half way through replying to an email and it would send it off as I somehow touched the trackpad. I am a two finger typist. I have turned on Tap to Click and set Click to the firm setting. So far so good in solving my issue. Will let folks know if the problem remains. Yes - Apple should address the issue directly. At best, its embarrassing and inconvenient and at worst it is wholly unproductive. Thanks

I have the same problem on my new (2 days old) MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016). It's a nightmare and impacting my productivity. I guess I'll turn off 'tap to click', which I'll really miss. Very annoying!!!

This has been happening to me regularly since purchasing the Touchbar MacBook Pro. Every single time I type, the cursor suddenly moves somewhere else in the middle of my typing. It may move off the screen I'm typing on, or it will jump into another box and my typing will continue there. It's crazy and annoying and I've sent off a message to Apple, but there has been no response. I think I'll give them a call today now that I've read your post.

None. I contacted Apple and they tried to tell me some nonsense about it is because the track pad is larger. Um, no. It doesn't matter what size the track pad is, big or small. Even with the smaller track pad, the hand still brushes it. I used to brush my track pad ALL the time on my previous Mac. They also had a setting that allowed me to turn off the track pad once a mouse was connected. I use a mouse given that I don't care to use a track pad. I went looking for the setting that I've used a dozen times over and they removed it. WHY would they get rid of such a valuable feature??!! Just silly. So rather than admit this is a problem, they tell technical support to tell us it's because the track pad is larger. Ok then.

Thank you so much. I remembered seeing that function in the main area of the preferences under "Trackpad". Either it was moved or I'm misremembering. Either way, thanks for showing me where it is. I am hopeful this will fix the issue and the bouncing around of my cursor will stop.

I also set this on my Macbook, Retina 12" early 2016, OS 10.12.3 and it works on this too. The curser jumping problem was real bad on the Macbook. I have tested this by restarting and also shutting down and starting back up and everything is fine.

I came to laptops late, after using desktops, (with a mouse), for years. When I got my first laptop I found the trackpad completely useless. I hooked up a mouse and have been happy with that, however the curser jumping has been incredibliy annoying. I am so glad to be able to turn the, $#^&! thing off!

Now, if Apple doesn't come out with a "fix" and screw this all up...it does seem that when there is and update the system sometimes gets bumped back to default.

I have a Surface Book and it is flawless. The few issues it had at launch were due to Intel not Microsoft, and yet Microsoft got on the stick and got things fixed. They, unlike Apple didn't pretend to not know anything, or blame the user.

I had to buy a new MacBook Pro, since my old MBP late 2011 died (for the second time the motherboard stopped working!). Got a 2016 15" - having some challenges learning to use it.

The worst is exactly this - whenever I write, suddenly I discover having written on other lines than wanted.

Soooo annoying, and this thread doesn't show me any solutions working for me.

Apart from the trackpad issue, I have something else to learn: Not to touch the Touchbar when typing.

Dear Apple please solve this - I do a lot of writing, and paying a lot of money for a computer that sometimes annoys me, is not what I expect being a Mac user since 1989.......

I have a MacBook Pro touchbar 13" and I was having the same problem. It was really the main reason I was hating the smaller keyboard so much. I turned off "tap to touch" on the trackpad, which seems to have helped. But why should I have to disable such a valuable trackpad feature? I hate having to press so hard on the trackpad now. I was surprised to learn in this thread that the trackpad supposedly has palm rejection. As with others, when tap to touch was on, it only took the slightest grazing for the cursor to jump all over the place, sometimes into a different window or the start of a sentence. It was maddening. But, as I said, at least for me, getting rid of tap to touch feature seems to have made typing a much better experience. It seems to happen with me when the laptop is actually on my lap, I am touch typing and I use the space bar which is very close to the trackpad. Never had this problem on Macbook air. It seems to be basically a design flaw. I should be able to use the laptop as the default stock is set up so all features can be used.

Well, almost 2 years after your post I bought a new 2017 MBP and Trackpad 2 -

- and if anything the problems are *worse*. After a week (with Force Touch on or off and with every possible setting) I can't even select filename in Finder without the associated app opening over half the time!

And the sensitivity problems you mentioned are probably worse for me. I have wrist issues AND I'm not a touch typist, so it's almost unavoidable having the cursor move to someplace other than where it *should* be when I type.

And palm rejection is NONEXISTENT!

I talked to Apple for the 4th time today, and there's no solution in sight. After TWO years of related issues! I've never encountered this type of ambivalence on Apple's part. And I'm stuck - ALL my hardware is Apple and I have to use a trackpad.

I can't imagine anyone dealing with this for 2 years!

The only option that worked for me was turning off "tap to click" – I'm used to not having that now (you can click and drag with one finger on the new trackpads.) But I think I preferred tap to click.

I have yet to see a MBP where this problem (at least one running macOS Sierra) can't be solved by using the solution I added to this thread a page or two previously. It's a simple Preferences checkbox in Accessibility and I included a screenshot in my post showing how to disable the Trackpad. The only thing it won't do is retain this setting when you restart the MBP. In fact, several users commented that it worked for them.