Cursor jumps around

I am on my third MacBook PRo, first one no problem, second one (early 21013), was fine for years until the last year of it's life. THEN I bought a brand spanker three days ago, thinking there was something wrong with my 2013 only to find it is doing the same thing straight away! Jeesus top of the range $4.5 ks later and you can't even type three words without this issue!

After reading through these posts I tried some of the suggestions but this one was the one that fixed it , so far so good! Typed this whole blurb with no probs...Good luck people.

"Turn of the, "Tap to click," option in the Trackpad's System

Preferences. Granted, it's a setting that I like to use, but it does

eliminate the jumping cursor issue."

PERSIST! That's all I can recommend. I suspect a lot of the less hands-on experienced people have mainly iPhone understanding. After being told by a supervisor on the Apple support line to call Google, because I was having the problem(not exclusively) in Gmail, I set up my own "Genius"appointment. They have made it tricky to set up, you need to go though the questions and say it's a hardware issue. The first time I went, the guy was very helpful, and he ran a full hardware check, and then restored my software, and said to come back if it didn't do the trick. BTW, if you back up on a WD Passport, do not set it up with a password! I could not retrieve my back up.

It seemed maybe a bit better, but literally on this message board, my keys would shoot my cursor up into my subject line while typing. I made another Genius appt, and I was assigned a young non-Genius, who hadn't taken the trouble to read my history, and was very patronizing, and obviously misunderstands her role at Apple. I demanded her manager, and asked her to leave us to it. He offered to send it in to service(still under warranty), and had another guy finish up. I had them erase my data, as without requesting permission, she had gone into my Notes as a feeble attempt to recreate the problem. So Kudos to the store manager.

OK, I got the MacBook Pro back, pretty fast. Got sent to Tennessee from California. They replaced the Logic Board, the top cover including the keyboard and battery, and some cables which they wrote were defective. The flat repair price if it had been sent in with no warranty was $795. I suspect all this stuff could actually be more at a good repair shop.

Seems to be working...maybe they take a shotgun approach in repairs-that's fine with me.

Sorry, for the long post, but hopefully it can help someone, and Apple is reading too.

Actually, I found resetting the NVRAM and the SMC can eliminate the jumpy cursor issue. After resetting both, I have no typo mistakes in this reply. Fingers crossed.

https://www.macworld.com/article/2881177/macs/how-to-reset-your-macs-nvram-pram- and-smc.html

I have the same problem and, while I endeavor not to touch the trackpad with the palm or thumb, I must inadvertently do so and cause the typing to insert at the cursor's last location. Incredibly annoying and kills productivity as everyone has stated.

Running Sierra and have found that I not only have to turn off the "tap to click," I also have to shift the click pressure to firm. This has eliminated the cursor input shift at the expense of needing a full press every time. Not ideal, but it has worked for a day so far with no inadvertent typing surprises.

Hoping for an intelligent software fix soon.

The problem is the large trackpad in close proximity to the keyboard. Most of us are not concert pianists, so we will inadvertently touch the pad and cause the cursor to jump. Disabling the "Tap to Click" option may be the only solution, but I agree it is VERY annoying.

I have taped some thick paper across the top of the trackpad, which is ugly, but has solved the jumping cursor problem for me. There ought to be a way of disabling the top of the trackpad by software, but none of the trackpad apps seems to be able to do this.

That appears to have been the situation, and even its own techs were not informed. There is now a small grudging admission somewhere on their web site that "some" keyboards have been acting up. The complaints seen here however, go back much further. Be 100% sure you are not touching the esc key with your pinkie- a HUGE design flaw!

Then just keep demanding it be repaired by an Apple facility, if it's still under warranty. Don't even waste time calling Apple. Go to a store, and if the tech is not on board, get a manager. Mine is OK for now, the second time round of keyboard replacement.

Yes I know. They seem to have a blame the victim approach. However, they have sneaked in an admission on their website referring to this, but absolutely no official Apple links. They replaced the top shell again- ie keyboard plus battery etc. so far it seems ok, but I am not a power user. Note also a stupid design flaw is the soft esc button, which I find can be easily touched by my left pinkie. There are even a couple of programs out there to reprogram your keyboard buttons. May be unrelated, but the new MacBook Pros have some internal changes on the keyboard, not announced, but uncovered on iiFixit. Maybe they put one of those in, and I don’t know if it’s relevant. I would try and video your problem, and absolutely insist at the Apple store that they upload it to the repair facility. I would also have the tech at the store show you exactly what they are writing. Take a picture of your laptop before you give it in. I had that one instance of flashing screen that I video’d, and only after a week did I fortunately get contacted directly by the facility, and I uploaded it. That was very helpful to them. I would not give up, and demand the store manager if necessary. I have not done so, but I guess if you want you could write a review of the product on the website where you bought it.

Good luck!

I have this SAME problem. I actually bought a NEW MacBook Pro to replace my older 2009 one largely for that reason. Imagine my disgust when the SAME problem occurred on my new computer. Mac Help CHAT insisted I needed to return my new MAC to it's original state - deleting all software I transferred from the old, and then reinstall all in bits and pieces to see what software might be causing the problem. I also looked around the internet where the most common solution is to turn off the touchpad while typing. That DID NOT work for me. However a less common solution was that Bluetooth might be causing interference. I DID find that turning off Bluetooth seems to really help. Though in typing this 'Reply' I did find the cursor relocating twice. that's quite a bit better than it was doing, but the solution for MY computer doesn't seem to have been found yet! What IS going on??? Guess I've got to bite the bullet and delete and reinstall the system and other software as suggested. Looking at days or weeks of work to that end...

Well, they took my Macbook back in, again. Not only did the problem recur, but there was a new problem which I video'd on my iPhone-when touching the trackpad, my screen was flickering, and going on and off to black. They couldn't reproduce it, kept my laptop down in Tennessee forever, and finally, again, replaced the keyboard/ battery. There is now a little note on the Apple Support page, vaguely referring to this kind of cursor issue in quite a few models. Turns out, they don't share this with Technical Support, ahead of time, so they make you feel like no such problem exists. Anyone who has this may want to try taking it into an Apple Store. My first time on the boards this time round, so far ok.This note is as much for me, to check it out! I would like to be able to disable the esc touch key, as it is easy to hit that, but only way is to use third party software to disable the touch bar. That was not the issue in my case, but I have done it a couple of times.

I didn't mind a less invasive first try, they replaced the flex cable in the mouse pad which can be done in-store and allowed me to have my laptop back less than 24 hours later. Losing it for a week is tough, but will now have to face that likelihood.

I had my keyboard replaced on my MacBook (purchased Jan 2017) because the spacebar was permanently stuck (and was having to use a bluetooth keyboard). This was my third MacBook during that month -- I had many issues with sticking keys and almost got a different model.The first week of June 2018, they wanted $575 for the fix. I couldn't afford it and took it home. The following week or so, they had the program where they would fix this issue for free.

When I got the MacBook home after fixing the sticking spacebar, the cursor started jumping, exactly the same situation as everyone has described here. It has now been brought to the Century City Apple Store, and been taken in (that's where it is now) for repair FOUR times (keyboard was subsequently replaced twice more). The third time they only wiped everything saying they could not replicate the problem (despite having it for two weeks), so it doesn't count towards possibly "looking at alternatives."

The tap to click is off, a mouse has been attached and removed, the Vpram etc has been reset, it's been in safe mode. My sleeveless wrists aren't touching the trackpad. All of the usual issues mentioned here and on other boards. NOTHING HAS WORKED.

Every. single. consultant has said, "I've never heard of this problem before." Now they're going to try and replace a cable inside.

Oh, and the last (fourth) time I picked it up to see if it was working, since it was wiped, I had to reinstall my hard drive, a three-hour process (staying in the store because I could not bear coming back again). Literally, by the second sentence, I typed it was jumping. I spoke to FOUR different "geniuses" including a manager, who said they had to try to repair it again. I actually cried, I was so frustrated.

I desperately need my computer for work, and am on my old Air. I've lost confidence in Apple. I've gone pretty much the entire summer without a consistently working computer/laptop. While everyone has been "nice," no one has done anything about it. I feel like a permanent fixture at the store and at a mall I loathe.

I am NOT trying to get a new laptop. I love the size and I have a special custom ordered skin on it. I JUST WANT IT TO WORK. But, according to them, I am the only person with this "unusual" problem. (But not according to this thread).

Wow. What language is that? You have spent way too much time. I didn’t think it would help the second time it got sent down to Tennessee, but it did. They replaced the same front shell again, this is right after the new Pros came out. So maybe the new replacements are different. First time round they also replaced the logic board and internal cables. I would recommend speaking to the store manager only, and demand he escalate this at Apple.

Or try Randy Mac! https://www.nbclosangeles.com/contact-us/about-us/Randy-Mac-McIlwain-269919541.h tml

Dear Apple - PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS!!!

This is a user-to-user technical support forum. Apple does not monitor these forums for bugs and feature requests. But Apple has provided ways to communicate that information.

macOS Feedback

<https://www.apple.com/feedback/macos.html>

They will not reply, but it does get read.

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Same issue here. Also a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. Will try NVRAM and SMC resets, and disabling Tap to Click.

Wondering if anyone has tried key logging themselves to see what key(s) immediately precede the cursor redirect. While I am not yet electing to research safe keyboard loggers and test it, is anyone else more knowledgable or at the ready willing to try this?