cursor disappears after Mojave upgrade

Having posted earlier, I said I had this problem: On switching to or starting a new application the cursor becomes invisible. It can still be seen to operate in that things under the cursor, like the dock, will respond however the cursor itself is invisible until one of a number of gestures/key combinations are used like showing workspaces, then it becomes visible again for a while.

I fixed my problem with an NVRAM reset as described here:

https://support.apple.com/en-ie/HT204063

If you've done the Mojave upgrade and gotten the same result I have I suspect (YMMV) that Apple isn't going to fix it and may not consider it a bug in the OS, but maybe only a side effect of the update process and given that not many people seem to be affected you may not get a resolution by waiting.

I have also found that, when the mouse "disappears" on multi-screen, it's not *actually* invisible, but stuck at the very edge of the screen (from when I moved the mouse onto that screen). CMD+Tab fixes it.

However, going off screen and coming back DOES NOT fix it. The cursor will show up (partially, because it's cut off) at the edge of the screen until CMD+Tab.

For my 2018 Mac Mini, an SMC reset resolved the issue

The reset for the Mac Mini is done this way.

shutdown the system

unplug the system and all perepherals.

Keep unpluged for 20 seconds

connect peripherals and power up.

Thats it.

unugging the pereferals ensures that all capaseters drain in the 20 second power down. Some externals can apparently gender the SMC reset.

The problem specifically reported here has to do with a change in pointer behavior after the upgrade to Mojave 10.14.3. Prior to that point release many of us were not experiencing the transparent pointer; though, it is possible to have a similar problem for different reasons.

In my own case an SMC reset of my 2018 Mac mini resolved the problem; however, this has not been a permanent fix for all users, based on the reports here.

Even though you may have a different version of Max OS, it may be that one of the workarounds or fixes reported here will help you. To do an SMC reset on a Mac mini as far back as late 2012:

1. Power the machine down using Apple -> Shutdown
2. Unplug the power cord and all peripherals.
3. Leave the machine completely disconnected from all power and peripherals for 20 seconds.
4. Reconnect the machine
5. Power up as usual

hey! this is what works for me: move you invisible cursor all the way to the top of your screen and click one of the words on the left side of the toolbar. still a pain, but i'll be using this as a temporary fix until the next patch. (p.s. for me, what causes the invisibility is switching from one application to the other (i.e. spotify to safari))

So, some cursory web searches show that this might be happening mainly to people who have multiple displays set up (as I do). The quickest fix for me, is always to do CMD+Tab out of, and then back into, the application that isn't showing my mouse. Also, I do not think it is trackpad-related as it happens when I'm using an external mouse (wired) and with the trackpad disabled.

This has apparently been an issue since at least 2013:

http://osxdaily.com/2013/07/19/disappearing-mouse-cursor-mac-os-x/

I have also tried PRAM and SMC (system management controller) resets. They might work for a short time, however, the issue always reappears.

I have talked to several high level Apple employees about this issue. They are aware of the issue but have been unable to figure out exactly what is going on.

Currently, Apple is collecting SysDiagnose files in an attempt to figure out what is going on.

To capture a SysDiagnose File - Press the following keys together:

Command + Option + Control + Shift + . Then wait until the window with the SysDiagnose file appears on the Mac Desktop.

I would suggest collecting a SysDiagnose file while the issue is occurring and when it is not occurring.

Next use an email account that supports Mail Drop. SysDiagnose Files are really large, so you will need an account that can send 100 megabyte files. Apple icloud accounts are great for handing these types of issues.

Finally, contact Apple Care and notify them of this forum. Next, offer to send them the SysDiagnose file via email.

I don't have a solution, but I do have a fast way to make the pointer visible.

The pointer is invisible, but some movements and button operations still work. Move the mouse or your finger as if you were taking the pointer from somewhere on the screen to the upper left corner of your screen. Then click the left button or single click on the trackpad. This will drop down the Apple menu, and the cursor will appear in the top left corner.

This has worked every time for me on my 2018 Mac mini, but I have not tested it on other products.

Glad it worked for you! Wish that would solve it for the rest of us.

I have been reporting this issue to Apple for several months now. Unfortunately, it appears to me that either the cause has not been identified or the problem is a low priority item.

I guess we need to apply the old saying.... the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

I personally think that it is either a memory leak issue or a video driver issue. We won't know until Apple can examine the logs of several different machines.

May I recommend that everyone here send a sysdiagnose file to Apple? We need to capture a sysdiagnose while the mouse cursor is missing and than another sysdiagnose once the mouse cursor has reappeared.

To capture a SysDiagnose File - Press the following keys together:

Command + Option + Control + Shift + . Then wait until the window with the SysDiagnose file appears on the Mac Desktop.

Interesting.... The same workaround (Command + Tab) works for my invisible mouse issue.

I have been dealing with a similar issue for over a year now. About 20% of the time my 5k iMac starts up without a mouse pointer. You can wiggle the mouse all you want but the pointer will not appear.

After reading this forum I discovered that the prescribed work around (Command + Tab) will cause my invisible mouse pointer to magically appear. The problems must have a common cause.

Last year I joined the Apple beta program for Mojave to try to get this issue resolved. Unfortunately, it is still not resolved.

How do we go about getting this issue fixed? Here a few ideas:

If you are a beta tester - report this issue to Apple through the beta tester feedback app.

Send a report to Apple via Apple.com/feedback

Call AppleCare and send the support agent to this forum. This will help Apple realize that this is not an isolated issue.

Contact Apple Management if you have that option available.

My problem seems to have been solved by performing the NVRAM reset as described above. I did the reset four days ago, and the cursor has not become invisible since the reset.

I have played with this problem for awhile and it is not because of Mojave as I have not downloaded it yet. I just close the lid and wait a few seconds and when I reopen it the cursor has reappeared.

As mentioned above, pressing command+tab works for me to bring the cursor back.

Yes, this is super annoying and lately pervasive. It disappears every time I switch screens or displays. I have to click on the menu bar to get it to come back multiple times per minute. I'll quit all apps and restart just now, but it is a software problem and not malware. Apple, please fix!

Hey Aaron,

The problem you are having with long login times may be one that can be resolved. If it is truly a random issue, it may not have anything to do with your hardware.

Try this:

1. Go into System Preferences -> Users and Groups -> Login Items
2. The right hand side of the window has a list labeled 'These items will load automatically when you log in:'. Make note of any items that are started at log in and remove the ones that don't need to load at that time.

Also, there is a program called Launch Control that allows you to much more closely manage the processes running on your Mac. Control extends to the following types of processes:

• User Agents
• Global Agents
• Global Daemons
• System Agents
• System Daemons

I don't recommend making changes to any but the first category unless you are familiar with the processes your Mac needs to function properly. Also, don't disable any processes that have apple in the name unless you understand the effects. That said, you should look for software you have installed that may have jobs running that you did not expect. For instance, Adobe and Google both place running processes on your system without you authorizing them expressly.

Enableing and disabling jobs is as simple as checking or unchecking a box; so, Launch Control will not require you to learn any terminal tools. However, LC is just providing a GUI into work you can perform in a terminal.

While I'm writing this, my Mac has 342 processes running, and I keep a close watch on what runs automatically on my Mac.

As a last thought, you may want to open a thread on another group that more directly addresses slow downs on Macs. There is almost always something that can be done. Hope this helps.