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.

For me this started with the 10.14.1 update, oh how I regret allowing that!

I have no external keyboard or mouse, and have rebooted the system. No external monitor.

This is not a problem with the size of the cursor, not am I an idiot who just can't find or see it, it really is invisible and it happens about 50% of the time an application is chosen from the dock. This happens regardless of whether the app is starting from cold, or is running without windows open. It happens with the OSX calendar, chrome, mail, evernote, itunes ... in sort the specific app is not important.

I can get the cursor back by using 4-fingers-up to show my workspaces even just for an instant. This isn't a solution though, as I have to do it multiple times a minute.

This is a real thing.

Greetings, alop.

It seems that, while using your wireless trackpad with your MacBook Pro, the cursor will disappear. Great job on the troubleshooting you've used, and I'm happy to help.

If your pointer is jumpy when you use a trackpad, Magic Trackpad, or Magic Mouse -- Review the information and apply the steps provided in this article.

Let me know how that goes, and take care!

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 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.

Did you solve it?

My problem is similar, sometimes, when I type the cursor gets back one position and it's curious but while I'm typing this I noticed that it's mostly the letter "T" the one that causes the problem.

It happens kinda 40% of the time I press the "T"

I tried to reset PRAM but is not working.

I think it started to happen in the 10.14.1 update...

I have a 2015 Macbook Air

It doesn't help because I don't use wireless trackpad. This new update is a joke. I can't work normal way... I'll never update mac system until wait at least 6 months. And I use 15 inch macbook pro from 2017...

Experiencing intermittent cursor issues. Today Apple Genius personnel performed a PRAM reset. Try the following:

Shut down your MAC. Turn it on and immediately press and hold these four keys together: Option, Command, P and R. Release keys after approximately 20 seconds, during which time your MAC might appear to start. Advised to repeat this process 2-3 times. I found it works after one attempt. Also, immediately after I installed Mojave my computer crashed with the result of Apple replacing my hard drive. Regret jumping on the Mojave band wagon so soon.

I am having the same "disappearing cursor" problem as described in this discussion. It just started today (12/28/2018). I upgraded to Mojave about a week ago. I am using a 13-inch MacBook Pro (early 2015).

This just happened to us as well. My husband performed the Mojave update (which I did not want him to do) and immediately we had issues with the cursor. It comes and goes. We won't be able to type in the Google search box one minute, then we can. It's very frustrating when you can't get your work done. I'm going to try some of the suggestions on this thread and hope they work! Hopefully, Apple is looking into this issue because more and more people will start to report this problem. It should be fixed.

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! 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))

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.

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 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.