A mouse cursor disappearing can be caused by a driver issue, a setting that hides the pointer while typing, or a glitch. Update drivers and restart.
Common causes
- Outdated or corrupt mouse driver.
- “Hide pointer while typing” setting.
- Display or graphics driver issues.
- Dead battery in wireless mouse.
- Software conflicts.
Fixes (Windows)
- Press Fn plus the touchpad key.
- Update drivers in Device Manager.
- Mouse settings: uncheck Hide pointer while typing.
- Restart.
Mac
Shake the mouse to find it and restart.
Hardware
Try another USB port.
Software and driver causes
The cursor may vanish due to a graphics driver issue, a full-screen app, laptop touchpad toggles, pointer trails settings, or a USB receiver with low battery in wireless mice. On Windows, pressing Fn plus the touchpad function key re-enables a disabled touchpad.
- Windows Settings under Bluetooth and devices, then Mouse, allows checking pointer options and the “Hide pointer while typing” setting.
- Updating the display driver through Device Manager often fixes disappearing cursors on laptops with Intel or NVIDIA GPUs.
- On Mac, the cursor can hide after external display changes, and moving the mouse quickly side to side enlarges it (Shake mouse pointer to locate).
Hardware checks
Replace batteries in wireless mice, try a different USB port, and test on another computer. Disabling “Enhance pointer precision” or turning off pointer trails can help. In Chrome and some apps, the cursor hides while typing by design. If the problem occurs only in one app, update or reinstall it. If none helps, a restart or a clean boot can isolate software conflicts.
Software and driver causes
Cursor vanishing can result from outdated drivers, power saving USB settings, graphics driver issues or app conflicts. In Windows, check Mouse settings, update drivers in Device Manager and disable USB selective suspend.
Hardware checks
Try another USB port, replace batteries, clean the sensor and test on another computer. Restarting or running Windows updates can help.
Windows troubleshooting
Open Settings, Bluetooth and devices, Mouse, Additional mouse settings, Pointer Options and turn on Show location of pointer. Run Windows Update and update drivers via Device Manager. Disable USB selective suspend in Power Options. On laptops, touchpad drivers from the manufacturer matter.
Other causes
Fullscreen apps and games hide the pointer. Presentation software may hide it after a few seconds. Dual monitor setups with different scaling can lose the cursor between screens. Malware is rare, but run a scan. Hardware faults include a broken wireless receiver or dying batteries in wireless mice.
Based on data from Microsoft Support and Logitech Support
