How to fix mouse pointer disappearing on Windows

The mouse pointer has disappeared from your Windows device and you are wondering, “How do I get the mouse pointer back?” Or, the mouse pointer always decides to disappear when you type.

If you find yourself in one of such situations, here is how you can get the mouse pointer back on the device.

Table of Contents

• 1. How to quickly fix the error of mouse pointer not appearing on Windows
  • Reconnect the mouse sensor or cable
  • Check cable or battery
  • Try using another USB port
  • Test mouse on another PC
• 2. Unhide mouse cursor in system settings
• 3. Enable Touchpad
• 4. Turn off Tablet Mode (for touchscreen devices)
• 5. Run the relevant built-in Windows troubleshooter
• 6. Update or reinstall mouse driver
• 7. Check for conflicting software
• 8. Disable hardware acceleration in Chrome
• 9. Reset Windows

1. How to quickly fix the error of mouse pointer not appearing on Windows

Before we dive into the detailed solutions, let’s explore some quick fixes that might bring back the mouse cursor. However, these solutions only apply if you’re using a mouse and not a trackpad.

Reconnect the mouse sensor or cable

If you are using a wired mouse, try reconnecting the mouse cable. In case you are using a wireless mouse, try reconnecting the sensor.

When done, move the mouse and check if the cursor appears on the screen.

Check cable or battery

For wired mice, check the cable and make sure it doesn't show any signs of damage.

If you are using a wireless mouse then you need to take a different approach. If the mouse pointer disappears, try using new batteries and see if that solves the problem.

Try using another USB port

The mouse may have disappeared simply because of a faulty USB port . So try using a different port and see if that solves the “no mouse pointer” problem.

Test mouse on another PC

Try using your mouse on another device and see if that helps. In case the problem persists, your mouse may be faulty.

If the mouse works on the other device, the problem may be with your PC. But don't worry! There are a number of solutions that can help you fix this problem.

2. Unhide mouse cursor in system settings

If the cursor only disappears while you are typing, the problem may be with your mouse settings. So let's see how you can restore the mouse cursor in this case:

1. Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box .
2. Type control mouse and press Enter to open the Mouse Properties window .
3. Press the Tab key repeatedly until the Buttons tab is highlighted.

Next, use the arrow keys to navigate to the Pointer Options tab. Once you get there, press the Tab key repeatedly until the Hide pointer while typing box is highlighted.

From there, press the spacebar to uncheck the Hide pointer while typing box .

Navigate to the Apply option using the Tab key , then press the spacebar to apply these settings. Finally, navigate to the OK option using the Tab key , then press the spacebar to complete the process.

3. Enable Touchpad

If you are experiencing this issue when using the touchpad, then most likely the touchpad is disabled in the system settings.

So here's how to restore the touchpad cursor that keeps disappearing:

1. Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box.
2. Type control mouse and press Enter to open the Mouse Properties window .
3. Use the Tab key to navigate to the Buttons tab .
4. Next, use the arrow keys to navigate to the Touchpad tab (usually labeled ELAN or Device Settings ).
5. Use the Tab key to navigate to the Enable Device option , then press the spacebar to select it.

Navigate to the Apply option using the Tab key , then press the spacebar to apply these changes. Finally, navigate to the OK option using the Tab key , then press the spacebar.

4. Turn off Tablet Mode (for touchscreen devices)

If you're using a touchscreen device, chances are you're using Windows' Tablet Mode. However, switching to Tablet Mode could be the reason your mouse cursor often decides to disappear.

So, if the Tablet Mode feature is enabled on your device, here is how you can disable it .

5. Run the relevant built-in Windows troubleshooter

You can also restore the mouse pointer using Windows' built-in troubleshooting tools. We'll see how the Bluetooth and Hardware and Devices troubleshooters can help resolve this issue.

To start, here's how you can use the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter :

1. Press the Windows key and type Settings in the search box.
2. Use the arrow keys to select the Settings option and press Enter.
3. Type Troubleshoot in the search box, use the arrow keys to select the Troubleshoot option , and press Enter.

In the next window, use the Tab button to move to the options in the right pane. From there, use the arrow keys to navigate to the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter .

Press Enter once the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter is highlighted. From there, press Tab to highlight the Run the troubleshooter button , then press Enter to continue.

Once done, you can run the Bluetooth troubleshooter. However, this will only help if you're using a wireless mouse.

1. To start, open the Troubleshoot settings window following the previous steps.
2. Next, search for Bluetooth troubleshooter and then run the troubleshooter following the previous steps.

If the problem persists, you may be dealing with corrupt or damaged system files. In this case, the best thing to do is to repair corrupted Windows files using built-in tools (such as the SFC and DISM tools).

6. Update or reinstall mouse driver

Corrupted mouse drivers can also cause problems. In this case, you can restore the mouse pointer by updating or reinstalling these drivers.

Here's how you can update your mouse driver:

1. Press Win + X , use the arrow keys to select Device Manager , and then press Enter.
2. Press Tab and then use the down arrow key to navigate to the Mice and other pointing devices option . From there, press the right arrow to expand this option.
3. Use the down arrow key to select one of the mouse drivers. From there, press Shift + F10 to right-click the driver.
4. Use the down arrow key to select the Update driver option and press Enter.

In the next window, use the arrow keys to select the Search automatically for updated driver software option . From there, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

If the problem persists, try reinstalling the mouse driver using the following steps:

1. Open Device Manager and mouse driver following previous steps.
2. Press Shift + F10 to right-click on the mouse driver and select Uninstall device .
3. Use the down arrow key to navigate to the Mice and other pointing devices option . From there, right-click on this option by pressing Shift + F10 .
4. Finally, select Scan for hardware changes from the options and press Enter.

When you're done, restart your PC to save these changes.

7. Check for conflicting software

Sometimes the disappearance of the mouse cursor can be due to a software conflict in the system. Certain applications, especially those that modify or interact heavily with graphical output, can cause the cursor to disappear unexpectedly.

To start troubleshooting software conflicts, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager directly. Once Task Manager is open, use the arrow keys to navigate through the list of running applications and background processes. Look for any unusual or strange applications that may be running.

If you suspect a specific application is the problem, temporarily kill that application to see if the cursor reappears by selecting that application with the arrow keys and pressing Alt + E to end the task.

If closing suspicious applications doesn't resolve the issue, consider performing a clean boot of your system. This process allows you to start Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs, which can help determine if background software is causing the cursor to disappear.

Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box . Type msconfig and press Enter. Use the Tab key to navigate in the System Configuration window . Move to the Services tab , press Alt + H to hide all Microsoft services, then press Tab to select the Disable all button . Press Enter.

Switch to the Startup tab and use the Tab key again to open Task Manager, where you can disable startup items. After making these changes, press Alt + A to apply the settings and restart your computer.

8. Disable hardware acceleration in Chrome

Hardware acceleration, or graphics acceleration, is a feature that allows Chrome to offload certain tasks to the GPU, which can improve performance and image quality. However, it can sometimes cause conflicts that cause your cursor to disappear. Disabling hardware acceleration can help resolve these conflicts.

To turn off hardware acceleration, open Chrome, type chrome://settings/ in the search bar, and press Enter .

In the Settings menu , press the Tab key repeatedly until the search bar at the top is highlighted. Type graphics acceleration to quickly find related settings. Use the Tab key again to navigate to the Use graphics acceleration when available option . This option will be highlighted if graphics acceleration is currently enabled. Press the Spacebar to disable the setting.

After disabling graphics acceleration, you'll need to restart Chrome for the changes to take effect. Disable this setting by using the Tab key to navigate to the Relaunch button , then press Enter to restart the browser.

9. Reset Windows

If all else fails, resetting Windows may be your best option to fix your disappearing mouse cursor. This will reinstall Windows and may help clear up any software conflicts or corrupted files that are causing your cursor to disappear.

To reset Windows without using a mouse, start by pressing the Windows key to open the Start menu. Type reset this PC  and press Enter , which will take you to Recovery settings. Use the Tab key to navigate through the options until you highlight Get started under Reset this PC , then press Enter .

You'll be given two options: Keep my files and Remove everything . The Keep my files option will keep your personal files during the process. The Remove everything option is more radical, deleting all of your personal files, settings, and apps, providing a completely fresh start. Use the arrow keys to select the option you want and press Enter .

Follow the on-screen instructions to perform the reset. This will take some time, during which your computer will restart several times. Make sure your device is plugged into a power source to avoid interruptions.

To prevent the disappearing mouse problem from recurring, make sure your system is up to date, regularly check for software conflicts, and properly maintain your hardware.