Losing your laptop cursor can be a right pain – especially when you’re in the middle of something important. If it does happen though, don’t sweat it. There’s a bunch of ways to get it back quickly.
In this guide, we’ll cover some simple (and more advanced) methods to recover your mouse cursor and stop it from ever happening again! Let’s get going.
Why does the cursor disappear?
Like any tech glitch, it can be down to a few different things. It can happen after a big system update or when you’re waking your laptop from sleep mode. Driver issues are a common one too and can easily throw your cursor out of whack. It might even be that you’ve accidentally disabled your touchpad. Trust us, this is easier to do than you might think.
Once you’ve got an idea of what may have caused it, it’ll be easier to start troubleshooting it. And speaking of that…
Quick fixes to recover your mouse cursor
Before we start diving into some of the more technical solutions, let’s try a few quick fixes first. You might even get lucky and solve the issue right away!
Restart your laptop
This one’s the oldest trick in the book. Turning your laptop off and on again might be a bit of an in-joke now, but it can genuinely sort things out.
Press the ‘Windows’ key.
Use the arrow keys to head to the power icon.
Press ‘Enter’, then use the arrow keys to select ‘Restart’ and press ‘Enter’ again.
Use function keys to enable the cursor
Different Windows laptops have different function key combinations to switch the touchpad on or off. Here are a few common ones:
Dell: Fn + F3
HP: Fn + F5
Lenovo: Fn + F8
Acer: Fn + F7
If you’re struggling, you can always check your laptop’s manual. Or keep an eye out for symbols on the function keys that indicate touchpad control.
Advanced troubleshooting methods
If the fast fixes didn’t work, it’s not the end of the world. We’ve got a few more advanced tricks up our sleeve that might help.
Update or roll back drivers
Drivers help your hardware to talk to your operating system properly. Sometimes, updating your drivers or rolling them back can fix any technical gremlins.
Press the Windows key + X and select ‘Device Manager’.
Expand the ‘Mice & other pointing devices’ section.
Right-click on your mouse or touchpad and select ‘Update driver’.
Follow the instructions on-screen to update the driver.
If the problem started after a recent update, you might want to roll back the driver. Right-click on the device, pick ‘Properties’, go to the ‘Driver’ tab and click on ‘Roll back driver’.
Run the hardware troubleshooter
Windows has a built-in hardware troubleshooter that can spot and sort certain issues. So, you shouldn’t have to go downloading any special software to get the job done. Here’s how to run it:
Press the Windows key + I to open up the settings menu.
Go to ‘Update & Security’ and select ‘Troubleshoot’.
Click on ‘Additional troubleshooters’.
Find and run the ‘Hardware & Devices’ troubleshooter.
Adjust registry settings
Modifying your registry can be a little bit of a risky move. Back it up first before you do anything.
Press the Windows key + R, type ‘regedit’ and hit Enter.
Head to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System.
Look for a value named ‘EnableCursorSuppression’. If it exists, set its value to 0.
Restart your laptop to apply the changes.
Ways to avoid cursor issues
With a bit of planning, you can avoid any cursor issues in the future. Here’s a few handy tips to stop it from disappearing down the line:
Keep drivers updated – Check for driver updates every so often. They’ll make sure that your hardware is running as smoothly as possible.
Clear system cache – Use tools like Disk Cleanup to give your system a quick spring clean. It’ll stop it from getting clogged up.
Avoid unnecessary software – Installing too many different types of programs can cause clashes. Stick to the essential software to minimise any problems.
By following these steps, you should have that missing cursor fixed in a jiffy. If none of these tips are working for you though, it might be time to contact your laptop manufacturer’s support team for some more help.
Need some more assistance with your laptop? We’ve got you. Here’s how to factory reset an HP laptop if you’re after a fresh start. And if you’re dipping your toe into the exciting world of Ai, we’ve rounded up a few of our favourite Microsoft Copilot tips and tricks too.
