What to Do if Your Mac Cursor Disappears? 7 Fixes and Solutions

Having your Mac cursors suddenly disappear without a trace can be a huge problem, rendering the whole device virtually unusable. It’s a rather rare issue, but when it happens, it’s better to know what you can do to fix it. There’s no need to panic – here are 7 fixes and potential solutions that you can use to solve the problem:

1. Try restarting your Mac

Sometimes, the easiest solutions are the most effective ones. Restarting your Mac should fix a disappearing cursor in most cases. If your cursor disappeared, but the mouse still actually works, you can try navigating the cursor to the Apple menu and clicking “Restart” blindly. If that’s impossible, press Control + Command + Power buttons together for a few seconds to restart your Mac. 

You can save your progress in most applications by using the Control + S shortcut in case of your Mac mouse cursor disappears.

2. Check if your mouse is still connected

Connection issues are a common cause of the cursor disappearing. If you’re using a wireless mouse, it’s possible that it simply ran out of charge. Change the batteries, make sure they are properly inserted, and try again. If you’re using a wired mouse, try connecting the mouse to a different USB port or testing another mouse to see if the issue persists.

3. Check your RAM usage

If the issue repeats often, your disappearing cursor might be caused by your Mac running low on memory. You might have too many resource-heavy applications opened, or one of them is doing intense work. 

You can try quitting all open apps by holding Command + Option + Escape, which will bring up a task manager.

4. Look at other monitors

Sometimes, the mouse might just be stuck on your other monitor. If you’re using two or more monitors, swirl your mouse in a circle and look at all the monitors carefully – you might just find the mouse hidden on one of them.

5. Re-align your other monitors

If you have multiple monitors, and they’re not set up properly, moving the cursor to the edge of a screen can cause it to appear on different monitors, not necessarily in the way you expect it to. To double-check, open the Apple menu and go to System Preferences. There, go to Displays and check the Arrangement tab. While you’re there, you can freely align the positioning of your monitors to match the way they are set up on your desk.

6. Try resetting your SMC/NVRAM

If all of the above fixes don’t work, you could try resetting your SMC and NVRAM. The SMC can be reset by turning your Mac off and holding down the Shift + Control + Option + Power buttons until you hear the startup sound. To reset NVRAM, reset your Mac, and while it’s restarting, hold down Option + Command + P + R. After you see the Apple logo or hear another startup beep, release the buttons.

7. Check for third-party mouse applications

If you’re experiencing frequent problems with your Mac cursor disappearing, one of the apps you’re using to manage the mouse can be the culprit. In case you’re using any mouse-enhancement apps or branded mouse software, try updating them or uninstalling them if that fails. 

Check this thread on Apple forums for more suggested fixes.

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