Mouse Cursor Disappears on Windows 10 [Solved]

Many Windows 10 users have reported that their mouse pointer or cursor has disappeared. This usually happens when they have just upgraded from previous versions of Windows or woken their computer up from sleep mode. 

This is a very annoying problem. You’re probably thinking, “I can’t even use Windows without a mouse! How am I supposed to fix a problem like this without one?”

But don’t worry! It’s possible to fix this problem – even without your mouse. Here are a few fixes you should try: 

Method 1: Re-enable your mouse

Windows may have disabled your mouse during the upgrade from a previous version or while your computer was in sleep mode. This will make your mouse unusable and your mouse cursor, disappear. You should re-enable your mouse to restore its cursor.

There are two ways you can re-enable your mouse:

Via the function key(s)

If you are using a laptop, you should try pressing the key combination on your laptop keyboard that can turn on/off your mouse. Usually, it is the Fn key plus another F key with the touchpad icon on. The exact key depends on the make and the manufacturer of your laptop, and you may need to consult your laptop manual to find it out.

Via Windows Settings

You can also enable your mouse in the mouse settings. To do so:

1. Press the Win key on your keyboard, then type “mouse“. When you see “Mouse settings“ appear in the menu above, press the up or down arrow on your keyboard to highlight it, then press Enter.
   
2. In Mouse settings, press Tab on your keyboard until Additional mouse options (under Related Settings) is highlighted. Press Enter on your keyboard to select it.
   
3. In the Mouse Properties window, press Tab on your keyboard until the Buttons tab in the window is highlighted (with a dotted border.)
   
4. Press the right arrow key on your keyboard until Device Settings in the window is opened. (The name of this tab could be different, depending on the mouse you use.)
   
5. If your device is disabled, press Tab on your keyboard until the Enable button is highlighted, and press Enter to enable the device.
   
6. If this method solves the problem, you will be able to see your mouse pointer again.

If the above doesn’t help, please move on to the next fix below.

Method 2: Update your mouse driver

Your mouse pointer may disappear if you are using the wrong mouse driver or it’s out of date. So you should update your mouse driver to see if it fixes your problem. If you don’t have the time, patience or skills to update the driver manually, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy. 

Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to risk downloading and installing the wrong driver, and you don’t need to worry about making mistakes when installing.

You can update your drivers automatically with either the 7 days free trial or the Pro version of Driver Easy. It takes just 2 clicks, and you get full support and a 30-day money-back guarantee with the Pro version:

1. Download and install Driver Easy.
2. Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
   
3. Click the Activate & Update button next to the flagged device to automatically download and install the correct version of this driver.
   
   Or click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system (You’ll need the Pro version for this – when you select Update All, you’ll get a prompt to upgrade. If you’re not prepared to purchase the Pro version yet, Driver Easy provides a 7-day trial at no cost, granting access to all Pro features like fast downloads and easy installation. No charges will occur until after your 7-day trial period ends.)
   
4. After updating, restart your computer to take effect.

If updating the driver doesn’t help to bring back your mouse cursor, please move on to the next fix.

Method 3: Run the hardware troubleshooter

The built-in Windows Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter could also help to sort out the mouse pointer missing issue. To use this tool:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows key and the R key together, copy and paste msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic and hit Enter.
   
2. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish the troubleshooting process.
   

If your mouse cursor still disappear after this troubleshooter, please move on to the next fix.

Method 4: Switch to ChromeOS

Windows is a very old technology. Sure, Windows 10 is relatively new, but it’s still just the latest iteration of a decades-old operating system, designed for a bygone era (pre-internet).

Now that we have the internet, fast connection speeds, free cloud storage, and endless web apps (like Gmail, Google Docs, Slack, Facebook, Dropbox and Spotify), the entire Windows way of doing things – with locally installed programs and local file storage – is totally outdated.

Why is that a problem? Because when you’re constantly installing uncontrolled third-party programs, you’re constantly opening the door to viruses and other malware. (And Windows’ insecure permission system compounds this problem.)

Plus the way Windows manages installed software and hardware has always been a problem. If your computer shuts down unexpectedly, or a program installs, uninstalls or updates incorrectly, you can get ‘registry’ corruptions. That’s why Windows PCs always slow down and become unstable over time.

Also because everything’s installed and saved locally, it doesn’t take long before you run out of disk space, and your disk gets fragmented, which makes everything even slower and more unstable.

For most people, the simplest way to solve Windows problems is to ditch Windows altogether, and switch to a faster, more reliable, more secure, easier to use and cheaper operating system…

Google ChromeOS.

ChromeOS feels much like Windows, but instead of installing heaps of programs to email, chat, browse the internet, write documents, do school presentations, create spreadsheets, and whatever else you normally do on a computer, you use web apps. You don’t need to install anything at all.

That means you don’t have virus and malware problems, and your computer doesn’t slow down over time, or become unstable.

And that’s just the start of the benefits…

To learn more about the benefits of ChromeOS, and to see comparison videos and demos, visit GoChromeOS.com.

• Windows 10