Whether you’re using Apple Magic Mouse, a third-party device, or a trackpad, the cursor can randomly freeze or disappear on the Mac.
While there’s no one clear reason for losing a mouse on a Mac, there are plenty of places to get it back.
Why does my mouse disappear on my Mac? Sometimes, finding a missing mouse can be as simple as looking around for it on an external monitor. It’s not always possible to trace a lost mouse on a Mac to a specific cause, but some of the reasons a mouse disappears include:
The mouse battery is low. Bluetooth connection lost. Firmware upgrade. Open too many applications at once. A problem application. A software error. How to unfreeze a cursor on a Mac? If you see the mouse cursor but it freezes, there may be a problem with the application. Exit and restart the application that you think might be the culprit and look for the same behavior. If you are not sure which program is causing the problem, narrow the list by forcibly exiting one application at a time from the menu bar.
If the frozen cursor seems unrelated to the application, and you have updated the mouse’s firmware, try plugging the mouse into the Mac (if possible) to see if you can fix any problems.
Another method that works is to restart the Mac. If you experience a stuck cursor after rebooting the device or closing the lid, you may need to reset the SMC and NVRAM on your Mac, as described below.
How do I retrieve my cursor? To fix missing or frozen cursors on macs, check out this list of possible fixes.
Move the mouse. While this is a simple tip, sometimes a little movement can “wake up” your mouse and help you find it. Move the mouse back and forth to make the cursor temporarily larger. You can do the same on the trackpad.
Check all monitors. If you have dual monitors on your Mac, moving the mouse around can also help you find the cursor on the external monitor. Look for corners and edges where it might be hidden from view.
Make sure your mouse is connected. Check system Preferences > Bluetooth or click the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar to check again that Bluetooth is turned on and your mouse is still connected. Fix Apple Magic Mouse connection problems or third-party connection problems by powering off the accessory and disconnecting and reconnecting. Or, forget about the device and reconnect the wireless mouse to the Mac. If you use a wired mouse, unplug and reinsert it.
Check the battery level. If your mouse needs physical batteries, remove them and reinsert them or replace them when they run out of power. If your mouse is rechargeable, use a wired connection until the battery is fully charged.
Resize the cursor. If you have multiple monitors and many applications running, your cursor may be lost in randomplay. To permanently resize the Cursor, adjust the slider from System Preferences > Accessibility > Display > Cursor > Cursor Size. You can also ask Siri to enlarge the cursor, which may cause it to reappear on your monitor.
Swipe three or four fingers up on the trackpad to open Mission Control. This action brings the cursor back to the view.
Force the problematic application to exit. If the mouse seems to disappear while you are using a particular program, exit it. If you’re not sure which one it is, you can use the menu bar to close applications on your Mac and force out some if necessary.
Use mouse keys. If you have not enabled this feature, use the Option+Command+F5 keyboard combination to bring up the Accessibility Shortcuts panel. Select the box next to the Enable mouse key and use the numeric keypad to move the mouse pointer and find it.
Restart your Mac. This step usually resolves freezing and other unresponsive issues on the Mac. You may also need to remove all dongles and cables connected to external displays and other accessories before rebooting.
Reset NVRAM. If nothing changes during the reboot and you have exhausted all options, reset the NVRAM on your Mac. This step can be effective, especially if you recently upgraded your macOS and your NVRAM is damaged in the process. If the mouse is still missing or frozen after a reboot, you may also want to try resetting the SMC on your Mac to see if you can fix any hardware glitches.
Replace the mouse. At this point, make sure the problem is not on your mouse. If it doesn’t work on another Mac or laptop, you may need to replace it or try these tricks to repair a broken mouse.
Contact Apple support. If nothing works, the problem could be a larger Mac hardware issue. Book a support person so someone can look at it.