Windows 8.1 disappearing cursor

by Ching-Wan Yip

Last Updated: July 29, 2014 7:52 AM

First published: Jul 21, 2014

Affected system

Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga

since Windows 8.1 Update 1?

one way to reproduce (it can happen randomly also) - flip to tablet mode, put to sleep. On wake up, no mouse pointer

Workarounds

• if an application windows is active, Alt-Spacebar - go to system control box, M - Move, the cursor would change to 4-way arrows, move the mouse, it will turn the cursor back on
• press the brightness up key (the new F6), touch the screen, move the cursor with touchpad
• many other suggestions

to see whether the missing cursor is, you can change the mouse property in control panel so that holding down Ctrl would show animation of where the cursor is currently.

References

• http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Idea-Windows-based-Tablets-and/Yoga13-Yoga-Cursor/m-p/1186297#M5062
• https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/IdeaPad-Y-U-V-Z-and-P-series/Mouse-Pointer-Disappearing/td-p/1387161
• http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_8-hardware/disappearing-pointer-with-windows-8-touch-screen/1d5491f9-dbac-4d8d-ac34-a1b1d2d9aee9
• http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_8-tms/windows-8-mouse-pointer-disappeared/0814da98-0e28-4a3c-b0a1-8125440eacab
  
• http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows8_1-tms/cursor-disappeared-with-windows-81-update/88437079-13b1-486d-8805-b0771fecff45
• http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows8_1-tms/windows-81-cursor-disappears-and-cant-use-trackpad/9aee6ee4-0552-4e5f-ae8d-8aefd15fe216
• http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows8_1-desktop/kb2919355-makes-mouse-pointer-invisible/b9d014f1-9ec1-4faa-a046-7b96fcd66661
• http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/surfpro-surfdevice/after-windows-81-mouse-pointer-invisible-until/15901691-1104-4956-b570-6f1c90e9936b
  
• http://askubuntu.com/questions/360814/cursor-disappearing-in-a-ideapad-yoga
• https://communities.vmware.com/thread/476222
• http://dottech.org/13949/how-to-find-your-mouse-cursor-after-you-have-lost-it/
• http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2012973/mouse-cursor-disappears-windows-multiple-monitors.html
• http://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1211863-no-mouse-pointer-windows-81-u1/