Laptop touchpad cursor jumps around while not touching it.
Question
Laptop touchpad cursor jumps around while not touching it.
Cause
This issue could be caused by any of the below possibilities.
- Touching the touchpad without realizing it
- Driver related issue
- Dirty touchpad
- Bad hardware
Some laptops may have a button around the touchpad or an icon in the Systray that enables you to temporarily disable the touchpad.
Answer
Make sure you're not touching the touchpad
Because the touchpad often is close to where the palms of your hands and thumbs lay, it's possible that you may be touching the touchpad without realizing it. An easy way of determining this is to see if the cursor moves without touching anything on the keyboard.
Dirty touchpad
Oils, lotion, and other substances from your fingers can cause the touchpad to not work properly. Make sure the touchpad is clean by dampening a cotton cloth with water and rubbing the touchpad surface.
Disconnect other external input devices
It may not be touchpad that's causing your issue. If you have other input devices such as an external mouse, graphics tablet, keypad, etc., try disconnecting these devices to make sure they're not the cause of your issue.
Disconnect from docking station
If your laptop is only encountering this issue while connected to a docking station, it could be the cause of your issues. For this issue we suggest the below solutions.
- Make sure your laptop has the latest BIOS update.
Update drivers
Because the drivers control how the touchpad interfaces with the operating system, if the drivers contain issues, any number of problems can occur. Including the cursor moving improperly. Make sure you have the latest drivers from your laptop manufacturer for your touchpad either by visiting their website or contacting their support.
Bad hardware
If you've completed all the above steps and continue to have issues with your touchpad, it's possible you may have a physical hardware issue either with the touchpad or interface connected to the touchpad.
If your laptop is out of warranty and you do not wish to spend the money it takes to repair the laptop, we suggest disabling the touchpad and using an external USB mouse.
Additional information
- See the touchpad definition for further information and related links.