Why Is My Arrow Not Moving On My Laptop? | Fix It Now

If your laptop’s arrow cursor won’t move, start with connection checks, touchpad toggles, drivers, and quick keyboard-only resets.

Nothing stalls a task like a frozen pointer. This guide walks you through fast checks, safe keyboard-only moves, and proven fixes for Windows and macOS. You’ll isolate whether the issue is the mouse or touchpad, a setting, a driver, or the OS. Keep this page open and move through the steps in order.

Arrow Cursor Not Moving On Laptop — Quick Checks

Rule out the basics first. These take seconds and save time later.

• Wireless mouse: Swap batteries, flip the power switch off/on, and reseat the USB receiver in a different port.
• USB mouse: Try a new port on the other side of the laptop. Avoid hubs during testing.
• Touchpad toggle: Many laptops have a touchpad key (often Fn + a function key with a tiny pad icon). Tap it once. Some pads toggle by double-tapping a small LED/indent at the top-left of the pad.
• External gear isolation: Unplug docks, tablets, and game controllers. Reboot and test again.
• Surface cleanliness: Wipe the sensor window under the mouse and the trackpad surface.

Move Around With Only The Keyboard

When the pointer won’t budge, you can still work through settings and repairs with keys alone.

• Windows: Win opens Start, arrow keys move, Enter selects, Esc backs out. Press Win + X to open the power-user menu. Press Tab to move focus and Space to toggle switches.
• Windows Mouse Keys: Press Left Alt + Left Shift + Num Lock to enable Mouse Keys, then use the numeric keypad to nudge the pointer.
• macOS: Press ⌘ + Space to open Spotlight. Use arrow keys and Return. Tab cycles fields. ⌘ + Q quits apps.

Windows: Touchpad And Mouse Fixes That Work

Start with settings and drivers. These steps map to built-in tools on Windows 11 and Windows 10.

Turn The Pad Back On

1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
2. Go to Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad.
3. Toggle Touchpad to On. Adjust sensitivity if taps feel unresponsive.

Microsoft’s touchpad help page covers driver refresh and Settings paths in detail. See fix touchpad problems in Windows for the official steps.

Reinstall Or Roll Back The Driver

If the pad or mouse responds part-time or not at all, refresh the driver stack.

1. Press Win + X, then press M to open Device Manager.
2. Expand Mice and other pointing devices.
3. For USB mice, choose HID-compliant mouse. For touchpads, open the device named by your vendor (Synaptics, ELAN, Precision, etc.).
4. Select Update driver > Search automatically. If the issue began after an update, try Driver > Roll Back.
5. If no change, choose Uninstall device (keep the box Delete the driver software unchecked first). Restart and let Windows reload it.

Microsoft’s guidance to check the device on another PC and to swap ports is a fast way to confirm a hardware fault. See mouse and keyboard problems in Windows.

Restart Explorer Or Tweak A Setting

Sometimes the pointer freezes due to the shell, not the device.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Highlight Windows Explorer.
3. Press Restart at the bottom right.

This quick reset often clears a hung desktop session.

USB Receiver And Controller Resets

If a wireless dongle drops out or a USB mouse goes dark, reset the controller so Windows reloads it cleanly.

1. In Device Manager, expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.
2. Right-click the root hub/controller entries and pick Uninstall device for the ones tied to the failing port.
3. Restart. Windows will reinstall the drivers.

This method is widely used when peripherals disconnect or stall.

Keyboard-Friendly Commands You Can Paste

Open the Run box with Win + R. These commands help when navigation feels slow without a pointer.

devmgmt.msc
control mouse
ms-settings:devices-touchpad

Repair System Files

If the issue started after a crash or update, repair core files. Launch an elevated Command Prompt with Win, type cmd, then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter.

sfc /scannow
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Allow each scan to finish before moving to the next. This can restore pointer behavior when system components are damaged.

Safe Mode To Bypass Conflicts

Booting with a minimal set of drivers helps you confirm whether third-party software blocks input.

1. Press Win + R, type msconfig, press Enter.
2. Open the Boot tab and set Safe boot > Network. Restart.
3. Test the pointer. If it moves here, remove recent utilities or drivers, then return to normal boot.

Support threads often recommend Safe Mode when both mouse and keyboard fail after updates.

macOS: Trackpad And Mouse Steps

Mac laptops ship with a reliable pad, yet settings, Bluetooth, or a hung process can pause the pointer.

Check Trackpad Behavior And One-Finger Move

Use one finger to move the pointer; two fingers scroll. If gestures are misread, the pad may appear frozen while it waits for a scroll. Apple’s guide explains the basics and links to Trackpad settings.

See if the pointer doesn’t move on a Mac trackpad.

Bluetooth Peripherals

For Magic Mouse or external trackpads, confirm Bluetooth is on and the device is paired. If pairing fails, connect via a cable for a minute to kickstart pairing.

Apple’s pairing instructions are here: connect Magic Keyboard, Mouse, or Trackpad.

Power Cycle And NVRAM/SMC-Style Resets

• Force shutdown: Hold the power button for ~10 seconds. Wait a minute. Power on.
• macOS restart: If the pad clicks but won’t track, a clean boot often restores movement.
• Diagnostics: Start up while holding D to run Apple Diagnostics.

Users frequently report success after a long power button hold and restart when the pad’s click works but tracking fails.

Accessibility Mouse Keys (Mac)

Turn on keyboard-driven pointer control so you can reach settings without a mouse.

1. Open Spotlight with ⌘ + Space, type Accessibility, press Return.
2. Open Pointer Control > Alternate Control Methods.
3. Enable Mouse Keys. Use 7, 8, 9, U, J, K, L, O for movement and click shortcuts.

Common Causes Mapped To Fixes

These are the patterns that come up most during real troubleshooting across Windows and macOS. Match your symptom to a likely path.

Hardware Fault Or Power Issue

Dead batteries, a failing USB receiver, or a cracked cable stop input cold. Swap parts where possible and test on another computer. If the device fails there too, you’ve found the culprit. Microsoft’s support text suggests this as a first pass when there’s no response at all.

Touchpad Disabled By A Key

Accidental taps on pad toggles are common. Test Fn + the touchpad key on your model. Some brands also map a double-tap corner toggle on the pad itself. If your F-row keys changed behavior, press Fn + Esc to flip the function lock, then try the pad key again.

Driver Update Gone Wrong

After an OS update or driver push, the pointer may lag or stop. Rolling back or reinstalling through Device Manager often restores normal tracking.

USB Stack Glitch

Power management or a glitchy hub can drop a receiver. Removing the affected controller in Device Manager and rebooting forces a clean reload.

Shell Or App Hang

When Explorer locks, the pointer appears frozen on screen. Restarting Explorer from Task Manager usually clears it.

Step-By-Step Plan You Can Follow

Work top-down. Stop when the pointer moves again.

1. Check batteries, power switch, and USB port. Try another mouse if available.
2. Toggle the touchpad with its key or pad corner. Confirm it’s enabled in Settings.
3. Restart the laptop. If the pointer moves during sign-in but not later, suspect software.
4. On Windows, restart Explorer, then reinstall mouse/touchpad drivers. Repair system files next.
5. On macOS, power cycle and check Trackpad settings. Re-pair Bluetooth devices or plug them in briefly.
6. Boot Windows into Safe Mode or start a Mac in Diagnostics if the issue persists.
7. If the device fails on another computer, replace the mouse or seek pad service.

What To Do When You Can’t Click Anything

These keystrokes rescue a stuck session.

When The Issue Is App-Specific

If the pointer sticks only inside a single program or a browser tab, close that window and test the desktop. Update the app. On Windows, hardware acceleration in a browser can freeze the pointer shape. Turn that setting off as a test and relaunch the browser. If normal movement returns, keep acceleration off or update the graphics driver.

Clean Slate: Create A New Profile (Windows)

Rarely, a corrupt user profile blocks input settings. Create a fresh account to test.

1. Press Win + I > Accounts > Family & other users.
2. Add a local account and sign in. Test the pointer before installing anything.

Symptom-To-Fix Quick Table

The table below compresses the most common scenarios. Use it to jump to the right action path.

Symptom	Likely Cause	Best Next Step
Wireless mouse dead, no LED	Batteries or receiver	Swap batteries; reseat receiver; different USB port
USB mouse lights up but no movement	USB driver glitch	Uninstall USB controller; reboot; test direct port
Touchpad stops after key press	Pad toggle pressed	Press the touchpad function key or pad corner to re-enable
Pointer ok in Safe Mode	Third-party conflict	Remove recent utilities or drivers; keep testing
Clicks work but no tracking	Hung shell or pad firmware	Restart Explorer (Windows) or power cycle (Mac)
Works on other PC only	OS/driver issue	Reinstall driver; run SFC/DISM; update OS
Fails on any computer	Hardware fault	Replace mouse; service the touchpad

Proof-Backed Sources You Can Trust

For deeper steps on Windows pads and drivers, Microsoft’s official article covers Settings, Windows Update, and Device Manager flows: fix touchpad problems in Windows. For Mac gestures and pointer movement basics, start with Apple’s guide: pointer doesn’t move on a Mac trackpad. These pages reflect current platform behavior and are kept up to date.

When To Stop And Seek Service

If the pad is physically cracked, the click is stuck, or the pointer stutters with heat or pressure near the palm rest, the hardware likely needs care. If a mouse only works when the cable bends a certain way, replace it. When in doubt, back up your files and schedule a repair visit.

Recap You Can Act On

• Swap batteries, ports, and devices to isolate hardware.
• Re-enable the pad in Settings or with its toggle.
• Refresh drivers and USB controllers; restart Explorer.
• Run SFC/DISM on Windows; power cycle on Mac.
• Use Safe Mode or Diagnostics to rule out conflicts.
• Replace failing gear or book service when tests point to hardware.