Fix Your Stuff Community Store

{A1706 / EMC 3071}—Released in June 2017, this 13" Macbook Pro features Kaby Lake processors up to 3.5 GHz Core i7 with Turbo Boost up to 4.0 GHz.

243 Questions View all

Options

Cursor jumping randomly when typing

I have a 2017 touch bar pro, and when I type, randomly, the cursor will end up in some other place while I'm typing. I'm guessing it has something to do with the massive trackpad. Sometimes the cursor just moves and I'll be typing in some other sentence, sometimes it highlights entire areas of text, and I'll type over those. I haven't seen anything online about this issue, but everyone I know who has this model complains about the same problem. I've already taken it in, and Apple replaced the entire key and trackpad set up, saying it was possibly dust under the keyboard, but that's not the fix. It started right out of the box. Anyone know of this problem and a potential fix? I've changed some of the haptic feedback settings, but... still nothing.

Answered! View the answer I have this problem too

Is this a good question?

Yes No
Score 41
83 Comments

I have this issue too. It's driving me crazy and wasting hours of correction time,. It seems to be a design fault,

by

A friend thinks that the area next to the trackpad (to the left and right) is too sensitive; just resting your hand there, or even a gust of air can cause your cursor to disappear. You have to search for it and you find it's made a bunch of typos half way up your document, or deleted a whole chunk of text. Apple should recall these laptops and replace them for us. It's been like this right out of the box.

by

could be several things, reset the PRAM....also check the cycles on the battery under system information/power if it's REALLY high like near 1000 it could be a bloated battery which pushes up on the trackpad and keyboard and causes this...also check the adjustment screw for the trackpad. Some can be adjusted VERY little but just enough (search here for this) But yes, it can be one of several things.....try these first....they're the easiest. If none of the above, you could open it and check the connection and make sure there's no corrosion or any moisture related anything on the plug in where the trackpad has it's connectors but if it's new and no liquid damage has ever occurred then this is prob not a cause but possible if it's even got wet too..... THESE options are more for older macs as yours is basically brand new. I'd go back to Apple with it. demand they replace or fix it again, especially if it's under applecare warranty. Tell them to type on it until it happens to them....it sounds like a bad trackpad to me, make sure they address the cables to and from the trackpad/keyboard too and not just the trackpad and keyboard themselves. I know there's a dust issue with some keyboard people have had but this is more for typing and not a jumpy trackpad..

by

i had the same problem with the MAC from Sept. 2017--right out of the box. I stopped using it and went back to my 2012 MBP. . First the geniuses said it was jumping around b/c I was touching the huge track pad, then they said it was the jewelry, I took everything off. They then tried to tell me it was a problem with my apps or files were corrupted and so we reloaded everything from the original sources. Always MY fault. TOOK Forever wasted sooo much time. Also, couldn't read my WD drives for MAC; USB adapter not recognized; MAC replaced the trackpad, all connections, everything. nothing worked. Finally sent me a new MBP in May 2018, and the jumping around is still happening. and getting worse. In outlook, word, and websites, using chrome, safari, etc. I have no idea where the problem is, but we need to make more noise about this. I had a 2012 mac with a new 2 TB Solid State drive--and had no trouble. I unfortunately got liquid on the keyboard last December and it died, so this is my only Mac.

by

I'm just an ordinary user of MBPs. I got my new one yesterday and I have the same problems, exactly the same problems as described above. And – I didn't want to believe it – the same problems that made me waste a lot of time by correcting texts in word, excel, etc. with my old MBP and made me finally giving up and buy a new one. This time, too, the cursor ends up in other places while typing. The cursor just marks parts of a sentence above and going on writing this par disappears of course. The reason cannot be the massive trackpad, my old one's was smaller. I guess this is a systemic default and I know I am not the only one with this problem, there's just nobody who makes this a relevant issue for apple. I do not know what to do now with my new MBP, I'm still discussing with my IT-provider.

by

Show 78 more comments

Add a comment

11 Answers

Filter by:
Most Helpful Newest Oldest
Chosen Solution

Options

Apple got sued for this and if you had this issue on this butterfly keyboard, and had it replaced, you are eligible for a settlement. You’ll need to apply by March 2023. See the article. https://www.fastcompany.com/90826134/app...

Was this answer helpful?

Yes No
Score 0

1 Comment:

How to get paid from settlement.

https://www.cnet.com/personal-finance/ho...

by

Add a comment
Most Helpful Answer

Options

This honestly worked from above for me, and I was the original poster.

I had the same issue with my new MacBook . Drove me bonkers for months. Apple help solved it for me. Uncheck 'tap to click' in Preferences>Trackpad. PROBLEM SOLVED


Was this answer helpful?

Yes No
Score 23

60 Comments:

I just tried your tip and for the first time in nearly two years I was able to type without the curser flipping here and there. I am amazed and delighted. Hope this is really the key to getting rid of this most exasperating problem. A hundred thank yous!!!!

by

Worked for me, too. Thanks for the tip!

by

Mine was already unchecked, so this was not a solution for my cursor dancing.

by

My 'tap to click' box was unchecked already :\ .... Any other solutions ????

by

Thank this fixed a problem that I'd been living with for a long time. Wish I'd seen your post earlier. Thanks so much!

by

Show 55 more comments

Add a comment

Options

Just got the MacBook Pro 16 inch. ordered late Dec. arrived about a week later early Jan. 2020. The jumping cursor issue is happening right out of the box. Ridiculous. it happened a lot for me in Microsoft Outlook when composing an email. Don’t know if there are some “propietary” shortcut/key combonations in Outlook, but yes, but insertion point would jump back a couple rows of text; and/or delete entire sentences. Another odd occurence, is out of the blue, the current Outlook message would disappear (actually becomes a tab at the bottom of Outlook) and a new email would randomly open up. This new MBP is replacing a MBP from late 2014. That was an excellent machine and never exhibited that kind of behavior in the same Outlook application. It also happens when I’m in Word typing documents. I have to “undo” the “changed text” and keep going. A big productivity problem. Turning off “tap to click” did nothing for me. I’ve just now disabled “force click and haptic feedback”. Will report back if that helps or not. Seriously want to know why Apple made the trackpad so large.

Update (06/01/2020)

well, I haven’t updated in a long time. My new MacBook Pro, 16-inch, spec’d out; has been back to Apple 2x now. 1st time, they kept it like 5 days at my local Apple Store - didn’t even send off. Ran all their hardware tests. Said nothing was wrong. But as soon as I got it home, same thing!! Took back to my local store a 2nd time. I was a little ticked I had just spend $3500 for a machine with these problems. They kept it and sent back to Apple - or whoever they contract with. The replaced the whole top part of the laptop - new keyboard; trackpad; battery. I got it home on a Friday. Immediately, the same problems!!! Cursor jumps a lot. Jumps backward. Deletes sentences. Jumps mid-word … half of the word ends back up a few sentences. Happens in MSWord; Outlook; iMessage; Notes; ANYwhere there is text to be entered. JUST HAPPENED white le typing this response!! And sometimes, does some weird things.. like while typing, it will close an email window and open another one. Or close a textbox. Even on a webpage, typing in forms, doesn’t matter… Just did it again as I type. Happens over and over throughout the day. OH, by the way, when I got my laptop back (on a Friday), that is when APPLE closed down ALL their stores in the US because of the pandemic. And they are still not open. I use FCPX, other apps everyday. Oops. did it again. Just took out my previous two sentences. I just have to either “un-do” (control-Z) or just retype. So frustrating. And I have disable every trackpad gesture. Doesn’t matter. I hope they will replace my laptop. Will call again this week. They have all my case #’s. I will keep you posted. I am beginning to think I will sell this machine… and get a nice Windows machine. ((( I really rely on FCPX. Don’t want to have to switch over to Premiere and start a brand new work-flow. Apple Customer Support has gotten very, very poor in the past couple of years. The Apple Store folks are fine. It’s their 3rd party repair centers that are crap!! Sorry about the rant, but as a side-note… I have some Beats Pro wireless earbuds too. Have had tremendous problems with them as well. After a couple months, just died. Yep, sent back to Apple - they said they were fine. Send back a 2nd time and they said it was my fault and they could repair for $99. And it was under warranty!! Another example of poor Apple Customer Service.

Update *12/03/2020

Well, I’ve been putting up with this same issue all year. My MBP has been to Apple 2x now. About to send it back fora 3rd time. When I got my machine back for the 2nd time, THE VERY NEXT MONDAY, all Apple Stores shut-down nation-wide. It HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE TRACKPAD OR SETTINGS!! I’ve tried everything! Turning everything off; even the stop track app, whatever it’s called. I have since discovered a pattern which makes no sense. But 95% of the time, when the cursor jumps back, it is when I ty;e or depress the keyboard letter “t”. Crazy. I have called Apple a few weeks ago and am about to have them check it AGAIN! They guy I talked to through APPLE SUPPORT was of no use. I spent an hour talking to him. That’s on top of the many hours earlier in the year. It is frustrating. I hope I can take it into my local Apple Store (which has just recently opened back up) because that is a “live” person and they are aware of my personal issue. And they also observe the issue I am talking about. And by the way, while typing this update, the cursor has jumped 5x. )) But it also has other strange behaviors such as, opening another text window (when in Messages, Notes, an Outlook or Apple Mail window. Very bizarre. I also think it may have something to do with what Apple calls their “Neural Engine”. Basically, it is AI … and when typing, the neural engines supposedly “learns” your style… It sucks. And right this moment, it just took away the past 4 sentences. But usually, an undo or “Command-Z” brings it back.I am !#^&@@ to say the least. Been an Apple supporter since early 1980s.

Was this answer helpful?

Yes No
Score 3

6 Comments:

As stated elsewhere in this thread, disabling ALL gestures is one solution. It has worked for me. I typed on the new 16" MBP at the Apple Store and experienced the insertion point jumping problem. I asked a rep about it, who said turn off gestures. Apple knows about the problem. Apparently it's either so random and effects such a small percentage of users that it's impracticable to repair, or they don't care. I find it hard to be an Apple user these days, but the alternatives are unappealing.

by

@Jim Kahnweiler As I was typing a response, sadly, it did it again... deleted like 2 or 3 sentences. I am taking to an Apple Store in a couple days. Will see what they say. I have disabled all gestures but has not made a difference.

by

@Jim Kahnweiler yes, I am beginning to really not trust Apple products. And that is sad. Been an user and Apple cheerleader (education, my community) since the early 1980's. Oops... cursor just jumped again. (((((

by

i had the same problem, jumping and jittery cursor, and the problem was (after reading about it somewhere) I was using a wrong power supply. and it was fixed immediately when i purchased and used the correct apple one.

by

I am having same problem for macbook 2014 edition, and i don't think it is anything to do with trackpad because mouse pointer isn't moving just the insert point is shifting. This got to be a software bug i am facing this for a long time and just today decided to check how many like me are facing the same issue.

by

Show 1 more comment

Add a comment

Options

I’m glad unclicking “tap to click” works for some, but it has no effect for me. I think it’s simply a matter of keeping my palms off of the trackpad; if I touch it while typing, the cursor jumps all over the screen, with various forms of unsettling results. It’s most annoying having to keep my hands lifted up off the computer. Not sure if it’s helping with my carpal tunnel either.

Update (09/04/2020)

Go to the App Store and find the “False Tap Stop” app. This fixed the problem for me and others. Try it. Hope you have the same success.

Was this answer helpful?

Yes No
Score 2
Add a comment

Options

When “Tap to click” is configured in trackpad settings, is very easy to inadvertently touch the trackpad while typing. Apple doesn’t offer any solution to this problem, but there is an app in the App Store to help with it. Is called “False Tap Stop” and doesn’t allow taps to happen while you are typing.

Was this answer helpful?

Yes No
Score 2

8 Comments:

Thank you!! This is the first suggestion that may actually work. I will let you know!!

Oh no...I have 10,14.6. Must be 10.15 or higher... I will have to upgrade...never like that..something always goes wrong.

by

Go to the App Store and find the “False Tap Stop” app. This fixed the problem for me and others. Try it. Hope you have the same success.

by

I have this problem too, so I tried the Ap - False Tap Stop and the fixes suggested so far. I wouldn’t bother with the Ap it didn’t help at all! Annoying, problem with the MacBook Pro.

by

Thanks...I had to update to Catalina to get the app. so thanks for saving me from that.

by

Go to the App Store and download False Tap Stop. This app has completely solved the problem for me.

by

Show 3 more comments

Add a comment

Options

Tape a piece of paper over the trackpad and space beside it. Stops the jumpy cursor

Was this answer helpful?

Yes No
Score 2

4 Comments:

Tape a piece of paper over the trackpad. It will still work as a trackpad and no more jumpy cursor

by

I am having the same problem with my MacBook Air, just two weeks old. I tried unblocking all of the trackpad commands, but not only did that not work, the commands still operate! And this is after rebooting as well. I was able to find a jury-rigged solution, however. By taping a 3x5 index card over the trackpad, along the top edge of it (there will be some trackpad surface showing at bottom but my palms don’t reach that far) I seem to have mostly anesthetized the sensitivity, and as a bonus, can still use the trackpad features through the card. I still plan to bring the machine into Apple, since it is unacceptable to pay so much money for something with such a basic flaw; and it appears from reading these comments it has been going on for some time.

by

I also had this problem, but a found a cheap solution. I cut out a piece of thin cardstock to fit inside the rounded-corner rectangular space of the trackpad. Then I cut out a little area in the bottom center where I could use the trackpad. It cover the upper corners of the trackpad, where my thumbs rest. I attached the cardstock with Scotch 109 Removable Poster Tape. I also turned off “tap-to-click”. This has solved my problem. If I should need to use the full area of the trackpad for an art project, the Poster tape comes off easily. I bought this 2020 MBP 13” (Intel) at the end of June 2020. It had the problem from day one. But this little piece of cardboard has solved it.

by

this is pathetic news that it is still ongoing and we have to solve our own problems with a jerry-rig.

by

Add a comment

Options

My trackpad was acting that way. I turned off my computer and cleaned my trackpad with a wet wipe very carefully then used a paper towel to wipe away the moisture and lo and behold it worked. Over time the grime and dust from our fingers accumulate on the trackpad that’s my humble conclusion!

Was this answer helpful?

Yes No
Score 1

1 Comment:

My 2020 MBP has done it since day one--when totally clean.

by

Add a comment

Options

I had this problem, however it was happening to me when using Safari typing into a text box. Turned out to be the Grammarly premium plugin, I disabled and re-enabled the spell checking and it stopped jumping back.

15” MBP 2018 with Touch Bar.

Was this answer helpful?

Yes No
Score 1
Add a comment

Options

I found a fix! I pulled out my mouse from a box of old electronics and discovered that when the mouse is plugged in the cursor no longer skips. When I am typing, I always insert the mouse. When I just want to scroll through the news I unplug the mouse. This solution is 100% effective, i.e., empirically validated. It’s a bit of a drag to have to use the mouse to navigate, but much, much less of a drag than having the insertion point skip and then missing it and typing over creative work and losing it. I hope this helps.

Was this answer helpful?

Yes No
Score 1

5 Comments:

Thanks so much .. you’re right. It’s a bit of a pain but typing over my work was killing me !

by

I noticed a similar result when I used an external keyboard. Defeats the purpose of a laptop and I'm not carrying a keyboard just to use the track pad. John, I think your fix is more of a work-around. Apple has to make what ever changes to it's software and hardware to make the track pad perform as expected.

by

LOL I'm not carrying a keyboard just to use a trackpad. Hilarious but insane world of Apple. Oh Steve where are you now that we most need you??? LOL

by

I have the same problem. As I am typing and the letters show up three lines above the line I'm typing on. I thought it was only in Pages. I am constantly having to undo typing. Rediculous!

by

The jumping cursor was a major problem with my 2012 MacBook Air, and I was told by every support person that nobody had brought that problem forward, and I must be doing something wrong. (Do you believe that? Nope me neither). I found the answer somewhere about 2015 when I was looking, again, at the Apple Community Support site. The answer at that time was to tap on the black apple in the top left corner --> Preferences --> Trackpad --> Point & Click --> uncheck the option Tap to Click. It solved the problem, but it didn't with my 2018 MacBook Air. As per one of the suggestions on this site, I began with tapping the black apple at the top, left corner --> Preferences --> Trackpad --> Point & Click to uncheck all three options --> Look Up & Data detectors --> Secondary Click --> Tap to Click. Move cursor to Scroll & Zoom to uncheck --> Smart Zoom --> Rotate. Move the cursor to More Gestures and uncheck all of the options. It worked for me, but it's not a blanket solution for everyone. Good luck, all.

by

Add a comment

Options

Apple replaced my entire upper in their attempt to fix this. It worked. Problem gone. Make an appointment at your local Apple store. It’s now under extended warranty.

Was this answer helpful?

Yes No
Score 1

2 Comments:

Apple finally admitted they have a problem and supposedly going to fix it for free within 4 years of purchase. Details here: https://apple.news/AhxYSPhwQQ7uKzAovTPhb...

by

I had my upper half replaced once for a faulty keyboard. Then the keyboard started acting up again so it was replaced. It happened a third time and I had it replaced just before Applecare went out and it is still doing weird things like the cursor goes to another area or it puts part of a sentence in another place. My first Macbook Pro was great but this one has been a very big disappointed with three replaced keyboards and still not right. I have to look it over before sending a message or email and it's so aggravating.

I have an article I saved from the internet that says Apple had issues with the new keyboards design from 2015 -2020. This one was new in November of 2017.

Added note: I just went over this before sending and it doesn't capitalize letters when I need to and had to capitalize every letter that needed it. Very disappointed!

by

Add a comment

Options

No. I do not have a butterfly keyboard. I have a 2020 13" intel MacBookPro. The problem is the touchpad, not the keyboard.

Was this answer helpful?

Yes No
Score 0

4 Comments:

@furber - Sounds like you have a very different issue than what this question was about. Best to create a fresh question with your details. This one was on the 2017 13" MacBook Pro Touch Bar

by

Agreed Dan. I posted this about a year ago regarding my 2017. Possible it could apply.

“ Apple replaced my entire upper in their attempt to fix this. It worked. Problem gone. Make an appointment at your local Apple store. It’s now under extended warranty.”

by

Hi @danj If you look at the title and opening post in this thread, you will see the following: QUOTE "Cursor jumping randomly when typing...when I type, randomly, the cursor will end up in some other place while I'm typing. I'm guessing it has something to do with the massive trackpad. " UNQUOTE

This is EXACTLY the issue that I am talking about.

I agree with you that the butterfly keyboard is also a bad technology, but this thread is about a jumping cursor with a massive trackpad, and that is what I am posting about.

The fact that this problem continues in 2020 MBPs that do not have a butterfly keyboard, but do have this massive trackpad, supports the hypothesis that this problem can be caused by the trackpad without the butterflies.

by

@furber - from the surface I can see how you can conclude that. But Apple loves to alter things! Your systems issue is different enough from this one.

Besides this is an old question which has been resolved for the OP. It just won't get the view a fresh one will. Please post a new question with all of your details - Thanks!

by

Add a comment

Add your answer

Max will be eternally grateful.
View Statistics:

Past 24 Hours: 16

Past 7 Days: 71

Past 30 Days: 334

All Time: 34,910