How to solve “mouse cursor disappeared” problem in Windows 10/11

What is “mouse cursor disappeared” problem

You may sometimes come into a situation when no cursor is visible, making it difficult to know where you are with clicking. And there is no single reason why such issues are inclined to happen – it can be a system one-time glitch, outdated or corrupted drivers, problems with system file configuration, and other kinds of causes. Some end up seeing no cursor on their laptop or PC screen after unlocking back to the desktop, leaving the sleep mode, updating Windows, or even surfing the Google Chrome browser. It is sometimes possible to circumvent the issue by using a touchpad or stylus pen. Even so, it is yet only a temporary solution, which will not carry the main problem away. This is why we decided to compile this guide and help you get the mysteriously gone courses back to being real on the screen – with these 6 effective methods below.

1. Check whether your mouse is working

This is the first thing we recommend you try before going into performing the instructions themselves. Make sure there is nothing wrong with the mouse itself. Try to replug it in or use it with another laptop/PC. If everything seems fine with the device, then feel free to move forward and attempt the further solutions listed below.

2. Restart your system

Since you have no access to seeing the cursor, get your fingers ready for pressing a number of buttons on the keyboard. If you have not yet tried restarting your PC or simply do not know how to do it without a cursor, follow these simple steps underneath:

1. While being on your desktop, press the Alt + F4 buttons. If you have a laptop with the enable Fn button, press Alt + Fn + F4 instead.
2. This will summon up a dialog box. Use Arrow Down to select Restart and click OK by pressing Enter.

A simple restart should be able to resolve the problem. In case it does not and your cursor has not returned, proceed to other solutions.

3. Turn on your touchpad

If you are a laptop user and do not use another device like a mouse, the reason your cursor could disappear is that you accidentally turned off your touchpad. The solution is simple, and it is to switch it back on. Different laptops have different key shortcuts for that. If you are unsure which button does it, try to hold Fn together with F1, F2, F3, F4, and so forth until it works out.

4. Check integrity of system files

As was pointed out above, troubles with cursor appearance could also be caused by problems within your system file communication. For this exact reason, we encourage you to run SFC (System File Scan) and DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management), both of which are command-line utilities designed to detect and solve various issues related to files and system configuration.

Using SFC

1. Press a combination of Windows key + X buttons and use arrow keys to select Windows PowerShell (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin) depending on which is visible. Press Enter to open them up and click Yes for UAC confirmation.
2. Then, copy-paste this command sfc /scannow and press Enter eventually.
3. Wait until the scanning is done and move on to running another utility below.

Using DISM

1. While being in the same command window, copy-paste DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth and press Enter again.
2. Once the process is done, restart your system and check whether something has improved.

5. Reinstall your mouse driver

Drivers are key for making sure the proper operation of hardware and peripheral devices. Sometimes they can be bugged or simply incompatible with newer Windows versions, causing mouse functions like cursor to run into a fault. Thus, we advise you to delete it in Device Manager and replug your mouse again to let Windows set the right driver for it. Here is how:

1. Press Windows key + X as we did above and open Device Manager using arrow keys.
2. Click Tab on your keyboard and navigate down to a section called Mice and other pointing devices with the arrow keys again.
3. Press the right arrow key to expand it and choose what driver is related to your mouse.
4. Then, press a button that looks like a page list (it is usually located next to Ctrl). On a laptop, make sure you press it with the Fn key.
5. Select Uninstall device and press Enter. Follow the on-screen instructions and restart your system.

After this, you can try to replug your mouse again and wait until new drivers end up installed. See if this finally erases the problem. You can also do it with each mouse driver from the list in case you are unsure which one corresponds to your pointing device.

6. Reconfigure EnableCursorSuppression in Registry Editor

This is the last, yet another potential solution to stamp on the issue and return your cursor back to where it belongs. Down below, we are going to use your keyboard again (unless you have a screen sensor) and edit the EnableCursorSuppression entry. It is responsible for displaying the cursor you are looking to reset. Follow the steps below to do so:

1. First, press Windows key + R buttons and copy-paste regedit. Press Enter and confirm the UAC window by choosing Yes.
2. We will now need to navigate to this directory HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System. Use arrow down to climb down the list, and arrow right to expand each folder.
3. After reaching System, press Tab to jump over to the list of entries on the right.
4. Select EnableCursorSuppression and press Enter to open it up.
5. Under Value, change the number to 0 and then confirm with OK to close the tab.

Finally, restart your computer and see how it goes with your cursor this time around. Hope it is finally present.

Summary

This was our list of solutions dedicated to resolving the “mouse cursor disappeared” problem. If all the methods are attempted as written and yet no results are seen, you can suspect malware or some dubious program to be the root of the issue. As a last resort solution, try to carry out a system scan using Windows Defender or another third-party antivirus to detect and eliminate possible threats. Various malware is known for causing system disruptions including problems with such plain things as a cursor on the screen.