Mouse Cursor Disappears in Windows 11/10: 7 Fixes

Applies to: Windows 11 and Windows 10, with a USB, wireless or Bluetooth mouse, or a laptop touchpad.

First: how to get around without a cursor

Most fixes below need a few clicks, so here’s how to do them with just the keyboard:

Keys	What they do
Win + I	Opens Settings
Tab and arrow keys	Move between items and options
Enter or Space	Select a button or turn a switch on or off
Win + X	Opens the Start button’s menu (Device Manager, Terminal, Task Manager)
Ctrl + Shift + Esc	Opens Task Manager
Shift + F10	Opens the right-click menu for the selected item
Alt + F4	Closes the current window

If you have a spare USB mouse, plug it in as a quick test. If it works, the problem is the original mouse or its connection, not Windows.

Fix 1: Turn the touchpad back on

On laptops, the cursor most often “disappears” because the touchpad was switched off by accident. Look along the top row of keys for one with a touchpad icon (often F5, F6, F7 or F9) and press it, or press it together with Fn. Some HP laptops instead turn the touchpad on and off with a double-tap in its top-left corner.

You can also check in Settings:

1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
2. Go to Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad. In Windows 10 it’s Devices > Touchpad.
3. Make sure the Touchpad switch is On.
4. If you use a mouse too, expand the Touchpad section and make sure Leave touchpad on when a mouse is connected is ticked; otherwise the touchpad switches off whenever a mouse (or its dongle) is plugged in.

Fix 2: Check the mouse, batteries and connection

• Wired or USB dongle: unplug it, wait a few seconds and plug it into a different USB port, directly on the PC rather than through a hub.
• Wireless: replace or recharge the batteries, switch the mouse off and on, and keep the dongle close to the mouse and away from routers and metal.
• Bluetooth: turn the mouse off and on. If that doesn’t help, remove it under Settings > Bluetooth & devices and pair it again. Bluetooth mice can take a moment to reconnect after they’ve been idle.
• Test it elsewhere: try the mouse on another PC, or another mouse on this PC, to see which side has the problem.

Fix 3: Turn off “Hide pointer while typing”

If the cursor only disappears while you type and comes back when you move the mouse, Windows is doing it on purpose. To change it:

1. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse.
2. Under Related settings, select Additional mouse settings.
3. Open the Pointer Options tab and untick Hide pointer while typing.
4. While you’re there, tick Show location of pointer when I press the CTRL key. After that, pressing Ctrl shows a circle around the pointer whenever you lose it.
5. Select OK.

Also untick Display pointer trails if it’s on. Trails can make the pointer flicker or seem to vanish on some displays.

Fix 4: Restart Windows Explorer and the graphics driver

If the mouse clearly works (things highlight when you move it) but the arrow itself is invisible, the display side is usually stuck.

Restart the graphics driver: press Win + Ctrl + Shift + B. The screen goes black for a second and you’ll hear a beep. Your open apps stay open.

Restart Windows Explorer, which draws the taskbar and desktop:

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Use Tab and the arrow keys to select Windows Explorer in the list of processes.
3. Press Shift + F10 and choose Restart.

If neither helps, restart the PC. If the whole screen goes dark rather than just the cursor, see how to fix a black screen in Windows.

Fix 5: Check for a second or phantom display

If you use (or once used) a second monitor or a TV, the cursor may simply be on a screen you can’t see. Press Win + P and choose PC screen only to bring everything back to the main display.

To check the layout, go to Settings > System > Display. Select Identify to see which number is which. If Windows lists a display you can’t see, choose Show only on 1 from the multiple displays drop-down, or unplug the extra cable or adapter.

Fix 6: Reinstall the mouse or touchpad driver

1. Press Win + X, then M to open Device Manager.
2. Press Tab to move into the list, then use the arrow keys to go to Mice and other pointing devices and press the right arrow to expand it.
3. Select your mouse or touchpad (for example “HID-compliant mouse”, or a touchpad from Synaptics or ELAN), press Shift + F10 and choose Uninstall device, then confirm.
4. Restart the PC. Windows reinstalls the driver automatically.

For laptop touchpads, the best driver usually comes from the laptop maker’s support page. Also install any pending updates in Settings > Windows Update; if Settings won’t cooperate, you can run Windows Update from the command line. If the PC also freezes or shows blue screens, a bad driver may be behind both; see DPC watchdog violation.

Fix 7: Reset the pointer scheme and make it easier to see

A broken or custom pointer theme can leave the cursor blank. To reset it:

1. Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse > Additional mouse settings.
2. On the Pointers tab, choose a standard Scheme such as “Windows Default (system scheme)”.
3. Select Apply, then OK.

If the pointer is there but hard to spot, go to Settings > Accessibility > Mouse pointer and touch. Change the Mouse pointer style (for example to inverted or a bright custom color) and use the Size slider to make it larger.

If settings pages fail to open or keep crashing, repair Windows system files with SFC and DISM.

When the cursor only disappears in one app

• Games and video players hide the cursor while they run, and full-screen apps may keep it locked. Press Esc or Alt + Tab to get it back.
• Web browsers: if the cursor vanishes only in Chrome or Edge, try turning off graphics acceleration in the browser’s settings (search its settings for “acceleration”) and restart the browser.
• Remote desktop or virtual machines can capture the mouse. Most release it with a key combination shown in their window title or toolbar; in Hyper-V it’s Ctrl + Alt + Left arrow.

Related guides

• How to fix a black screen in Windows
• Windows Update from the command line
• DPC watchdog violation: how to fix it
• Windows Resource Protection could not perform the requested operation (SFC and DISM)

Official sources: for more detail, see Microsoft’s own documentation:

• Microsoft Support: Change mouse settings
• Microsoft Support: Troubleshoot problems with your mouse or keyboard
• Microsoft Support: Try to wake the screen (Win + Ctrl + Shift + B)

Frequently asked questions

Why does my cursor disappear after waking from sleep?

The mouse or touchpad driver sometimes doesn’t resume properly. Press Win + Ctrl + Shift + B, reconnect the mouse, and if it keeps happening, reinstall the driver (Fix 6) and install the latest updates from your PC maker.

Why does the cursor disappear only when I type?

That’s the Hide pointer while typing option. It comes back as soon as you move the mouse, or you can turn it off in Fix 3.

Can a virus make the cursor disappear?

It’s rare. A missing cursor is almost always a setting, connection or driver issue. If you’ve also noticed other strange behavior, run a full scan; see how to scan for malware.

My cursor is gone on the login screen. What now?

Use Tab to move to the password box and sign in with the keyboard, then work through the fixes above. If the cursor is missing before sign-in too, the problem is the hardware or its driver rather than your account.