How to Unlock Cursor on Laptop: Some Useful Tips and Tricks

Losing your cursor control or it not showing any movement is pretty normal and happens to all of us at one point or another. However, there is no need to panic, as it can be solved by detecting what is wrong.

And to help you with this, I have brought together some useful tips and tricks about how to unlock the cursor on a laptop. So, dive right in for more.

Why is My Laptop Cursor Not Working?

There can be multiple reasons why your laptop cursor is not responding, from outdated drivers to background applications, excessive use of temporary memory, or dust stuck in the touchpad. And the good news is that all of it can be solved. All you need is the right diagnosis and solution.

How to Unlock Cursor on Windows?

Unlocking the cursor on Windows is fairly simple and involves multiple methods. But before you try out any of these methods, it is important to make sure that the entire system is not locked. For this, press the Start key and check whether it works. If it is working fine, follow these simple methods and unlock your laptop cursor.

Using Function Keys

The most effective way to unlock a cursor on your laptop is by using the function keys from your keyboard. This is because the most apparent way of locking the touchpad is accidentally pressing the Fn key. And to resolve this, all you need to do is press the Function Key Fn. Do consider that in some laptops, the function key can be one between F6, F7, and F8. Do consult the manufacturer’s website.

From Settings

Another way you can solve this issue is directly through the touchpad. All you need to do here is enable the cursor from your laptop’s settings. And here is how to do it.

1. First, click the Start button from the Window display and locate the searcher.
2. Next, type Mouse in the searcher and select the Touchpad button from the menu.
3. It will open a new page; click Device Settings > Turned On. This option can also be written as Synaptics and ELAN, based on your laptop manufacturer.

Update the Drivers

If nothing works and your laptop is still stuck in one place, it is time to fix your drivers. Not having the correct drivers installed in your laptop can result in other functions like keyboard and touchpad malfunction. Hence, it is ideal that you update the right kind of drivers in your laptop for the hardware to properly communicate with the system.

Now, if the mouse of your laptop is stuck and you don’t know how to do it. Don’t worry; this can be done using the keyboard of your laptop.

1. First, press Windows and R keys simultaneously, and you will see a small search box on your screen. Type devmgmt.msc in this box.
2. Open the device manager using the searcher from the Start button and navigate down to find the Human Interface Devices. You can use the Tab button to go up and down the menu.
3. After selecting this, go down to find the HID-compliant touchpad. Now, press Enter to confirm this.
4. Once you are done, open the New Window. Now, press Tab to open the General tab and use the right arrow key to select the Driver tab.
5. Navigate down the menu and find the Update Drivers option. Press Enter, and it will be done in a minute.

How to Unlock Cursor on MacOS?

Although the techniques are mostly the same in Mac, the steps for each may vary based on the system configuration. Following are some of the commonly used methods to unlock the Mac trackpad.

Restart Your Device

The first thing you should do whenever something happens with your Macbook is restart it. Never ever underestimate this method, as it can solve most issues by clearing most temporary files and cache.

Force Quit the Windows

Sometimes, it happens that the cursor of your Macbook freezes immediately as soon as you open an application in your browser. And force quitting will help you stop the operation of the application that may be interfering with the working of your touchpad. Here is how you can force quit and relaunch one window on Mac;

1. First, press the Command, Option, and Esc keys together to force quit the Window.
2. Next, use the arrow keys on your laptop and troubleshoot the problem. Once you see a pop-up menu on your screen, press Enter to quit the Window.
3. Finally, track the Finder on your screen and click Enter to relaunch the application again. This will surely solve the problem.

Update the System

If restarting the device hasn’t brought back the response of your cursor, this means you need to update the Mac. and doing this is pretty easy, as all you need to do is check for new updates and launch them. Follow these simple steps to do this.

1. First, go to System and then Settings.
2. Next, select General and Software Updates. If there are any updates available, you will see them mentioned in this corner. Press Enter while you are on Update Now, and it is done.

Reset NVRAM

The Non-Volatile memory or NVRAM is a backup for your storage in Mac and comes with its own battery. This doesn’t get cleared, even if you shut down the device. And oftentimes, it can get corrupted, resulting in hardware malfunction in your MacBook. Follow these steps to do this.

1. First, shut down your Mac and then press the Command, P, and R keys with the Power button at the same time.
2. Keep holding them until you see a startup chime. Release the keys once you notice some activity on the screen. The Apple logo will appear and disappear twice. This means the job is done.

Conclusion

Unlocking the cursor on your laptop or Macbook is no challenge. All it requires is detecting what is wrong and opting for a method that suits best. I hope this guide has been helpful in guiding you on how to unlock the cursor on your laptop.