A minor glitch in Windows could lead to unpredictable issues like “mouse cursor stuck in top left corner” and it can be resolved by a restart. If the issue persists, then run Windows troubleshooter, take a look at the settings, disable touchscreen pen drivers, uninstall bloatware, and run the Media Creation Tool. These solutions may sound a bit difficult but not after reading this article to the last sentence.
What Might Have Gone Wrong
Lighting
Your computer is a touchscreen laptop? Then lighting may be what makes your mouse cursor stuck in top left corner. In case you don’t know, many touchscreen laptops have a touchscreen pen driver that moves the mouse around randomly in certain lighting conditions. Furthermore, the odds of erratic movements increase if the touchscreen pen driver has the same frequency as the light.
Drivers
For external mouses to work as expected, its drivers must be in good condition: up-to-date and uncorrupted. If the drivers of your mouse experience issues, you have a hard time manipulating the mouse cursor.
Bloatware
Upon purchase, your computer could have a number of programs that help you get the most out of your experience. However, the programs consist of bloatware as well and they could complicate mouse operations over time.
Settings
Like its contemporaries, Windows allows people to apply changes to settings in times of need. However, if you configure the setting poorly, the performance of quite a few features suffers. Hence, in discussions about mouse cursor stuck in top left corner, people consider settings to be among the top suspects.
How To Deal With The Issue
Restart
In the beginning, restart your computer. Modern computers develop hiccups every now and then so a restart is enough to bring things back to normal. During restart, your PC is going to close all background processes, free up memory space, and clear temporary files. That means as the screen returns, most hiccups should go away.
Windows Troubleshooter
- Step 1: Press Windows + R to open Run.
- Step 2: Type Control Panel then hit Enter.
- Step 3: Select Troubleshooting then choose Hardware and Sound.
- Step 4: Click Device and hit Next to begin the scan.
- Step 5: Once an error has been identified, click Apply this fix then wait for the troubleshooter to complete the fix.
- Step 6: Close everything, restart your computer then check if the issue has been solved.
Uninstall And Reinstall Mouse Driver
- Step 1: Go to Search bar, type Device Manager then hit Enter.
- Step 2: In Device Manager, double-click Mouse and other pointing devices to expand it.
- Step 3: Right-click on mouse, select Properties and navigate to Driver tab.
- Step 4: Click Uninstall.
- Step 5: Restart your computer. Since you cannot use the mouse at that point, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete, use navigation keys to highlight Power and hit Enter. Next, highlight Restart and hit Enter.
Note: If you run into this problem after a recent driver update, you will have to roll back the driver. On the Driver tab, select Roll Back Driver, and your driver will be restored to the version it was before it developed an error.
Take A Look At Settings
- Step 1: Press Windows + R to open Run.
- Step 2: Type Control Panel then hit Enter.
- Step 3: Click Mouse then navigate to Pointer Options tab.
- Step 4: Uncheck the box beside the Enhance pointer precision feature.
- Step 5: Select Apply then choose OK to save changes.
Disable Touchscreen Pen Driver
If you don’t plan to use your laptop as a tablet, feel free to disable the touchscreen pen driver.
- Step 1: Press Windows + X to open Quick Link Menu.
- Step 2: Choose Device Manager.
- Step 3: Double-click Human Interface Devices then right-click HID-compliant pen.
- Step 4: Select Properties, go to the Driver tab then choose Disable.
Uninstall Bloatware
- Step 1: Press Windows + I to open Settings.
- Step 2: Select Apps and on the left panel, go to Apps & Features.
- Step 3: Select each of the bloatware including those that manage the mouse cursor then click Uninstall.
- Step 4: Restart your computer then see how things turn out.
Media Creation Tool
If all of the above solutions fail to address the issue, you will have to reinstall Windows using the Media Creation Tool.
- Step 1: Launch your web browser, visit the Microsoft website and download the Media Creation Tool.
- Step 2: Once the download concludes, you will be prompted to run Media Creation Tool so click Run.
- Step 3: Read the terms and conditions then hit Accept.
- Step 4: Select Upgrade this PC now and choose Next.
- Step 5: On the next window, select what to keep then click Install.
- Step 6: After the installation wraps up, choose the account you want to sign in with then accept the privacy terms.
- Step 7: Sign in to your account then check if your mouse issue has been solved.
Suggestions
- Hold down Ctrl then scroll the scroll wheel of the mouse to zoom in and down to zoom out.
- To select multiple items, hold down the Ctrl while left-clicking each item with the mouse.
- Need to open a link on the next tab? Position your cursor on the link then press the scroll wheel.
Is A Wireless Mouse Better Than A Wired One?
While buying a mouse, you may have trouble choosing between wired and wireless mice. The choice of mouse will depend on what you intend to use it for. If you want a mouse for gaming, wired is your best bet since wired mice work fast and they don’t suffer from interference. On the other hand, if you usually move around, you should stick to wireless mice.
Should I Use A Mouse With My Laptop?
If you have the space for a mouse, you may purchase one. However, many laptops have excellent built-in touchpads that let you control the mouse cursor effectively and efficiently.
Michael Kan has been with Ginno Security Lab since October 2017, covering a wide range of topics, including consumer electronics, cybersecurity, social media, networking, and gaming. Prior to working at Ginno Security Lab he was a foreign correspondent in Beijing for over five years, covering the tech scene in Asia.
Areas of Expertise: Michael Kan has been working as a journalist for about 15 years— He start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City. Amazingly he is still here. Lately, he has been following SpaceX’s Starlink network, emerging online cyber threats, and the PC graphics card market (which led him to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000). He is always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send he tips.
The Best Tech he has Had:
- First video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
- Sega Saturn despite PlayStation’s popularity.
- The iPod Video received as a gift in college
- Xbox 360 FTW
- The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone he was proud to own.
- The PC desktop he built in 2013, which still works to this day.
