Cursor freezes for a split second around every 10 seconds

Solution 1:

I've had that happen to my own Mac and typically for me it was due to a high system load or something else locking the system (like a hard drive failing for example).

Here is a comprehensive list of things to try:

Try leaving Activity Monitor open and check if CPU usage remains consistently high while you are doing your usual tasks. If so, close all running Applications and check again. Also, with all your normal applications open check the Memory tab and see if Memory Used is close to or exceeding Physical Memory. If so, perhaps see if your Mac can have its Memory upgraded? Also, Go to the Disk tab and check Data written/sec: If you're looking at 50 MB/s or above and your Mac does not have an SSD then that's most likely the issue. You can also get this upgraded on most Macs.

You can also try loading your Mac into Safe Boot Mode to force the Mac to check and fix its startup volume from any issues it may have (https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT201262). Once you have done this and are in Safe Boot mode, reboot the Mac and try using it normally again, see if the issue is resolved.

Check your hard drive's health using a tool such as Drive Genius, disclaimer: I do not work for them but only recommend their tool as its quite easy to use and understand. If your hard drive's health isn't great then you should backup your data with Time Machine (https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT201250) and take your Mac to an Apple Store or Authorised Repairer for servicing so they can replace your hard drive.

Try creating yourself a new user account to test in, if you find the cursor is not skipping in the new account it may be an issue with your user account.

Once you have a good backup you can also try restoring your system to a clean state and re-test without your restoring your data on the Mac. If you find that the cursor isn't skipping then the issue may be due to an Application previously installed on your Mac or a corrupt system file. Try restoring just your user account using Migration Assistant once your Mac is in a clean state and you have confirmed the cursor issue is not present

Solution 2:

I've had something like this issue (with the mouse freezing momentarily every few seconds), and it was related to my second screen. If I left this second screen turned off after waking the Mac from sleep (or from having the laptop lid closed), this issue happened every time

Also had an issue with it even when the screen was on; it usually cleared after I unplugged and replugged the second screen cable.

Solution 3:

My cursor was also freezing intermittently and it was also related to my multi-screen display. I unplugged my monitors and replugged them in and this solved the issue.

I use a Macbook Pro and 2 Dell Monitors.

Solution 4:

I had the same issue which drove me crazy. I checked everything about my Mac and external display, but in the end the problem had been found with an external USB-C hub connected to my mac. Unplugging it immediately solves the problem.

So my suggestion is before all of the software checks (in order to reduce possible troubleshooting time) try to unplug all physical extensions (monitors, mouses, BT devices, etc) and see how it behaves.

My tech stack is MacBook Pro (2019) on Catalina 10.15.2 with the (source of the problem) USB-C hub HyperDrive GN30B

Solution 5:

I had this difficulty with a brand new MacBook Pro (2018). I found the stuttering was connected to my use of a USB-C breakout box I had attached. Even if other accessories were not attached to the box, it caused a momentary stutter every ten seconds. After removing it, all was well