How to fix a Macbook Pro trackpad where the mouse pointer is randomly moving?

Solution 1:

Your trackpad is definitely dead. It needs a replacement. The dead line means that it is slowly dying. I have had these things. Probably your connector is getting old. But mine got burnt up because the hotel I was staying in did not have proper grounding in their mains supply. This meant that current was flowing from the metal parts and trackpad (it is electrified), through my body, and onto any grounded metal surface I touched. Trackpads are very sensitive to current changes as they have very thin wires running through them. The high ground current burns them off, either row by row or column by column.

Solution 2:

This was driving me crazy, too. It just started happening yesterday, but was dangerous as the cursor kept selecting everything--making selection rectangles especially on the desktop, opening programs I didn't want to open on the dock, and generally jumping around like a drunk rabbit.

Searched forums, read about others saying this happened to them after updating their Mac software, etc., etc. Got so frustrated I literally slapped the trackpad with my open palm. And what do you know -- that fixed it! Now my trackpad is working perfectly again. Must have been something pinching or pressing against the underside of the trackpad.

Don't know if you're all going to believe me 'cause it sounds ridiculous, and if you do believe me I don't know if you're willing to do it. But I swear on my soul it's true and I'm posting this solution for all to see because I want to help.

Solution 3:

Here are suggestions to try:

• Make sure your trackpad is clean and dry, and you fingers not wet.

• Try to restart your Dock service by typing in Terminal: killall Dock command (be aware, it'll restart/re-open all your windows). Here is another similar command to restart it:

  launchctl stop com.apple.Dock.agent && launchctl start com.apple.Dock.agent
  

• Quit/restart any mouse related software (like BetterTouchTool).

• In System Preferences, Trackpad, slow down your Tracking speed and re-enable all options.
• Try to reset the System Management Controller (SMC).
• If the problem still continues even after restart, it could be a hardware problem.

Solution 4:

The solution I found on iFixit was to press hard on opposing corners of the trackpad. Just once was enough.

I had the jumping cursor problem after leaving the Macbook Pro (mid-2012 13 inch) in a drawer for two weeks, which is unusually long for me.

The problem consisted of the cursor moving by itself, but there were also pinching motions, text selecting and taps going on that didn't come from my fingers. Or from a combination of my finger and the trackpad itself. At some points, part of the trackpad seemed to be dead. But not always the same parts.

Just pressing hard on opposing corner has solved the problem... at least for the last hour. Of all the other solutions I've tried, only slapping helped, but only for a few minutes.