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Participant
June 3, 2021
Answered

Mouse cursor is invisible in Illustrator

  • June 3, 2021
  • 4 replies
  • 37738 views

Hi,

I recently got a Surface 4 running Windows 10. Just downloaded AI and my mouse cursor is completely invisible when hovering anywhere in the program.

 

Any help is much appreciated.

Correct answer Mike_Gondek10189183

https://www.minitool.com/news/fix-mouse-cursor-disappears-win-surface-chrome.html

 

Fix Mouse Cursor Disappears on Windows 10

If you have the Show location of pointer feature on your computer, you can just press the Ctrl key on the keyboard to make the mouse pointer appear on your computer.

If the above method doesn’t work, you can do these things to have a try:

1. Update the drivers for mouse and other pointing devices. You can go to the Device Manager to do this job.

2. If you are using a wireless mouse, you need to make sure that the battery is OK. Disconnect and disconnect the mouse to check whether the mouse pointer appears.

3. Go to Control Panel > Mouse > Pointer Options and uncheck Hide pointer while typing. Then, you can go to see whether the mouse cursor appears.

4. Run Antivirus software to rule out the virus issue.

5. Run Hardware Troubleshooter.

4 replies

lucie48309264
Participant
March 24, 2025

The answer to run Illustrator in Safe Mode seem ridiculous, all due respect to the coders and support reps. 

 

I was attempting to rename a layer (but had not activated the "name" space in the layers panel) and started to type FILM while pressing SHIFT. I had not finished typing the word when the screen changed (with each letter) and the art went full screen, and the mouse cursor disappeared. After looking for an answer and finding none here, I went back into my art and repeated what I did when it happened: SHIFT F, I... then hit Esc to get out of full-screen mode, and the cursor appeared again.

 

Sometimes it is important to remember what we did before something bad happened and repeat to see if it reverses. I am unsure WHAT keystroke "code" I entered that caused the cursor to disappear, but I was able to backout without going into friggin' Safe Mode, which sounds extreme or lazy or both.

 

Good luck, fellow artists, as we deal with this increasingly glitchy program we love to hate. 🙂

Monika Gause
Community Expert
Community Expert
March 24, 2025

@lucie48309264  schrieb:

The answer to run Illustrator in Safe Mode seem ridiculous, all due respect to the coders and support reps. 


 

Running in Safe Mode is a test. It is solely meant for testing purposes and not permanently.

 

If the error doesn't continue in Safe Mode, then you have to search for it on your system (something else interfering). If it does continue, then it's within Illustrator.

Ton Frederiks
Community Expert
Community Expert
March 21, 2024

See: https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447/suggestions/48142784

If the latest update for the Insider Preview fixes that.

Participant
March 23, 2024

I also have been facing the same issue, its been very frustrating.

Ashutosh_Mishra
Inspiring
June 20, 2021

Hi there,

 

Sorry to hear about your experience. Do you see this behavior with Adobe Illustrator or other apps as well? In addition to Mike's helpful response earlier, I'd like you to try creating a new profile on your machine & observe the behavior. Additionally, make sure you have updated Windows 10 to the latest version.

Let us know how it goes.

 

Regards,

Ashutosh

 

 

Participating Frequently
August 1, 2022

Hello...I have the same disappearing mouse cursor in illustrator..the cursor is visible on all other applications including Photoshop. The cursor works for a while and then disappears. 

I unchecked the "hide cursor" option. It worked for about 10 mins then disappeared again. 

Hope you can help. 

Thanks

Kathy

Anshul_Saini
Community Manager
Community Manager
August 25, 2022

Hi Kathy,

 

We are sorry to hear about this. Would you mind checking & confirm if closing the other apps that are open help or not? Also, Would you mind running the app in Safe Mode  (MacWindows)? In Safe Mode, your system starts to perform certain checks and prevent third-party software/ services from automatically loading or opening, which may interfere with the cursor.

 

Also, would you mind sharing a few details like:

  • OS & version of Ai
  • Which apps are you running simultaneously with Ai?
  • When did this start happening? Are there any recent changes made to your system? For example, any antivirus, system updates, plugins, or web extensions installed recently.

Let us know how it goes.

 

We will be looking forward to your response.
 

Regards,
Anshul Saini

Mike_Gondek10189183
Community Expert
Mike_Gondek10189183Community ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
June 3, 2021

https://www.minitool.com/news/fix-mouse-cursor-disappears-win-surface-chrome.html

 

Fix Mouse Cursor Disappears on Windows 10

If you have the Show location of pointer feature on your computer, you can just press the Ctrl key on the keyboard to make the mouse pointer appear on your computer.

If the above method doesn’t work, you can do these things to have a try:

1. Update the drivers for mouse and other pointing devices. You can go to the Device Manager to do this job.

2. If you are using a wireless mouse, you need to make sure that the battery is OK. Disconnect and disconnect the mouse to check whether the mouse pointer appears.

3. Go to Control Panel > Mouse > Pointer Options and uncheck Hide pointer while typing. Then, you can go to see whether the mouse cursor appears.

4. Run Antivirus software to rule out the virus issue.

5. Run Hardware Troubleshooter.