My Apple Magic Trackpad has started to move the pointer on the screen with a jerky and jumpy way, that makes it difficult to use it (compared with the macbook pro mid 2010 17inch touchpad). How can I fix it, and why it appeared so suddenly? My operating system is Mac OS Mountain Lion. Thank you.
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6 Answers
Apple magic trackpad 2 owner here and every few weeks mine does this on bluetooth (but it's fine while plugged in and charging. The solution is to reboot your trackpad (just turn it off and on again using the switch on the back).
I think it's stupid that I have to reboot my trackpad but here we are. Also if anyone is curious why I'm responding in this question, it's because this is the top google result for 'Apple magic trackpad 2 jumpy".
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2You are a hero, this popped up in my Google answer box... 7 years later, wanted to say thanks! Commented Oct 26, 2021 at 22:17
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1Helped me too: "just turn it off and on again" a classic IT answer 😎– pd95Commented Jun 20, 2023 at 16:18
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For me, turning Bluetooth off then back on did the trick for a very jerky cursor. Turning the trackpad off and on did not fix it.
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3That worked for me too, thanks. Would be good to understand why - wonder if it's getting a new Bluetooth channel with less interference? Or just resetting a bugged driver... Commented Feb 7, 2021 at 23:07
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This worked for me as well—thank you, was just turning the trackpad itself on and off to no effect. Commented Apr 4, 2023 at 18:45
I removed the batteries and then I took a pencil with a soft pink eraser at the end and cleaned the contact inside the Magic Trackpad. Blew out any eraser left on the contact and put the batteries back (new to begin with). Immediate 90% improvement.
This helps since I am using a 30" monitor.
I have Magic Trackpads for all my other machines. No problems with them. Only this machine.
BTW, also tried resetting the PRAM, cleaning the surface of the Trackpad, changed the batteries, grounded myself, scrubbed my fingers clean, and turned off the internal backup (a hidden function for when the machine is not connected to a Time Machine drive).
Info: MacPro '06, 30" Cinema Display, 22 Gig RAM. 6 Gig internal storage, 11.5 total storage. 10.7.5
It seems that new Alkaline Batteries may do the trick.I was disappointed because after the replacement of the batteries the problem remained. But I see that after some time the trackpad returned to its previous good performance!
I know this is an old question, but for my current-model magic trackpad, I used two alcohol wipes; the kind used for insulin injections. I turned the trackpad off, then carefully wiped the entire surface in a grid pattern, then did the same with another wipe, being careful not to get the trackpad too wet. Using two wipes ensures removal of fingerprint skin oil. After wiping, I held the surface of the trackpad in front of my desk fan until it was dry (maybe a minute or so.) I turned it back on and the problem was solved.
One other thing to consider is to make sure nothing else is touching your magic trackpad, especially the Lightning cable that's used to occasionally charge it (or some may keep it permanently connected). I had a jumpy cursor suddenly and I couldn't figure out what it was until I noticed that part of the cord was very slightly touching the upper corner of the trackpad. Once I moved it out of the way, suddenly the cursor was behaving normally again. Just something else to consider for folks.
