{"id":4929,"date":"2020-05-07T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-07T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=4929"},"modified":"2020-05-06T14:33:13","modified_gmt":"2020-05-06T18:33:13","slug":"when-i-am-typing-on-my-laptop-my-cursor-sometimes-ends-up-somewhere-else-on-the-page-is-this-a-computer-issue-that-can-be-corrected-or-the-website-itself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/05\/07\/when-i-am-typing-on-my-laptop-my-cursor-sometimes-ends-up-somewhere-else-on-the-page-is-this-a-computer-issue-that-can-be-corrected-or-the-website-itself\/","title":{"rendered":"“When I am typing on my laptop, my cursor sometimes ends up somewhere else on the page. Is this a computer or website issue?”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

(Answer requested by Katherine Quinn)<\/small><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My first guess is that it’s a purely physical issue with your laptop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, one of the reasons I use an external, plug-in keyboard on my laptop is because my thumbs used to occasionally brush the laptop’s touchpad as I typed on the built-in keyboard; I wouldn’t feel the touch, but the cursor would suddenly move, breaking my concentration and messing up whatever I was typing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even with a separate keyboard, I still sometimes cause problems for myself: I’m a heavy-handed typist, and I sometimes type so hard my keyboard tray vibrates enough to cause my mouse to shift on its own — likewise unintentionally moving the cursor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Computer lore is filled<\/strong><\/em> with stories of users experiencing these kinds of random typing\/mousing problems — only to find that an errant finger, or a bouncy lap or thighs, or a protruding body part (bellies and underboobs, especially), or a piece or fold of clothing, or a million other purely-physical issues, where something imperceptibly brushing against the hardware caused the cursor to move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And again — I’ve been bitten twice by this problem myself! \ud83d\ude42 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, check your physical setup first for anything that might interfere with or accidentally brush or touch your mouse or touchpad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, if necessary, you can make your cursor less sensitive to input. You don’t specify what OS you’re using, but here’s info for Windows 10:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. In Win10, type mouse<\/strong> in the search box, and then click Mouse settings<\/strong>. On the Mouse settings<\/em> page, click Additional mouse options<\/strong>, and then follow along with the info below (from Microsoft’s general Change mouse settings<\/a><\/strong> page for Windows 7).<\/li>
  2. Click the Pointer Options <\/strong>tab, and then do any of the following: