Extra mouse pointer on Surface Pro 4 screen

Question

My Surface Pro 4 has an issue with an extra mouse pointer.  It appears on the right edge of the screen, just off the screen as shown below, but you can see a half circle around it visible on the screen.  If I hover over something with the active pointer and it turns to a hand symbol, the extra pointer also turns to a hand and it can then be seen.  This pointer never moves but affects the operation of the other mice and touchscreen.

The regular mouse pointer will flicker when moving and disappears when stationary.  It often cannot click on items.  Even the touchscreen will not be able to click on items usually. 

I cannot swipe in from the right to bring up any menu items there.

Turning off the computer sometimes helps temporarily.

I have disabled the Bluetooth, no change.  Removed mouse drivers and HID devices.  No change.

I have changed the touch keyboard, no change.

I have switched to tablet mode and back.  No change.

I have disabled the track pad with no change.

I have tried to change the project screen from duplicate display to Surface display only.  No change.

If I connect an external monitor and close the Surface keyboard (so the Surface monitor is off) the problem goes away.  If I open the cover, the problem starts again, affecting both the Surface monitor and the External monitor. ![](https://learn-attachment.microsoft.com/api/attachments/2d9ab437-65af-4cbe-9dbb-5e3b85ec5145?platform=QnA

Answer 1

Update - If I disable the HID touchscreen, the issue goes away.  Of course I cannot use the touchscreen then but it will make it usable with an external mouse again.  

I have disabled and re-enabled the devices (there are 2 on my computer) and deleted them with Windows reinstalling them when it starts again.

Would a reset help this issue or is it going to take a repair depot?

Answer 2

Hi DonScanTech,

We apologize for the delayed response. We would like to know if you're still having issues with your Surface Pro 4. Can you tell us if the touch screen already working? To isolate this issue, we suggest that you download and run the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit. Once you run the toolkit, kindly follow the on-screen instructions.

If the toolkit did not detect any issues, let's try a force shutdown/restart of your Surface. Performing a Forced Shutdown is like removing the battery from a laptop or unplugging a desktop PC. It resets the hardware and clears all the cache and memory for your hardware. To do this, here's how:

    1. Press and hold the volume-up button and the power button at the same time for at least 15 seconds and then release both.

*The Surface may boot to UEFI. This is normal. Exit the UEFI without any changes made.

    2. Press and release the power button to turn your Surface back on. You should see the Surface logo.

If the issue persists, you can boot to the UEFI settings and see if the issue is also present there. The UEFI  is an environment that exists completely outside of Windows and other installed applications. To load the UEFI firmware settings menu, here's how:

    1. Shut down your Surface and wait about 10 seconds to be sure it is off.

    2. Press and hold the volume-up button on your Surface, and, at the same time, press and release the power button.

    3. The Microsoft or Surface logo appears on your screen. Continue to hold the volume-up button. Release the button once the UEFI screen appears.

• You can also load the UEFI firmware settings menu through Windows. To do this:

    1. Go to Start , select Settings > Update & security > Recovery.

    2. Under Advanced startup, select Restart Now.

    3. On the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > UEFI Firmware Settings > Restart.

Let us know how it goes.