Pointer frequently offset from cursor location in multiple Office desktop applications

Question

My pointer frequently becomes offset from the actual location of the cursor in the desktop applications of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook calendar. If I am working in Excel, for instance, I may need to click 4-5 rows below a cell and one column to the left in order to choose that cell and enter data..

This problem does not happen in any other applications, and it does not occur when I am using the online versions of these same applications. The problem seems to appear at random, and if I close an application and reopen it the problem generally goes away for a little while. I love the functionality my Office desktop apps give me, but I've started using the online versions much of the time to avoid this problem.

I assumed it had to do the the mouse driver software on my old laptop, but I just got a new laptop and the problem seems to have gotten worse. I have looked through similar threads but haven't come across a definitive answer. Has anyone found a solution to this?

I also have a recurring problem in Word where large portions of a document will blur out, and I am wondering if the 2 problems are related.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello, Wigster2

Welcome to Microsoft Community.   

I realize that you have encountered a problem that pointer frequently offset from cursor location in Office applications. I understand how you feel. 

Since this problem does not happen in any other applications, it might be a problem with the Office applications itself.

Here are some steps you can try: 

• Adjust the zoom percentage. You can hold down Ctrl and scroll the mouse wheel or adjust the zoom percentage in the bottom right corner of the Office application. Check if the cursor will still deviate.
• Open Office in Safe Mode. This will help identify if an add-in or extension cause this problem.
  • Press the Windows + R to open the Run box.
  • In the Run box, type one of these commands:
    • For Excel: Type excel /safe, and click OK.
    • For Outlook: Type outlook /safe, and click OK.
    • For Word: Type winword /safe, and click OK.
    • For PowerPoint: Typepowerpnt /safe, and click OK.
  • See if the problem still exist in safe mode.
• Change mouse setting.
  • Search for "Control Panel" in the Start menu and open it.
  • In the top right corner, change "View by" to "Large icons". Select Mouse.
  • Open the "Pointer Options" tab, and uncheck the "Enhance pointer precision" option. Select Apply.
  • See the effect.
• Reset the Office registry. Disclaimer: Modifying registry or workgroup subkeys is generally intended for power users, administrators, and IT professionals. It can help fix some issues, however, serious problems can occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. So, make sure to follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before modifying it. You can then restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click How to back up and restore the registry in Windows - Microsoft Support to view the article.
  1. Close all Office applications.
  2. Press Windows + R, in the run box that opens, type: regedit and press enter.
  3. Locate the following key value and rename the Office folder (right-click on it and select Rename, for example, rename Office to Officeold)

      HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office
     

  4. Then reopen Office to test the effect.

In addition, due to various reasons, we may ask you for more information.

• Office version: Open a Office (such as Word) file****> select File in the upper-left corner -> select Account. Attach a screenshot of this page.
• Windows version: Press the Windows + R, type winver in the Openbox, and then select OK.
• You mentioned that there is no such issue in the online Office. Are you opening the same file in both the online Office and the Office desktop application?
• In the Office desktop application, have you been using your laptop's touchpad as a mouse? Some users have mentioned that the touchpad can cause this issue.

Please let me know the effect of above steps. I'm looking forward to your reply. Let's take it step by step.  

Best wishes, 

Lucia Wu - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 2

Thank you for your reply, Lucia. I will look at these when I can clear some time on my calendar to focus on it. These problems are basically constant now, so I have ceased using the desktop versions of Word and Excel. While the online versions of Office handle the basics, they don't have much more functionality than Google Docs and Google Sheets. I can't help but wonder why I am paying for a 365 account.

I have seen others post to the community on this issue, and they all say that this only happens with Microsoft desktop apps. I would think that a company with the resources of Microsoft could identify what is causing this and create a fix.

I would appreciate if you could pass my wishes up the chain of command at MSFT.

Thank you.

Answer 3

This is an issue with the Mac versions of the applications, too. The Windows-specific fixes @Lucia.Wu posted above obviously won't work on Mac.

Answer 4

Hi Lucia,

I was able to run Outlook in Safe Mode and found that the cursor offset problem in Outlook Calendar went away. What would be my next step to fixing this? Thanks much for your help.

Wigster2

Answer 5

Hi,

I am using Microsoft Word with the Microsoft 365 subscription on my Mac, and just today it has started offsetting my curser to about 5 places to the left. I had to quit all, it worked ok for a little while and started happening again. This is a big problem. It is slowing my work down significantly. This has never happened to me before today. Could you look into it? It comes and goes at random.