Mouse pointer is invisible inside Excel window

Question

Sometimes my Excel sheet will not show up the mouse pointer. The pointer reappears the moment it is outside the excel window. This does not happen all the time. The only remedy is to restart the laptop.

Answer 1

Dear @KIRAN PANCHAL,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

To help me narrow down the issue, could you please confirm these questions below:

• Are you using a personal Microsoft account (@outlook.com/hotmail.com) or a work account (@company.com)?
• Does it occur in new blank workbooks or only certain files?
• Are the affected files local or in OneDrive/SharePoint/Teams? Do colleagues opening the same file see the issue?

In the meantime, here are some steps I recommend you try:

Step 1: Start Excel in Safe Mode (to rule out add‑ins)

• Close Excel, press Win+R, type excel /safe, press Enter. For reference: Open Office apps in safe mode on a Windows PC
• If the cursor shows in Safe Mode, disable COM add‑ins: File > Options > Add‑ins > COM Add‑ins > Go…, then uncheck non‑Microsoft add‑ins

Step 2: Windows Mouse setting: “Hide pointer while typing”

Control Panel > search "Mouse" > click "Change mouse settings" > Pointer Options > uncheck Hide pointer while typing, click OK.

This can make the cursor vanish in office apps even when you aren’t actively typing, especially with certain touchpad/keyboard drivers

Step 3: Repair Excel/Office Apps

If a Microsoft 365 application such as Word or Excel isn't working correctly, sometimes restarting it will fix the problem. If that doesn't work, you can try repairing it. When you're done, you might need to restart your computer.

For more information, please follow: Repair an Office application

Step 4: Uninstall and Reinstall

You may try uninstalling and reinstalling Office, as this can often resolve display or cursor issues in Excel. Before doing that, I also recommend checking the latest updates for both Windows and Office.

I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to resolve this. If I misunderstand anything, please feel free to reach out.

Please understand that the initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.

Thank you for your patience and your understanding. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

I'm looking forward for your reply.

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