Pointer Keeps Flickering on Windows 11 [Tested Fix 2024]

Written By Farhan Max

You are doing essential work on your PC, and suddenly your mouse pointer starts flickering and keeps continuing on your Windows 11 PC.

Are you worried and frustrated about your situation and can’t find a way out?

If this issue is the case, there is nothing to worry about.

I have been in a similar situation as you, and I have been able to get out of this issue with proper tests and research. So, if you are looking for an ultimate solution to solve your pointer keeps flickering problem on your Windows 11 system computer, you are in the right place then.

This post will show you some of the best practical and effective techniques to solve your pointer keeps the flickering issue on your Windows 11 computer.

Keep reading and precisely follow the instructions.

So, let’s get started to know some methods to fix the pointer keeps flickering issue.pointer-keeps-flickering-on-windows-11

Why does your Pointer Keeps Flickering on Windows 11

Your mouse pointer keeps flickering on your windows 11 computer when the system processes many application processes simultaneously, which may create the mouse pointer flickering issue. When the flickering pointer issue occurs, you can see a blue circle on the screen.

This section will discuss some possible reasons your mouse pointer keeps the flickering issue on your Windows 11 computer.

Here are the possible reasons for your mouse pointer flickering issue on your Windows 11 computer:

Windows Explorer

The most common reason to get the mouse pointer flickering problem on your Windows 11 computer is your Windows Explorer.

When anything goes wrong with the Windows Explorer process, the mouse pointer flickering problem may create on your Windows 11 system computer.

In such a case, simply restarting the Windows Explorer process will solve the problem.

Also, check out our separate post on Windows 11 high disk usage.

Corrupted or Problematic Display & Mouse Drivers

A corrupted or problematic display and mouse drivers are the most common reason for the mouse pointer flickering issue on your Windows 11 computer.

If you have an outdated or corrupted display and mouse drivers, it may cause a mouse pointer flickering issue to your Windows 11 computer device.

So, keep your device drivers always up to date or reinstall the corrupted drivers to avoid mouse pointer flickering issues in your Windows 11 computer device.

Third-Party Applications Interfering

Another reason is the third-party applications. Many third-party applications interfere with others’ applications and can create technical issues.

To solve the mouse pointer flickering problem, find the third-party interfering applications with other applications and remove or uninstall them.

Follow our guide to change Mouse polling rate.

Corrupted System Files

Corrupting system files is one of the most common reasons for the mouse pointer flickering issues on your Windows 11 computer device. When the system files become corrupted, your application may become conflicting.

To fix the mouse pointer flickering problem on your Windows 11 computer, you need to repair or reset your windows.

You’ve seen the possible causes of the mouse pointer flickering problem on your Windows 11 computer so far, and in the next part, I’ll show you several tested and proven solutions to solve the problem.

So, let’s get started to know the solutions to solve the mouse pointer flickering issue.

How to Fix Pointer Keeps Flickering on Windows 11

Many Windows 11 users reported that, after upgrading Windows 11, they face the mouse pointer flickering issue. Sometimes, the flickering pointer issue happens too much, which is very annoying for users.

In the previous section, you’ve seen the possible potential reason for the mouse pointer flickering issues on your Windows 11 computer so far. This section will show you several tested and proven solutions to solve the problem.

So, let’s dive right in to know the solution for the mouse pointer flickering issue.

Here are the steps to fix the mouse pointer keeps flickering on Windows 11:

1. Restart your Windows Explorer

The most common and straightforward solution to fix the mouse pointer flickering problem on your Windows 11 computer is restart your Windows Explorer. The Windows Explorer is also known as File Explorer.

Follow the steps below to restart your Windows Explorer:

  • Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys on your keyboard to open the Task Manager.
  • Click on the More details button to extend the Task Manager if your task manager window is not expanded already.
  • Find and select the Windows Explorer under the Processes windows-explorer-under-the-processes
  • Click on the Restart button at the bottom right-side corner of the window.
  • Wait for the restart of your Windows Explorer automatically and resolve your pointer flickering problem.
  • Open your Windows Explorer manually if your Windows Explorer does not open automatically.

Also, check out our separate post to install active directory users and computers on Windows 11.

2. Update Display Driver

If the mouse pointer flickering issue occurs on your Windows 11 computer, you should update your display driver to fix the problem.

Follow the steps below to update your display driver:

  • Press Windows Key + X on your keyboard and select Device Manager from the list. Or, device-manager
  • Type Device Manager on the Windows search bar and press Enter key to open the Device Manager.
  • Select the Display adapters option and click on it to expand to see the drivers list.
  • Select your Display adapter driver to update the drivers. Display-adapters
  • Hit the Enter key to open the driver Properties window.
  • Click on the Driver tab to open the driver details and options.
  • Click on the Update Driver properties-window-update-driver
  • Click on the Search automatically for drivers option to update the driver automatically. search-automatically-for-drivers-gpu
  • Wait some time to finish updating your driver.
  • After the updated driver, check to see whether your problem is solved.

3. Reinstall Display Driver

If updating the display driver does not solve the mouse pointer flickering problem, you can reinstall your display driver to fix the problem.

Follow the steps below to reinstall the display driver:

  • Press Windows Key + X on your keyboard and select Device Manager from the list. Or,
  • Type Device Manager on the Windows search bar and press Enter key to open the Device Manager.
  • Select the Display adapters option and click on it to expand to see the drivers list.
  • Select your Display adapter driver to update the drivers. Display-adapters
  • Hit the Enter key to open the driver Properties window.
  • Click on the Driver tab to open the driver details and options.
  • Click on the Uninstall Device properties-window-uninstall-device
  • Wait some time to finish uninstalling your driver.
  • Restart your computer to automatically reinstall the display driver and see whether your problem is solved.

Check out the easiest way to fix blue screen on Windows 11.

4. Update the Mouse Driver

Outdated mouse driver most likely causes the mouse pointer flickering problem on your Windows 11 computer.

If your mouse pointer flickering issue occurs on your Windows 11 computer, you should try updating your mouse driver.

Follow the steps below to update the mouse driver on your Windows 11 computer:

  • Press Windows Key + X on your keyboard and select Device Manager from the list. Or,
  • Type Device Manager on the Windows search bar and press Enter button to open the Device Manager. Device-manager-in
  • Select the Mice and other pointing devices option and click on it to expand to see the drivers list. mice-and-other-pointing-devices
  • Select your mouse driver and hit the Enter button or click on the Properties button at the top of the window menu to open the driver Properties window.
  • Click on the Driver tab to open the driver details and options.
  • Click on the Update Driver update-driver
  • Select Search automatically for drivers. search-automatically-for-drivers-gpu
  • Wait a few times to search for a newly available driver on the internet for your system.
  • Update your driver if any update is available by following the on-screen instructions. Otherwise, you can see a message: The best drivers for your device are already installed. the-best-drivers-for-your-device-are-already-installed
  • Click on the Close button to close the window.

5. Reinstall the Mouse Driver

If the mouse left button click is not working on your Windows 11 computer, you should try uninstalling your mouse driver to fix the problem.

Follow the steps below to uninstall the mouse driver:

  • Press Windows Key + X on your keyboard and select Device Manager from the list. Or, device-manager
  • Type Device Manager on the Windows search bar and press Enter button to open the Device Manager.
  • Select the Mice and other pointing devices option and click on it to expand to see the drivers. mice-and-other-pointing-devices
  • Select your mouse driver and hit the Enter button or click on the Properties button at the top of the window menu to open the properties window.
  • Click on the Driver tab to open the available driver options.
  • Click on the Uninstall Device button to uninstall your mouse driver. uninstall-device
  • Wait some time to finish uninstalling your mouse driver to your system.
  • Restart your computer to automatically reinstall the mouse driver and see whether your problem is solved.

Also, check out our separate post on is drag clicking bad for your Mouse.

6. Perform a Clean Boot

Clean Boot State is used to diagnose and troubleshoot advanced Windows issues. The clean boot method might assist you in effectively resolving any Windows issue.

You can try running Windows in Safe Mode and fixing the mouse pointer flickering problem on your Windows 11 computer. If the problem does not occur in Safe Mode, perform a Clean Boot.

Follow the steps below to perform a clean boot:

  • Press Win + R keys on your keyboard to open the Windows Run 
  • Type msconfig in the Run dialogue box.
  • Press the Enter key or click on the OK button to open the System Configuration msconfig
  • Select Normal Startup as your Startup selection in the General tab window. system-configuration-normal-startup
  • Select the Services
  • Check the Hide all Microsoft services
  • Click on the Disable all button to disable all the Windows Services. hide-all-microsoft-services
  • Click on the Apply button to save the changes and click the OK 
  • Check to see whether your problem is solved.

Final Thoughts

Many Windows 11 users have claimed that the mouse cursor flickers after upgrading to Windows 11. The flickering pointer issue occurs too frequently, which is highly frustrating for users.

The mouse pointer keeps flickering on your windows 11 computer when the system processes many application processes simultaneously, which may create the mouse pointer flickering issue.

The pointer keeps flickering on Windows 11 because of some potential reasons. In this post, I describe the possible causes of the mouse pointer flickering problem.

Here, I demonstrate several tested and proven solutions to solve the pointer keeps flickering issues on your Windows 11 computer. You can successfully solve your system’s mouse pointer flickering problem using these practical methods.

I hope you found this post to be informative. If you found your solution, please let me know which method works for you.

You may also look at other posts if you’re interested in learning more about similar topics.

About The Author
Farhan Max is a tech geek with a particular interest in computer hardware. He's been fascinated by gaming since childhood and is now completing his undergraduate studies while researching and testing the latest tech innovations. Alongside his love for all things geeky, Farhan is also a skilled photographer.

1 Comments..

  1. Thank you for this article. Only Step 6 worked for me and that led to other problems (I was getting error messages upon boot up), BUT extrapolating from what you wrote, I found the solution, so here’s another fix:

    The problem may not be with the mouse driver, but with a USB connector that it is interfacing with. That was it for me. The fix was to:

    (1) Open Device Manager,
    (2) scroll down to “Universal Serial Bus Controllers”,
    (3) expand the menu,
    (4) scroll down to “USB Composite Device”. Note: there were seven of these for me, so just do the following with all of them, until the flickering stops,
    (5) For each instance of “USB Composite Device”, right-click, then click “Update Driver” from the menu of options that displays

    Once I had done that for the first four on my list, the fifth one was the right device and the flickering stopped.

    I would not have gotten there without your article pointing me to the drivers as the root problem, however, so thank you.

    Reply

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