Mouse pointer stuck with hourglass for days.

[derncricket]

My Windows 11 mouse pointer has for some reason become stuck on the regular pointer with the hourglass next to it. And it flashes as though something was thinking. If I hover over a text box for example. The pointer changes to the text icon, but as soon as I move off and onto a neutral area the hour glass comes back.

I have checked for running processes and there is nothing going on in the background that I can see. Not to mention several reboots since it started happening. I tried a simple SFC scan and updates. If I select a different pointer theme, I still have the hourglass. Changing the pointer graphic doesn't seem to help. My task manager only shows a few percent used and nothing unusual. I uninstalled Avast in case it was doing it. But I can't seem to find a fix. I'm wondering if this is just a new issue in Windows 11.

 

[Kshipper]

It all sounds strange for sure. Do you have a hardware list handy? Is this a computer you built yourself? Is this a new build or did you recently upgrade to Windows 11? I don't recommend 3rd party AV to my customers. If they absolutely need something then I install Malwarebytes. Maybe you need to run Malwarebytes as a 2nd opinion that you don't have something running around in there.

 

[Gglad7725]

I know this is a bit late of a response, but I was able to fix this same issue. I did not use Malwarebytes however, for some reason they couldn't find or fix the issue. Instead, I used Microsoft Safety Scanner. It's a free PC app in the Microsoft store so you don't have to download it off some sketchy website. After I ran both Microsoft Defender AND Malwarebytes and they both didn't work, I ran MSS and it found 1 infected file. It automatically removes any infected files and when the scan finished, my hourglass next to my pointer disappeared and my laptop fan finally got quiet. Life saver! I don't know if you're still having this issue, or if anyone else is having this issue please give it a try!

Microsoft Safety Scanner - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/security/intelligence/safety-scanner-download?view=o365-worldwide