Prevent Cursor from Moving when Pressing Direction Keys Windows

If the user has not enabled Mouse Keys, then the mouse cursor starts moving with the direction keys of the keyboard mainly either because of a software glitch in Microsoft Paint or because of the in-built settings. Also, third-party applications like Neat Mouse can cause this type of behaviour for the cursor.

Keyboard and mouse are the most used of input devices. Both these devices have their specific usage. When a user tries to use any of the direction keys of the keyboard to perform a certain operation but the key, instead of performing that operation, starts to move the cursor. This makes the user experience quite frustrating and annoying.

Before trying any of the solutions, make sure that the option of “Mouse Keys” is disabled in Ease of Access in Settings. These settings are present in Windows to facilitate the user who doesn’t have a mouse or their mouse is malfunctioning. This option is usually disabled by default but can be enabled by mistake. To check this, follow the steps:

1. Press Windows + R, type “Mouse keys” in the dialogue box and open the setting of ‘Turn Mouse keys on or off’.
2. Now, uncheck the option of Control your mouse with a keypad. Save changes and exit.

   

3. Restart your computer and see if the issue is resolved.

Also, you can log-in through another administrator account to check if the problem is affecting one user account.

Stop Cursor from Moving by itself on Windows 10

We have listed two methods below that should resolve the issue.

1. Force Close MS Paint Process

Microsoft Paint allows a user to move the cursor with the arrow keys. But the problem arises when, due to a software glitch, MS Paint does not “realize” that it has lost focus and is running in the background, thus keeps the behaviour of controlling the cursor with the arrow keys. In that case, killing all the MS Paint processes in the background may solve the problem.

1. Now Right-click on the Task Bar and in the resulting menu, click on the “Task Manager”.

   

2. In the Processes tab, right-click on Paint and then select End Task.

   

3. Also, end the tasks of all the processes related to Paint and check if the cursor is functioning normally.

2. Manage Conflicting Applications

There are 3^rd party applications like Neat Mouse which can let direction keys to control cursor movement. To rule that out, clean boot Windows or use safe mode.

1. Clean Boot Windows or Use Safe Mode.
2. Now check if the cursor is performing normally.
3. If the mouse is working fine, it means that there was some third-party application causing the problem. In that case, try enabling the services/applications one by one and see which one causes the issue again.
4. Once you have identified the application, press Windows + R, type “appwiz.cpl” in the dialogue box and press Enter.
5. Once in the application manager, search for the application, right-click on it and select Uninstall.
6. Restart your computer and see if the issue has resolved.

Also consider unplugging all of your peripherals connected to your computer. Sometimes, peripherals like mice, gaming controllers, or other HCI devices from your computer. Then power cycle your device completely. You can also check BIOS settings to make sure that the default mouse settings are saved.