Mouse Pointer Disappears During PowerPoint Presentation

Environment

Microsoft PowerPoint

Issue

During a PowerPoint presentation, the mouse pointer sometimes vanishes making it difficult to control the application. 

Resolution

According to Microsoft this is a feature. The pointer vanishes so users are not distracted by it during the presentation. You can set the behavior of the pointer to always hide, always be visible, or have PowerPoint automatically handle it. To change the setting:

1. Open your PowerPoint document and start the slide show
2. Right-click (Control-click on a Mac) any part of a presented slide and choose Pointer Options from the menu. Next, click Arrow Options, then choose the desired action for the pointer. If you want it to always stay on, pick Visible
3. The mouse pointer will not vanish during the presentation. However, this feature will reset the next time you present this slide show. There is no way to set this feature permanently
4. If the cursor disappears on you, right-click the mouse or trackpad button (Control-click on a Mac) to access the pointer options menu

Additional Information

If you need additional information or assistance, please contact the ITS Service Center.