MacBook Trackpad button (& left mouse button) not working

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Solved!

Man I feel so stupid but sure enough that was the problem. The magic mouse in the backpack turned on with it's button getting pressed... Thanks for this silly but useful tip!



I was having this problem for a few days, after reading this thread I realized my problem was a bluetooth mouse I left on (or got switched on accidentally) in my laptop bag. Once I found the mouse and turned it off the problem was solved.

-Mike
 
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My problem is a bit different. I have a Macbook pro (2011), and an Apple bluetooth keyboard, Magic trackpad, and an Apple Magic mouse. Typically I have the Macbook pro docked, and then use the keyboard, and magic trackpad - occasionally the mouse too. Everything works perfectly. However, every once and awhile, usually after overnight, the magic trackpad, stops responding to clicks. I can move the cursor fine, but no clicking at all. At that point, I usually also try the mouse. It will also move the cursor fine, but left clicking also doesn't work from the mouse. I can usually mouse over the system menu (apple logo) and right click the mouse, and select shutdown. Once shutdown, I usually undock the macbook pro, turn off the keyboard, trackpad and mouse. Power up the macbook pro, and 99% of the time I can use the macbook pro's trackpad to click and login. Every once and awhile even that internal trackpad click won't take. Another power off, and things will be fine again.

So something is causing a completely functioning bluetooth keyboard, magic trackpad, magic mouse and internal trackpad to stop responding to clicks - most typically after long periods of idle/sleep. I do have Lion.

Anyone seen this sort of thing?

Thanks,
- Dan
 
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I'm sort of having the same issue. My trackpad scrolling works just fine, but I can't click on most things. It's not like this all the time though..about 75%. Whenever I restart, I can always click to login, but once im logged in I can't left click. It hardly ever works right off the bat, but sometimes, if I let my computer sit for a few minutes or go to sleep, it will start working. I've tried a magic trackpad, and a wired mouse, but nothing works. However, my battery did expand and I had to remove it. I'm a little embarrassed to say that it was quite bad by the time I realized it. I'm thinking this is what messed it up. Is there anything I can do to fix it myself? My computer is no longer under warranty.
 
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I don't necessarily have a fix, but I've recently found a work around for my situation which seems to be working (at least for the last couple of weeks).

I've found that as long as I wake my mbp up (or have it come out of the screensaver) using ONLY my keyboard (in other words, I hit the shift key, or enter key, etc) and insure I don't touch the magic trackpad, and THEN wait a few minutes (at most) before touching the magic trackpad, things seem to work fine.

Don't ask me why, but it seems to be working that way.
 
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I was having this problem for a few days, after reading this thread I realized my problem was a bluetooth mouse I left on (or got switched on accidentally) in my laptop bag. Once I found the mouse and turned it off the problem was solved.

-Mike

Man! Genius! How did I not think of this!! was my magic mouse in my bag. Had to register on here to say thanks! lol.

Dan
 
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Mouse left on - turned it off - SOLVED!

I was having this problem for a few days, after reading this thread I realized my problem was a bluetooth mouse I left on (or got switched on accidentally) in my laptop bag. Once I found the mouse and turned it off the problem was solved.

-Mike

Thanks Mike. This solved my problem. (I don't think I've ever been more embarrassed that I didn't think of this myself tho.)
 
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Found the problem: Bluetooth mouse!

Never heard anything. Still have to use a mouse.

OK dude-- I had this exact same problem yesterday. After googling around for a while-- found it! Bluetooth! The connection to my Bluetooth mouse was messed up somehow-- so, I removed it from my Bluetooth prefs and BOOM! All working again!

Then just re-established a connection with my Bluetooth mouse again and everything's been fine since!!! Try it!
 
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Alt+Cmd+Esc

I know it´s been 2 years since this post, but I had the same problem and managed to solve it.

Try to sign in using the keyboard. Once the system ha started, press Alt+Cmd+Esc, the "Force quit application" window will appear. With the mouse close that window. The mouse buttons and track pad should work now. This is the way I found to get pass this bug.
 
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hey everybody, this thread solved the problem for me...

DieFledermaus... the file you want is. com.apple.driver.AppleBluetootheMultitouch.trackpad.plist


it is in your user/Library/Preference folder...

i actually found a total of 3 mouse-related apple driver files right there... and deleting those three via safe mode and restarting the computer fixed my trackpad mouse problems!
Hi there,

I've got the very same problem, which leads me to use a mouse on my macbook.
Which ones are the "3 mouse-related apple driver files" you found right there?
I tried to delete "com.apple.driver.AppleBluetootheMultitouch.trackpad.plist" but the problem remains the same and the file comes back again and again...
Really annoying...

Thanks for your help
 
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Solved - Bluetooth with low bat

Hi all

Ended up here with the same problem. The solution was to turn off the bluetooth mouse. Low bat seems to be the cause.

Thanks all
 
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4.5 year old MB Pro here. Found this thread, sure enough, battery is bulging, causing mouse, trackpad and keyboard problems. Removed and all is well! I thought the end was coming for this old laptop but not to be! The things just keeps on doing what I need, after 4.5 years and almost no problems.
 
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Re: Left-mouse button not working

Ok I checked on Apple forums and found someone else with the same problem. They noticed that if they used a mouse *without* touching the trackpad that the mouse would work fine. I restarted my macbook and only used the mouse and could click with no problem. But (like the other person) the moment I touched the trackpad the mouse would have the same problem not clicking again. I restarted again and clicked 'ignore trackpad when mouse is attached'. Unfortunately there was no resolution on the other forum for the trackpad--I'll have to use the mouse for now.

Thank you! After viewing hundreds of posts saying "Turn off Bluetooth" (never had it on) or "fat Battery" (mine remains skinny) and reinstalling the OS (took 12 hours over my crummy rural internet), it's nice to see one solution that worked for me - keeping the mouse plugged in to my MacBook at all times AND having checked the "Ignore built-in trackpad when mouse is present" uner Universal Access -> Mouse & TrackPad -> Trackpad Options.

Actually the mouse is on a Belkin KVM so I still have the idiotic "Are you sure you want to shut down your computer" every time I hit Scroll Lock to switch to any of my non-Mac systems, but the poor wee Mac is at least usable more often that not now..

And Apple, I know you don't care about me because I don't buy a new Mac every 18 months like the good fanbois, but your system support really sucks. This absurd state - ignoring left clicks but not right clicks - is really intolerable. Does not encourage me to ever buy another Mac.

Anyway, Thanks to "die fledermaus"!
 

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