Forum Discussion
Lagging cursor in Word while using arrow keys
Hello, As of a few days ago, my cursor in Word cannot keep up with my arrow keys. For example, if I press the right-arrow key five times, it takes Word a few seconds for the cursor to get there. This is particularly annoying if I want to say, highlight a sentence using arrow keys alone, as it takes Word much longer than usual to accurately move the cursor.
The problem persists after a re-installation of Office.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Edit 1: The problem only occurs on my personal PC, which has Windows 10 Home. It does not occur with my work PC, which has Windows 10 Enterprise. The computers otherwise have similar specs (former is Lenovo; latter is Dell).
Edit 2: Reiterating some points made below, the problem occurs in Word only. Powerpoint, Excel, etc. are fine.
Edit 3: The problem only occurs when multiple docs are open. Others have noted that disabling the Mendeley add-in fixes the issue. I confirmed this worked for me as well. Disabling Mendeley is not a satisfactory solution for me, however, as I rely on Mendeley for reference management.
I have recently encountered the same issue. Accidentally solved it by turning off the option "Use smart cursoring" in File>Options>Advanced.
Thanks! That worked for me as well. Marking as best response.
Edit 7/16/21: this solution seemed to have worked for me when I only have one Word document open, but once I have more than one document open, the issue returns. I've removed the "best response" badge from the suggestion to remove smart cursoring in case that badge implies to Microsoft that the problem is solved. It has not.
michaeldgarber now I realize that every time I open the second word file the problem comes back.
- I tried this and it did not work. The cursor still jumps forward when back selecting text using SHIFT and the left arrow key.
I also disabled all add-ins and actions without success.- what version of word are you using? Today I accidentally solved the problem again. By uninstall the problem version of office which is Microsoft 365 apps for enterprise and reinstall Office 365 Pro Plus, my issue is gone now.
Disabling smart cursoring worked perfectly, thanksDucPham
I also have been experiencing odd cursor behavior in Office (Word). When holding an arrow key, it is slow to respond, and then suddenly jumps several words.
When selecting to the left with the arrow key (SHIFT-Left, hold), it initially selects to the RIGHT and then jumps to the left, selects some text leftward and then jumps right and then jumps back left, jumping and selecting to the right and then left of the initial cursor position as it slowly progresses leftward. The language setting is English, with left-to-right paragraphs.
The behavior with single arrow presses is as expected. It is only pressing and holding the arrow key that is causing problems.
Outlook is not affected, and it seems neither are PowerPoint or Excel. This behavior began very recently, perhaps Monday, 6/14/2021.
- Other Office programs are not affected for me either. Only Word.
- I am also having this issue as of this month (June 2021). Someone from Microsoft please respond! This is a seriously annoying bug.
I have tried solving by changing compatibility settings, removing add-ins, and uninstalling then re-installing Office. Nothing has worked yet. Well, surprisingly I disabled my Mendeley add-in and it worked!
Maybe the issue is one of the faulty add-ins installed in your Word.Had the same issues and I tried everything suggested here.
personally, I solved it by debilitating Mendeley Add-ons
File>Options>Addins>Manage templates>Uncheck Mendely
I have found a "solution" to the problem which consists of activating and deactivating the Mendeley plugin at convenience from a macro associated with a button. To do this, in the developer options:
Record Macro>Assign Macro to Button... Then
Options>Add-ins>Manage>Templates>Go>Disable Mendeley>Ok>Stop macro
We repeat the process to record a macro activating Mendeley.
Thus, we will have two buttons to activate and deactivate the Mendeley add-in quickly. I only activate it when I am going to insert a reference. It works perfectly.
Thanks for the tip! I used the record macro to find the path of the Mendeley add-in. Then I modified the macro code to make it an on-off switch. In this way, you can make do with only a single button that I attached to the quick access toolbar.
So the procedure:
Record Macro>Assign Macro to Button
Options>Add-ins>Manage>Templates>Go>Disable Mendeley>Ok>Stop macro (thanks edsantor)View>Macros>view macros>find your just recorded macro>edit
It will open VBA,
Copy the AddIns(Add-in Path).Installed that you find after recording the macro.
Replace the underlined parts below with your path/version
If AddIns(Add-in Path).Installed = False Then
AddIns(Add-in Path).Installed = True
With ActiveDocument
.UpdateStylesOnOpen = False
.AttachedTemplate = "Normal"
End With
Else
AddIns(Add-in Path).Installed = False
With ActiveDocument
.UpdateStylesOnOpen = False
.AttachedTemplate = "Normal"
End With
End If
> Place the code under the title of the macro you defined
> Save the adapted macro
You are good to go now!
I also added Mendeley's "insert citation" button to the same toolbar, which disappears and reappears once you press the button (or alt+ 9 in my case). It serves as an excellent indicator to see if you need to press the button for a fast cursor. It is an easy workaround, but the underlying problem needs permanent fixing.
- Fantastic! Thanks for improving my 'solution'.
- I have exactly the same issue. Also, Word in my pc updated recently.
- Same issue here since recent updates
devzerker fixed this by changing repeat delay (firstly set max + save, then set initial value) in keyboard settings
https://thegeekpage.com/how-to-fix-keyboard-input-lag-in-windows-10/devzerkerDo you mean the Repeat Delay under Keyboard Properties in Control Panel? In the English version of Windows, the options are "Long" (far left) and "Short" (far right). Which way did you go for "max"? Also, in the English version of Windows, there is "Apply", which I think you called "Save".
Regardless, this did not fix the issue.
Also, how does a system setting affect a single program? The problem is in Word alone.
- Did Microsoft ever reply about this? I've been having this problem and it is driving me crazy. I have a Windows 10 machine with Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. The issue is only in Word, and I've tried updating, and disabling "Use smart cursoring".
I continue to have this issue. Only occurs in Word (possibly also other Office products). Disabling the Smart cursor and other suggestions here haven't helped.
- Same here. I continue to have the issue once I have 2 or more Word documents open. Disabling smart cursor doesn't help me either.
