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.
53 Replies
- 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 have recently encountered the same issue. Accidentally solved it by turning off the option "Use smart cursoring" in File>Options>Advanced.
DucPham This was making my Word work really unproductive. This solved it for me - thanks!
Disabling smart cursoring worked perfectly, thanksDucPham
- 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.
- Same issue here since recent updates
- Thank you so much, devzerker. So relieved after following your advice of fixing it via some commands that I run on CMD. I was losing it. Your guidance to the right path saved things for me.
- 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. 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 have exactly the same issue. Also, Word in my pc updated recently.
