Microsoft confirms classic Outlook bug that hides the cursor

If you are a user of classic Outlook and have been confused or frustrated by your mouse cursor suddenly disappearing, you can take some comfort in knowing that you are not alone. Microsoft has confirmed that this is a known problem and is looking into the causes.

While the cursor becoming invisible does not prevent users from interacting with classic Outlook, it is making life very difficult for those affected. We are now several weeks since the first reported cases of the problem, and Microsoft is only now admitting that the issue exists.

In a support document that acknowledges the existence of a problem with classic Outlook, Microsoft concedes that the issue may not be limited to just the email client. The company says:

When using classic Outlook, you may find that the mouse pointer or mouse cursor disappears as you move the pointer over the Outlook interface. Although the mouse pointer is not there, the email in the message list will change color as you hover over it. This issue has also been reported with OneNote and other Microsoft 365 apps to a lesser degree.

Microsoft says that it is looking into the problem and will provide more details – and, hopefully, a proper fix – in due course. The announcement reads:

The Outlook Team is investigating this issue.  We will update this topic when we have more information. 

If you experience this issue, ask your M365 Tenant Admin to open a support case. Please also gather the WebView2 WPR traces referenced in this article while reproducing the issue, WebView2Feedback/diagnostics/script.md at main · MicrosoftEdge/WebView2Feedback. Please include these logs in the support case. The case should go to the Outlook Support Team for further analysis and escalation.

Although there is no fix available at the moment, nor indeed a timeframe for when one might be made available, Microsoft does suggest the following workaround that could be of help for some people – although it is far from guaranteed:

1. When you hover over the Outlook message list and the email color shade changes to a different color, select an email. This may cause the mouse pointer to reappear.
2. Open PowerPoint and click into an editable window in PowerPoint and then click back to Outlook and check if you have your mouse pointer again.
3. Restart your computer.

Microsoft has only just shared details of this issue, but report about it started to creep out in December. Strangely, Microsoft links to forums posts about it as it wraps up its support document by saying:

To share feedback or get other workarounds, please go to this forum thread, Why does my mouse arrow disappear while using outlook?

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