Whether it’s a Windows or Mac, most users prefer connecting mouse when their laptop is on a table. Though trackpads on MacBooks are really good, users who have been using a mouse might want to plug in a mouse to get their work done and turn off the trackpad as long as the mouse is connected.
The good thing is that turning off the trackpad in Mac OS X is a fairly simple task. In Windows (excluding notebooks that include physical buttons to quickly disable the touchpad ) you need to either use third-party tools or disable the hardware in Device Manager in order to turn off the trackpad or touchpad and there is no option to automatically turn off the touchpad when you connect a mouse.
OS X offers an option to ignore built-in trackpad when a mouse or wireless trackpad is connected. That means, when you connect a mouse or wireless trackpad, OS X automatically disables the built-in trackpad and allows you continue using the connected mouse or wireless trackpad.
In this guide, we will show how you can configure OS X to disable the trackpad when a mouse is connected.
Configure OS X to ignore the built-in trackpad
Step 1: Open System Preferences window. To do so, you can either type System Preferences in Spotlight search box and press Enter key or open Launchpad and then click System Preferences icon.
Step 2: Once the System Preferences window is open, click on Accessibility icon (see picture).
Step 3: On the left-pane of Accessibility window, click on Mouse & Trackpad option to see an option labelled Ignore built-in trackpad when mouse or wireless trackpad is present.
Check the box next to Ignore built-in trackpad when mouse or wireless trackpad is present option and then close Accessibility window. That’s it! From now on, whenever you connect a mouse or wireless trackpad, OS X automatically disables the trackpad. The built-in trackpad gets activated once you disconnect the mouse or wireless trackpad.
How to set Windows as default OS on Mac running Windows in dual-boot using Boot Camp and how to quickly restart into Windows from OS X guides might also interest you.
Steve says
This DOES NOT work on new MacBook Pro 2018 (USB-C) when using a Bluetooth mouse, I’m using Logitech MX Anywhere 2S and while is doesn’t disable TrackPad it also disconnect once every 3-4 hour for 15 seconds, and every 1-2 days it totally disconnect and only reconnect restore Bluetooth mouse control.
Since Steve Jobs departure, Apple seems to adding large amount of useless features to OSX and iOS (possible all those ideas which was turned down by Jobs or now resurfacing) and Apple products also seems to be lacking quality control (Did Apple hire X-Microsoft programmers?)
Onur Can says
This does not work for sierra. is there any updated solution?
Michael says
Hi, I am a new Mac User (just got a Macbook Pro in January 2016, running OS X El Capitan) so there is still a lot I don’t know. I have seen references all over the web about disabling the trackpad by selecting the “ignore…when mouse is present” option under “Accessibility”.
This isn’t working right for me. When I select that option it automatically disables the trackpad, whether a 3rd party device is connected or not. If I do have my wireless mouse attached (Microsoft Arc touch; uses USB adaptor), it will disable the trackpad and allow me to exclusively use the mouse (as I want) but after I disconnect the mouse’s USB adaptor, the trackpad STAYS disabled. So, if I had no wireless mouse available, I’d be completely screwed as there is no way for me to control the cursor and re-enable my trackpad again.
Has anyone else experienced this problem? Maybe it is because I’m not using an Apple brand mouse? Please help. Thanks!
Stephen Harris says
how simple was that. a quick easy solution to a long-term annoying issue.