How do I fix a broken mouse cursor?

Overview

By default, TinyPilot controls your target machine’s mouse cursor by mapping the position of your client cursor within the TinyPilot display to the corresponding position on the target machine’s display.

If TinyPilot’s keyboard input works but the mouse cursor does not move correctly, switching to Relative Mouse Mode might resolve the problem.

TinyPilot supports two mouse input modes:

• Absolute Mouse Mode
• Relative Mouse Mode

Absolute Mouse Mode is TinyPilot's default and works well with most systems. Relative Mouse Mode can improve compatibility with legacy systems, specialist devices, unusual display modes, and target machines that do not handle absolute pointer input correctly.

To set TinyPilot's mouse mode, navigate to System > Mouse Mode, then click the dropdown menu to select Absolute or Relative. Finally, press the "Apply" button to set the selected mode.

Absolute mouse mode

In Absolute Mouse Mode, TinyPilot maps your client cursor’s position within the TinyPilot display to the corresponding X and Y coordinates on the target machine’s display.

For example, when you move your client cursor to the center of the TinyPilot display, TinyPilot instructs the target machine to place its cursor in the center of its display.

This mode keeps your client cursor and the target machine’s cursor aligned, so it provides the most convenient experience for most systems. This mode doesn't require TinyPilot's display to capture your client cursor.

Relative mouse mode

In Relative Mouse Mode, TinyPilot sends mouse movements to the target machine instead of sending an exact cursor position, similar to how a physical mouse works.

For example, when you move your mouse to the right, TinyPilot tells the target machine how far the mouse moved to the right rather than instructing it to move its cursor to a specific coordinate.

To control the mouse in Relative Mouse Mode, click the TinyPilot display to capture your client cursor. While the cursor is captured, its movements are sent to the target machine. In Relative Mouse Mode, the web interface indicates the current mouse status next to the stream indicator.

Press the Esc   key to release the cursor and return mouse control to your client machine.

Relative Mouse Mode may help if the target machine’s cursor:

• Does not move
• Moves erratically
• Appears offset from your client cursor
• Jumps to an unexpected position
• Stops working after the target changes resolution
• Does not work in a BIOS, UEFI, recovery environment, or operating system installer

Still having issues?

Contact us with the following details:

• Make and model of your target device
• Operating system of your target device
• Model of your TinyPilot
• A log URL from your TinyPilot
  • On the TinyPilot web interface, go to System > Logs, then click Get Shareable URL