Resolved (RESOLVED) External Monitors and Mouse Lag

[BigMcGuire]

2017 MBP 13' TB

I think I'm experiencing this problem: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5478231?page=13 - Mouse cursor lags with external monitors.

I'm using Anker USB C docks to HDMI out to 2 1080p monitors. https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Adapte...er+USB+C+dock&qid=1566323715&s=gateway&sr=8-3 I have an external drive and a few other minor USB devices plugged in.

I noticed that mouse lag is a real problem sometimes. A combination of unplugging the docks and switching them from one side to another results in no mouse lag. This mouse lag is happens on the laptop's touchpad, a bluetooth mouse, or a wired gaming mouse. It is independent of CPU utilization. Once it happens, disconnecting the USB C dock is the only thing that fixes it.

When I walk away from my laptop and do a CTRL Command Q and log back in - I have mouse lag until I disconnect the right Anker USB C dock and plug it back in every time. Sometimes I have to do this several times to get rid of the mouse lag.

Plugging in external drives can cause the mouse lag to occur. So I really think it is related to the Anker USB C dock?

Do you think getting a straight USB C to HDMI cable would solve the mouse lag? https://www.amazon.com/uni-Thunderb...usb+c+to+HDMI&qid=1566323944&s=gateway&sr=8-3

I also noticed that these USB C docks get ... pretty hot. I have a pair of them at work and home so I don't think it is the dock. Pushing 2 1080p monitors shouldn't be that hard for this laptop.

My work bought one of those expensive 2 USB C port docks but it disconnects the HDMI monitor every 10 seconds and gets REALLY REALLY hot.

Any suggestions / recommendations welcomed.


Edit: Just tried triple shielded HDMI cables. Lag is still there. Starting to think it is the USB C Adapters (Anker).

OK it's the adapters. I'm certain of it now.

 

[BigMcGuire]

OK bought USB C to HDMI cables ($20 each) --- no lag. I'm suspecting that the Anker adapters don't like the Acer monitors I have = lag. Because at home with my Dell monitors, I don't have lag with the Anker adapters.

Case closed.

 

[jerryk]

OK bought USB C to HDMI cables ($20 each) --- no lag. I'm suspecting that the Anker adapters don't like the Acer monitors I have = lag. Because at home with my Dell monitors, I don't have lag with the Anker adapters.

Case closed.

Good to know. I don't see any lag with my Dell monitors with other adapters. Anker used to be my go to brand. But to be honest, there seem to be a lot of higher rated companies on Amazon.

 

[BigMcGuire]

OK.... last update I make on this.

The problem returned. The expensive $20 USB C to HDMI cables worked better and the problem doesn't return as often but it did.

I've narrowed it down to one of the ACER monitors I have at work. It ALWAYS happens on that one monitor - never happens on the other. Disconnecting/reconnecting it eventually fixes it until I put my laptop to sleep or it randomly starts up again.

This morning, I spent 5 mins unplugging/plugging into EVERY USB C port and the mouse would lag.

Note - the mouse lags even with the touchpad - so it's system wide. Unplug affected monitor - mouse smooths out and isn't laggy/skipping. Soon as you reconnect the monitor - mouse is laggy, jagged, etc...

I'm attributing it to the ACER monitor cuz this doesn't happen with any other monitor (Dells at home). Pulling the power out of the monitor and reconnecting power fixes it too (until it happens again). Something makes the Mac's mouse lag in relation to this monitor.

 

[alexlzl]

My solution: "System Preferences" - Display - Resolution - Scaled. Try switch between the several options until the mouse lag issue is fixed.

I have been troubled by this issue for several months with my Macbook Pro (2015 and 2019 models) and external monitor (Dell U2718Q). Until one time I realized the mouse lag happened right after my Mac lost/forgot the external monitor's resolution scale setting. After switched between several options, the mouse returned to normal.

 

[BigMcGuire]

I forgot to update this! Wow.

What it was --- the cables I was using couldn't handle 60hz. Got some expensive USB C to HDMI cables and the issue went away. Sorry for not posting this earlier - completely forgot.

It is definitely related to the resolution and refresh rate.

The Anker USB C dock could only handle 30hz - not 60 for whatever reason (even though it said it could). Either that or it didn't like the Acer monitor.

New more expensive USB C to HDMI cables fixed the issue for me.

 

[praegustator]

I am experiencing this issue with Baseus Hub, or Dock Station that connects to MacBook through USB-C. I tried different variations of cables and connections; once, it works as expected, but most of the time a mouse lags (as BorgCube mentioned, independent of CPU utilisation or mouse type, even on touchpad) and display shows no image. The only advice I found was to buy expensive cable or adapter, so I did and successfully connect one of two external displays (4K@60Hz). However, the issue with Dock Station persists for even smaller resolution.

I found a workaround recently, which is hard to explain but it works nevertheless.

On MacOS go to Preferences –> Displays, then hold Option key, you will notice that bottom button 'Gather Windows' becomes 'Detect Displays'. Just click on 'Detect Displays' button, and image shows up with no mouse lag.

 

[crazy l3oyz]

Can you share which cable that you've gotten? I'm having the same issue when I'm connecting my M1 Mac Mini with my 27inch 4K Dell monitor as well. I'm using HDMI - HDMI cable.

 

[BigMcGuire]

Can you share which cable that you've gotten? I'm having the same issue when I'm connecting my M1 Mac Mini with my 27inch 4K Dell monitor as well. I'm using HDMI - HDMI cable.

Sure - I ended up going with these - they worked. And they work on my Samsung 4k as well. I wasn't able to get 60fps on the dongle reliably so I just went straight to USB C to DisplayPort.

uni USB C to DisplayPort Cable for Home Office (4K@60Hz, 2K@165Hz), Sturdy Aluminum USB Type-C to DisplayPort Cable [Thunderbolt 3/4 Compatible] for MacBook Pro/Air, iPhone 15 Pro/Max, XPS, Surface

Important Note 1: Please ensure that your device's USB-C port supports video output function "DP Alt Mode". Thunderbolt 4/3 output ports are also compatible. Important Note 2: Unidirectional transmission: It can only transmit from the USB-C port to the DP interface. Important Note 3: The final re...

www.amazon.com

 

[Ataliano]

Same issue here with an iMac 2020 5K... terrible experience so far for a computer worth $4.500.

Had to return the first one because after upgrading the RAM to 128Gb (OWC) it gave kernel panics all the time restarting the computer.

Now, with a brand new one, I have the f**king lag issue with the cursor which is totally annoying. Figured out reading here it's due to the external display and so far seems to be the case, as when it happens, simply disconnecting the display and connecting it back again works (for some time).

I'm using a DELL UP2516D and using a DP to USB C cable from Syntech (seems good quality, at least the build).

Thanks I found these posts and figured out what it was, because I was thinking of sending it back to Apple again...

Hope this is the last issue I get on this one, because I'm starting to get very tired about Apple products, extremely expensive and worse year after year...

 

[Shunt9]

I had the same issue, in my case I was using the monitor and cable already for over a year without problems.

The issue started when I connected the screen when the macbook was sleeping. When turning on the laptop the monitor was connected in 'mirror mode' (which I never use), when disabling mirroring again, the screen settings were all reset (color profile, scale, etc) and the problem started.

Rebooting, disconnecting, resetting SMC / NVRAM all did not help.

Eventually what I did was:
- Open up display, switch around the scaling a bunch of times
- Put laptop to sleep (with external monitor still connected)
- Wait a bit, wake back up
- Mess around with the scaling again.

I've seen the scaling trick around, but it wasn't enough in my case.

 

[legaleye3000]

Same issue here with my Late 2015 iMac 27inch and new Dell U2720Q (4k)... Connecting HDMI on the monitor then to a hdmi-thunderbolt 2 adapter, then to thunderbolt into the back of the iMac. I changed the refresh rate on the Dell to "Fast" from "Normal". Mouse lag occurs at different scalings... Any help appreciated. Thanks!

 

[okgoogle]

Hi all, just to shared. I think i found the issue. It's something to do with refresh rate. I have 2 USB-C hub. Realise Aukey only support max of 30Hz refresh rate on display, if I switched to another brand (Ugreen), support 60hz refresh rate on display, there is no mouse lag/latency issue.



I switched to 30hz on Ugreen, the mouse lag/lantency happened again.

Consider changing your refresh rate and see whether the problem still persist.

Btw, I use Bluetooth mouse or wired mouse giving me same issue when it's on 30Hz. Hence it's not related to wireless / wired mouse

 

[Photios]

I am so grateful to have found this thread. I have been so frustrated with keyboard lag on my Mac mini M1. Little did I know it was all related to not using 60hz as a refresh rate!

So grateful to know this! Fixed everything!

 

[FatChris]

2017 MBP 13' TB

I think I'm experiencing this problem: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5478231?page=13 - Mouse cursor lags with external monitors.

I'm using Anker USB C docks to HDMI out to 2 1080p monitors. https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Adapte...er+USB+C+dock&qid=1566323715&s=gateway&sr=8-3 I have an external drive and a few other minor USB devices plugged in.

I noticed that mouse lag is a real problem sometimes. A combination of unplugging the docks and switching them from one side to another results in no mouse lag. This mouse lag is happens on the laptop's touchpad, a bluetooth mouse, or a wired gaming mouse. It is independent of CPU utilization. Once it happens, disconnecting the USB C dock is the only thing that fixes it.

When I walk away from my laptop and do a CTRL Command Q and log back in - I have mouse lag until I disconnect the right Anker USB C dock and plug it back in every time. Sometimes I have to do this several times to get rid of the mouse lag.

Plugging in external drives can cause the mouse lag to occur. So I really think it is related to the Anker USB C dock?

Do you think getting a straight USB C to HDMI cable would solve the mouse lag? https://www.amazon.com/uni-Thunderb...usb+c+to+HDMI&qid=1566323944&s=gateway&sr=8-3

I also noticed that these USB C docks get ... pretty hot. I have a pair of them at work and home so I don't think it is the dock. Pushing 2 1080p monitors shouldn't be that hard for this laptop.

My work bought one of those expensive 2 USB C port docks but it disconnects the HDMI monitor every 10 seconds and gets REALLY REALLY hot.

Any suggestions / recommendations welcomed.


Edit: Just tried triple shielded HDMI cables. Lag is still there. Starting to think it is the USB C Adapters (Anker).

OK it's the adapters. I'm certain of it now.

I've been struggling with this with my brand new 2021 M1 macbook pro. I tried everything from switching connection types (DP, USB-C, HDMI), messing with resolutions, disabling mouse shake in preferences, even buying a different monitor. It got so bad at times I couldn't even work on my machine, even though it's super-powered and brand new.

After a ton of troubleshooting, I finally found the issue simply comes from the Hub I was using (Qgeem USB-C Hub). When connecting both monitors directly into my macbook (1 via a STouch USB-C to DP, 1 via HDMI) I finally have 2 monitors running with my M1 macbook with zero issues after 2 weeks now.

 

[astorre]

I've been struggling with this with my brand new 2021 M1 macbook pro. I tried everything from switching connection types (DP, USB-C, HDMI), messing with resolutions, disabling mouse shake in preferences, even buying a different monitor. It got so bad at times I couldn't even work on my machine, even though it's super-powered and brand new.

After a ton of troubleshooting, I finally found the issue simply comes from the Hub I was using (Qgeem USB-C Hub). When connecting both monitors directly into my macbook (1 via a STouch USB-C to DP, 1 via HDMI) I finally have 2 monitors running with my M1 macbook with zero issues after 2 weeks now.

you bought different monitor before trying to connect it directly into macbook? damn bro

 

[FatChris]

you bought different monitor before trying to connect it directly into macbook? damn bro

Haha to be fair my dell was on the fritz, so that was part of the issue . But, even connected directly into the Macbook still results in the lag until I removed the Qgeem USB-C Hub, which I was using for Ethernet and charging. The solution for me was just unplugging that piece of garbage.

 

[SjoukeW]

This is behaviour I experienced with 4k displays and DisplayLink hubs / docking stations.

 

[TheAshMan]

I had the same laggy mouse behavior with a Late 2005 21" iMac and several different mice; an Apple Magic Mouse, and a couple of different Logitech wireless ones. The issue started after adding a second monitor to the iMac. It is a Samsung 24" connected via Mini DisplayPort on iMac to full-size display port on the Samsung monitor.

I reset the PRAM, made sure the batteries were full (installed the Logitech software which tells you), and updated the firmware for the Logitech receiver. None of which fixed the problem, but the solution turned out to be simple.

It's funny because the lag problem only occurs when the external monitor is off, but still connected to the iMac. When the external monitor is on and connected, the mouse works fine. If the external monitor is off, the mouse is really laggy and annoying. If I disconnect the DisplayPort cable, it immediately starts working fine. You figure having the extra screen real estate to compute would cause an issue like this, but that is not it. I can't explain the why, but just how to fix it for this situation.

 

[bitonio]

It took me some time to get it solve and what worked for me is to not use the bluetooth protocol but switch to the unified receiver provided with my Logitech mouse. Immediately the cursor became smooth, just like the MacBook trackpad.

 

[Oupas]

Is there any way to fix this without buying a new adapter? I’m pretty sure the issue is that my adapter can only handle 30 Hz, which is mismatched with my 2020 M1 MacBook Air.

 

[hrk7]

I found a workaround recently, which is hard to explain but it works nevertheless.

On MacOS go to Preferences –> Displays, then hold Option key, you will notice that bottom button 'Gather Windows' becomes 'Detect Displays'. Just click on 'Detect Displays' button, and image shows up with no mouse lag.

Thank you for this, so much!

Which I haven't see too many of you mention, on my end the issue manifested ina way that on the external display I had smooth 120Hz mouse movement, but on the built-in one it was worse then a normal 30 Hz, it was not consistent. Of course macos doesn't let you manually adjust the refresh rate of the built-in display on an M1 Air.

Anyway, 'Detect Displays' triggered something and now the mouse movement is back to normal also on the built-in screen.

 

[Pikealot]

On MacOS go to Preferences –> Displays, then hold Option key, you will notice that bottom button 'Gather Windows' becomes 'Detect Displays'. Just click on 'Detect Displays' button, and image shows up with no mouse lag.

Want to add that this hack seems to work also in my configuration: I use a Brydge Dock and an LG Widescreen connected via HDMI and an Icybox adapter. The odd thing about this configuration is that I need to put two short USB-C-Cables between the dock and the adapter, since the adapter is build to be put directly to the MacBook.

Anyways - I resolved the mouse lag issue this way:
1. connected the adapter with the monitor directly to the MacBook; thus using the build-in and the external screens.
2. Then, praegustator's hack with "detect displays" works - it does not work when you only have one external monitor connected!
3. Re-build my configuration: MacBook back into the dock, short USB-C-Cables to connect the adapter.
4. seems to work since a couple of minutes ;-) I will report back if the issue returns.

@praegustator thank you so much! This issue was sooooooo annoying!

 

[Qu4ntx]

I am experiencing this issue with Baseus Hub, or Dock Station that connects to MacBook through USB-C. I tried different variations of cables and connections; once, it works as expected, but most of the time a mouse lags (as BorgCube mentioned, independent of CPU utilisation or mouse type, even on touchpad) and display shows no image. The only advice I found was to buy expensive cable or adapter, so I did and successfully connect one of two external displays (4K@60Hz). However, the issue with Dock Station persists for even smaller resolution.

I found a workaround recently, which is hard to explain but it works nevertheless.

On MacOS go to Preferences –> Displays, then hold Option key, you will notice that bottom button 'Gather Windows' becomes 'Detect Displays'. Just click on 'Detect Displays' button, and image shows up with no mouse lag.

Oddly enough, this worked for me! Thanks!!

 

[velios]

In my case i solve 30Hz issue with SwitchResX tool, which can setup 60Hz when original preference not show it. Choose external monitor -> current resolutions and choose resolution you want with 60Hz