Is there a terminal command in Mac OS X to disable/enable the trackpad/mouse? I know that I can disable the trackpad of my MacBook Pro when an external mouse is connected. But is this also possible without a peripherial connected?
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Checkout @SleeplessRazi answer. That works for newer macOS including Sierra.– villancikosFeb 23, 2017 at 11:11
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This appears to be very hard to do in recent MacOS versions (10.12+). Why are you trying to do this though? If like me you are trying to learn to use a computer with the keyboard only, without unconsciously reverting to using the trackpad, there's a workaround: Put the cursor to the slowest setting and invert the scrolling direction. This should be enough to remind you to use the keyboard.– PertinaxJan 22, 2022 at 4:24
3 Answers
You would have to unload the kexts, which would remove support for the hardware until reloaded. I don't really recommend this.
Disable
sudo kextunload /System/Library/Extensions/AppleUSBTopCase.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleUSBTrackpad.kext
Enable
sudo kextload /System/Library/Extensions/AppleUSBTopCase.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleUSBTrackpad.kext
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Does not work on
10.14
. ThrowsUnable to determine realpath for /System/Library/Extensions/AppleUSBTopCase.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleUSBTrackpad.kext - failing. Can't create /System/Library/Extensions/AppleUSBTopCase.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleUSBTrackpad.kext.
Jun 10, 2019 at 13:57 -
1Welp, apple does like to change things a lot between major version numbers. It was only a matter of time for this to become obsolete.– demureJun 10, 2019 at 21:34
I tried this in OS X 10.9.5
sudo kextunload /System/Library/Extensions/AppleUSBMultitouch.kext
it gives error "(kernel) Can't unload kext com.apple.driver.AppleUSBMultitouch; classes have instances" but it disables the Trackpad successfully.
Then after
sudo kextload /System/Library/Extensions/AppleUSBMultitouch.kext
it enables the Trackpad again.
In OS X 10.9 I tried
sudo kextunload /System/Library/Extensions/AppleUSBMultitouch.kext/
to disable a temperamental trackpad, but that gave an error and didn't do anything. But moving the extension elsewhere, i.e.
sudo mv /System/Library/Extensions/AppleUSBMultitouch.kext ~
and restarting did the trick—though for some reason it also disabled the internal keyboard (except for the power button).
FYI, Apple menu > About This Mac > More Info... > System Report... > Extensions (under Software) shows which kernel extensions are currently active.