8/11/2025

Sick of Your Cursor Disappearing When Streaming to Your Steam Deck? Here's How to Fix It.

Hey everyone, so you've got your PC all fired up, ready to stream that epic game to your Steam Deck while you kick back on the couch. You launch the stream, everything looks perfect, but then... where the HECK is your mouse cursor? You can feel it moving, maybe you see it flicker on your PC monitor, but on your Deck's screen, it's just gone.

Honestly, it's one of the most annoying little bugs you can run into with Remote Play, & it can totally derail a gaming session, especially with strategy games, RPGs, or anything that relies heavily on a mouse.

Turns out, you're not alone. This is a pretty common hiccup a lot of us have run into. The good news is there are a bunch of different fixes, ranging from super simple to a little more involved. I've dug through the forums & tried a few things myself, so here’s a full rundown of what you can do to get that pesky cursor back where it belongs.

First, The Quick & Easy Fix: Check Your Windows Mouse Settings

This one sounds almost too simple, but you'd be surprised how often it's the culprit. It's an old Windows setting that just doesn't play nice with Steam's streaming tech.

Here's what you do on your host PC:

Hit the Windows key & type "mouse settings."
In the Mouse Settings window, look for "Additional mouse options" or "Additional mouse settings." Click it.
This will open up the old-school Mouse Properties window. Go to the "Pointer Options" tab.
Look for a checkbox that says "Display pointer trails." If it's checked, UNCHECK IT.
Click "Apply" & then "OK."

Now, try streaming your game again. For a surprising number of people, this is the magic bullet. The pointer trails feature is designed for visibility on a local display, but it seems to completely break the cursor's visibility over a stream.

The "Desktop Mode" Workaround

If the pointer trails trick didn't work, the next best thing to try is streaming from your Steam Deck's Desktop Mode. Something about how Desktop Mode handles the connection seems to be more stable for the cursor.

This one's a solid workaround because it not only tends to fix the cursor issue but can also give you a more PC-like experience if you need it.

On your Steam Deck, press the STEAM button.
Go down to "Power."
Select "Switch to Desktop."
Once you're in the Linux desktop environment, open the Steam client there.
Find your PC in your library & initiate the stream just like you would in Gaming Mode.

A user on Reddit mentioned this is their preferred method now. They even suggested installing the Steam Link app from the Discover store (the app center in Desktop Mode) & using that to connect instead of the native Steam client. This can apparently prevent some weird overlay bugs where Steam tries to open both the local & remote overlays at the same time. Pretty smart.

Tweak Your Controller Layout for the Game

Sometimes, the issue isn't a system-wide problem but rather how Steam is translating your trackpad movements for a specific game. By default, it might not be set to act as a proper mouse. You can change this on a per-game basis.

This is especially useful for games that have a launcher or a main menu that needs mouse navigation before you jump into the core gameplay.

From your Steam Deck's library, find the game you want to stream & select it.
Look for the controller icon on the right side of the screen to open the Controller Settings.
Go into "Edit Layout."
Now, you need to find where the trackpad is configured. Usually, you'll go to the "Trackpads" section.
Select the Right Trackpad Behavior (or whichever one you use for the mouse).
Change the behavior to "As Mouse."

For some games, particularly those with distinct UI screens (like an inventory or map), you might need to make this change in the "UI Controls" section of the controller layout, not just the general "In-Game Controls." A user trying to play Grim Dawn found this was the key.

This is also a great time to map a click action. While you have "As Mouse" selected, you can assign the "Click" action to be a "Left Mouse Click."

The Temporary Fixes: When You're in a Pinch

Okay, so maybe you're in the middle of a game & don't want to exit out to change a bunch of settings. There are a couple of things that can temporarily bring your cursor back, though they aren't permanent solutions.

Touch the Screen: As many have discovered, simply tapping the Steam Deck's touchscreen will often make the cursor appear. The problem is, it usually disappears again after a few seconds. This is fine if you just need to click one thing quickly, but it's not practical for continuous use.
Hold the STEAM Button: If you press & hold the STEAM button, your right trackpad will usually function as a mouse, making the cursor visible. Again, this is a temporary override. As soon as you let go of the STEAM button, it'll likely vanish again.

These are more like emergency maneuvers than actual fixes, but they're good to know about.

Why Does This Even Happen?

It's hard to say for SURE, but the community consensus points to a few possibilities.

Steam Updates: A lot of users report the problem started after a specific SteamOS or Steam client update. It's likely that a change in the streaming protocol or how the overlay works inadvertently created this bug. Valve is usually pretty good about patching these things, but sometimes it takes a while.
Host PC Conflicts: The pointer trails issue is a perfect example of a setting on the host PC that just doesn't agree with streaming. Other software, like screen recorders or even some mouse drivers, could potentially cause similar conflicts.
Game-Specific Issues: Some games might have their own way of handling the cursor that conflicts with Steam Remote Play. They might force a hardware cursor that doesn't get captured by the stream properly.

Enhancing Your Business with AI: A Quick Aside

Speaking of seamless user experiences, this whole cursor issue is a great example of how a small technical hiccup can be super frustrating. It's the same in the business world. When customers visit your website & can't find what they need, they get frustrated & leave.

This is where having a smart assistant can make a HUGE difference. For businesses looking to provide instant support & engage with visitors, a tool like Arsturn is incredibly powerful. You can use Arsturn to build a no-code AI chatbot trained specifically on your own business data. This means it can answer customer questions, help them navigate your site, & even generate leads 24/7. It's all about providing that smooth, frustration-free experience that keeps people engaged—something we all wish we had when our game cursor decides to play hide-and-seek.

The More Drastic Option: Rolling Back SteamOS

If you've tried everything else & you're still stuck without a cursor, there is a more advanced option: reverting to a previous version of SteamOS. This is a bit like time-traveling for your Deck, taking it back to a software version before the bug was introduced.

WARNING: This is a more technical process & should be a last resort.

First, completely power off your Steam Deck.
Now, hold down the Volume Down button (...) & the Power button at the same time.
When you hear the chime, let go of the Power button but keep holding the Volume Down button until the boot menu appears.
From here, you should be able to select a previously installed OS version to boot from.

A user on Reddit confirmed this worked for them when other solutions failed. It's not ideal since you'll miss out on recent updates, but if it's the only way to make streaming playable, it might be worth it until a permanent fix is released by Valve.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it. The disappearing cursor is a real pain, but it's almost always fixable. Start with the easiest solution—disabling pointer trails on your PC—& work your way down the list. The Desktop Mode workaround is a VERY solid bet for most people.

Hopefully, one of these tricks gets you back to your game without any more cursor-related headaches. It's all about finding that right combination of settings that makes your PC & your Steam Deck play nice together.

Let me know if you've found any other solutions! Hope this was helpful.