What is a pointing stick?
A pointing stick is a pointing device built into the keyboard itself, with a rubber cap (red on ThinkPads) that sits between the G, H and B keys. IBM introduced it on ThinkPad laptops under the name TrackPoint, and Lenovo kept the name after buying IBM's PC business. Dell Latitude, HP EliteBook and other business laptops have similar sticks under their own names. CompTIA calls these track points. Because the stick sits in the middle of the keyboard, a touch typist can move the pointer without taking their hands off the home row.
How it works
The stick barely moves. Strain gauges at its base measure the direction and force of each push, and the pointer moves in that direction at a speed that rises with pressure. It behaves like a small joystick that sets pointer speed, unlike a touchpad, which maps finger movement to pointer movement. Buttons below the space bar handle clicks. On ThinkPads, holding the middle button while pushing the stick scrolls. Sensitivity and speed settings are in the mouse settings or the manufacturer's utility.
Caps
The rubber cap wears smooth over time, which makes the pointer hard to control. Caps pull straight off the stem and push back on, and manufacturers sell replacements in several shapes. Use a cap made for that keyboard, because stem sizes differ between keyboard generations and vendors.
Drift
Pointer drift is the classic pointing stick fault. The stick sets its zero point while nobody is touching it, so a brief drift right after letting go is normal and usually stops within a few seconds as it recalibrates. Persistent drift has a few causes:
- Something pressing on the stick, such as a neighboring keycap or a cap packed with debris
- Dirt or liquid in the keyboard around the stem
- A worn or failing sensor
Work through the fixes in order:
- Take your hands off the keyboard for a few seconds to let the stick recalibrate.
- Remove and reseat the cap, or replace a worn one.
- Clean around the stem and check for stuck keys.
- Lower the sensitivity setting.
- If drift continues, replace the keyboard, because the stick is part of the keyboard assembly.
As a workaround, the pointing stick can usually be disabled in the driver settings, or in BIOS/UEFI on many business laptops, leaving the touchpad active.
Pointing stick vs. touchpad
| Pointing stick | Touchpad | |
|---|---|---|
| Input | Pressure (force and direction) | Finger movement across a surface |
| Location | Between the G, H and B keys | Below the keyboard |
| Common fault | Drift, worn cap | Disabled by Fn toggle, drift from dirt or moisture |
| Replacement | Part of the keyboard | Separate part or part of the palm rest |
Pointing stick on the CompTIA A+ exam
Core 1 objective 1.2 lists "trackpad/drawing pad/track points" as mobile device accessories and connectivity options, and objective 5.4 lists cursor drift/touch calibration as a mobile device symptom. Know the device by its location between the G, H and B keys and its Lenovo name, TrackPoint. For a laptop pointer that moves by itself, the answer path is to let the stick recalibrate, check the cap and settings, disable it if the user does not need it, and replace the keyboard if the fault continues.