How to Turn Off the Blinking Text Cursor on Web Pages in Chrome

If a blinking vertical text cursor (similar to the one in Microsoft Word or Google Docs) suddenly appears whenever you click on text, images, or empty spaces on a web page, you have accidentally enabled a feature called Caret Browsing.

This feature allows users to navigate websites and select text using only the keyboard arrow keys. If you want to return to standard mouse navigation and remove the typing cursor, you can disable it using a quick keyboard shortcut or via Chrome’s settings.

Method 1: Use the Keyboard Shortcut (Fastest)

Caret Browsing is typically turned on by mistake when a user hits a specific function key. You can toggle it back off immediately using the same key.

1. Press the F7 key on your keyboard.
2. A prompt may appear near the top of your browser asking, “Turn off Caret Browsing?”
3. Click Turn off (or press F7 again if it acts as a direct toggle).

Note: On some laptops, you may need to press the Fn + F7 keys simultaneously to activate the function command.

Method 2: Disable via Chrome Accessibility Settings

If the keyboard shortcut does not work or your keyboard layout lacks an active F7 key, you can turn off the feature from Chrome’s configuration panel.

1. Click the three vertical dots (Menu) in the top-right corner of the Chrome window.
2. Select Settings from the drop-down menu.
3. In the left-hand sidebar, click on Accessibility.
4. Locate the option labeled Navigate pages with a text cursor.
5. Toggle the switch next to this option to Off.

The change takes effect instantly. You can close the Settings tab and click anywhere on a web page to confirm that the text cursor no longer appears.