How to change the mouse cursor

Updated: 03/10/2024 by Computer Hope
Mouse pointer

Various properties of the mouse cursor's appearance, including color, shape, or size, can be changed in Microsoft Windows, Apple macOS, and Google ChromeOS (operating system). To proceed, choose one of the links below for the operating system on your computer and follow the instructions.

Note

Some programs use custom mouse cursors, and changing the Windows cursors does not always affect those used in third-party software.

Change a single mouse cursor (Windows)

  1. Press the Windows key, type Change the mouse pointer display or speed in the Windows search box, and press Enter.
Tip

In Windows 8, typing anywhere on the Start Screen brings up the search box automatically.

  1. In the Mouse Properties window, click the Pointers tab.
  2. On the Pointers tab (shown below), select the mouse cursor you want to change in the Customize section. For instance, the cursor you usually see is the Normal Select pointer, and the spinning cursor you see while your computer is working is the Busy pointer.
  3. After you've made your selection, click Browse.

Windows Mouse Properties - change single pointer

  1. Clicking the Browse button brings up a list of every cursor installed on your hard drive. Select a cursor from the list and click Open.

Mouse cursor select screen

  1. After selecting a replacement mouse cursor, it's shown in the Mouse Properties window. In the image below, you can see that we've changed the Normal Select cursor.

Newly selected mouse cursor

  1. Click Apply and then OK to save the changes.

Change multiple mouse cursors (Windows)

  1. Push the Windows key, type Change the mouse pointer display or speed into the Windows search box, and press Enter.
Tip

In Windows 8, typing anywhere on the Start Screen brings up the search box automatically.

  1. In the Mouse Properties window, click the Pointers tab.
  2. On the Pointers tab (shown below), click the down arrow on the box under Scheme and select another cursor scheme.

Windows Mouse Properties - change multiple pointers

  1. After selecting a new scheme, you can preview how it affects each of the various mouse pointers by scrolling through the Customize section.
  2. Once you are satisfied with your new selection, click Apply and then OK.

Helpful tips (Windows)

Tip

In the Mouse Properties window, on the Pointer Options tab, you can add or adjust features for your mouse cursor, including cursor trails and the mouse speed.

Tip

If you change each cursor individually or modify a scheme with new cursors, we suggest saving your settings as a new scheme.

Resize the mouse cursor (Windows 10)

To resize the mouse cursor in Windows 10, follow the steps below.

  1. Press the Windows key, type Settings, and press Enter.
  2. Select Ease of Access from the Settings menu.

Ease of Access icon.

  1. In the Ease of Access menu, on the left side, click Mouse pointer (A). Then, use the slider to adjust the cursor size (B).

Mouse cursor sizing.

Change the mouse cursor (macOS)

Apple removed the ability to change the mouse cursor on Mac computers with macOS. However, you can try using third-party software, like Mousecape, to change the mouse cursor.

Resize the mouse cursor (macOS)

How you change the mouse cursor size in Apple's operating system depends on which version you're using. To proceed, select the appropriate entry from the list below and follow the steps. If you're unsure which version is on your device, see our page: How to determine the version of macOS on a computer.

macOS Ventura and Sonoma

Here is how to resize the mouse cursor in macOS versions 13 and 14:

  1. At the top-left corner of the desktop screen, click the Apple icon.
  2. Select System Settings from the Apple menu.

System Settings selector in macOS.

  1. In the sidebar, scroll down and click the Accessibility selector. Then, in the right section, click the Display option.

Adjusting display settings in macOS.

  1. In the next window, use the slider next to Pointer size to adjust the mouse cursor's size.

Adjusting the mouse cursor size in macOS.

macOS High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, and Monterey

Here is how to resize the mouse cursor in macOS versions 10 through 12:

  1. At the top-left corner of the screen, click the Apple icon.
  2. Select System Preferences from the Apple menu.

System Preferences selector.

  1. Click the Accessibility option.

Accessibility icon on macOS.

  1. On the left side, under General (A), click the Display option. Then, use the slider in the Cursor size: section to adjust the size of the mouse or trackpad cursor.

macOS cursor adjustment slider.

Resize the mouse cursor (ChromeOS)

In Google ChromeOS, on a Chromebook, the size of the cursor is updated in the Settings application. Below are the steps for accessing the mouse cursor size settings.

  1. Click the status area found on the far right side of the shelf.
  2. Select the gear icon to open the ChromeOS settings.

ChromeOS status area gear icon

  1. Unhide the Advanced drop-down menu by clicking it.
  2. At the bottom of the Advanced drop-down, open the Accessibility menu.
  3. Select Manage accessibility features.
  4. Under Mouse and touchpad, enable the Show large mouse cursor option by clicking the toggle switch to the right.

Show large mouse cursor ChromeOS

  1. Move the Adjust cursor size slider until the mouse cursor is resized to your liking.

In this menu, you can also enable the Highlight the mouse cursor when it's moving option to display a red circle around the mouse cursor while it's moving.

Add a third-party mouse cursor (ChromeOS)

While there's no direct control over the mouse cursor in the ChromeOS settings, the operating system allows users to add customized cursors through third-party Chrome extensions. To find a cursor you like, visit the Chrome Web Store to browse for extensions that allow you to customize your mouse. When you find one, install it using the instructions on the following page.