Customize Your Mouse Cursor on Windows, Mac, Chromebook, Linux

Do you want to change the way the cursor looks on your computer? In most operating systems, including Windows, Mac, and Chromebook, it’s easy to change your mouse pointer’s size and color in your computer’s settings menu. You can also adjust your cursor style in Linux, although you might need to download an app to do it, depending on what distro you use. We’ll also explain how to find and install custom cursors for most operating systems.

Quick Guide to Changing Your Cursor

In Windows, go to Settings > Accessibility > Mouse pointer and touch. Select your preferred cursor style and size.
To select a custom cursor, go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse > Additional mouse settings. Choose a cursor style from the Scheme menu.
On Mac, change cursor color and size in Apple menu > System Settings > Accessibility > Display. Find cursor settings under the Pointer header.
On Chromebook, go to Settings > Accessibility > Cursor and touchpad to change your cursor size and color.

Section 1 of 6:

Using PC Settings on Windows

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This button looks like the Windows icon in the lower-left corner of your screen. It will open your Start menu.
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Click the
Settings icon. It will open your PC Settings in a new window. If you don’t see this icon, search for settings and click on the result.
- On some older versions of Windows, you can open Control Center from the Start menu, select Ease of Access here, and click Change how your mouse works. This will give you the same options as here.
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Click Accessibility in the Settings window. It’s located in the left-hand menu bar. This will open your accessibility options on a new menu.^{[1]
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- If you’re using Windows 10, select Ease of Access instead.
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Click Mouse pointer and touch. Select Mouse pointer and touch in the main Accessibility menu to see your mouse and cursor options.
- In Windows 10, this setting is just called Mouse pointer.
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Choose a cursor style under the Mouse pointer style header. In this section, you’ll see several types of cursors. Choose from a white cursor with a black outline, a black cursor, a cursor that changes between black and white depending on the background, or a cursor with a custom color fill.
- If you choose the cursor with the color fill, a palette of recommended color presets will open. You can also click + to choose a different color.
- If you’re using Windows 10, you’ll see these options under the Change pointer color header instead.
Use the Size slider to change the size of your pointer. Drag it to the left to make your cursor smaller, or to the right to make it bigger.

Section 2 of 6:

Using Mouse Properties on Windows

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1
Open the Settings menu in Windows. You can access additional cursor options through the Mouse Properties menu in Windows. To get there, click the Start menu, then click Settings (or search for settings and click the result).
- Use this option if you have downloaded or made a custom cursor that you want to use.
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Select Bluetooth & devices. It’s in the left-hand menu bar.^{[2]
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- In Windows 10, this option is just called Devices.
A window will open with various mouse settings.
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Click Additional mouse settings. You might need to scroll down to find this option. It’s under the Related settings header. A Mouse Properties window will open.
- In Windows 10, this is called Additional mouse options.
This button is next to Buttons at the top of the Mouse Properties window.
This option will let you select a cursor style that applies across all your pointers (including your regular cursor, the “busy” cursor, the cursor you see when selecting text, and so on).
If you don’t want to change all your cursors, select the one you want to change in the list under the Customize header. Click Browse to open a menu of cursor styles. Select the one you want and click Open.
If you want your cursor to have a shadow, check the box next to Enable pointer shadow.
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Click the Apply button. This button is in the lower-right corner of the pop-up window. It will apply your new settings and change your cursor to the selected scheme.
- If you’re in Windows 10, this button may say OK instead.

Section 3 of 6:

Changing Pointer Settings on Mac

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This will open your Mac's settings panel in a new window.
It’s located in the left-hand menu bar.
You’ll see this under the Vision header in the Accessibility menu.
It’s below theText section of the menu.
There are several size options ranging from “Normal” to “Large.” Move the slider left to make it smaller, and right to make it bigger. Your cursor is set to the smallest size by default.
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Select your cursor outline and fill color. Click the oval next to Pointer outline color to open a color selection menu. You can use the color wheel or choose one of the other color selection options (such as sliders, a spectrum, or various preset color schemes) to select a color. Close the window when you’re done. Do the same thing with the Pointer fill color option.
- If you want to go back to the default colors, click the Reset Colors button.

Section 4 of 6:

Changing Cursor Settings on Chromebook

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A menu will pop open.
It’s at the bottom of the menu.
It’s in the left-hand menu.
You’ll see a menu of cursor options.
You have to enable this option before you can change the cursor size.
Drag the slider left to make it smaller and right to make it bigger.
Click the drop-down menu next to Cursor color to select a new color.

Section 5 of 6:

Changing Cursor Settings on Linux

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In Ubuntu/Debian/Fedora To change the appearance of your cursor in Ubuntu, Debian, or Fedora, you’ll need the GNOME Tweaks app. You can install it in Terminal by running the command sudo apt install gnome-tweaks. From there:
- Open the Tweaks app and click Appearance in the sidebar.
- Click the drop-down menu next to Cursor.
- Select a cursor theme.
  - If you want to install more themes aside from the default ones that come with your system, you’ll need to download them from a website such as www.gnome-look.org.
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In Linux Mint You can easily change your cursor appearance in Settings if you’re using Linux Mint.
- Click the Linux Mint icon in the lower left corner of your screen and select the settings icon (it looks like a pair of sliders) in the left menu bar.
- Click Themes under the Appearance header.
- Click Advanced Settings.
- Click the current pointer next to the Mouse Pointer header.
- Select one of the options to instantly change your cursor style.
  - The options are limited, but you can download additional themes from a website like from www.gnome-look.org.
If you want options aside from the built-in cursor themes, you’ll need to download and install them. Then, follow the steps above for your version of Linux. Download the cursor theme you want and extract the downloaded theme folder. Right-click an empty space in the folder and select Open as Root. Copy and paste the folder to /usr/share/icons.

Section 6 of 6:

Using Custom Cursors

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Download a custom cursor or cursor theme. There are many websites where you can download custom cursors. Some examples include:
- Open Cursor Library. These cursors are supported by Windows.
- Custom Cursor. This website offers a variety of cursor packs that work with Windows or with the Custom Cursor Chrome extension.
- GNOME-Look.org. Here you can find a huge variety of custom cursor packs for Linux.
You can use built-in tools on Windows to make your own cursor (although you’ll need a third-party tool to convert the image file to the right format). Check out our guide to learn how. You can also use websites like Cursor.cc or Cursor Creator to design cursors in a web browser.
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Install your custom cursors. The right way to do this depends on your operating system.
- In Windows, install custom cursors using the Mouse Properties menu.
- In Linux, copy the custom cursors to /usr/share/icons/ (you might need to open the folder with the custom cursors as root first). Then, follow the steps in Changing Cursor Settings on Linux to select the theme.
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Try Mousecape if you have an older version of macOS. Mousecape is a free app that you can use to design or install custom cursors on macOS. Unfortunately, Mousecape does not work with macOS 26 (Tahoe) and has not been updated since 2020. If you are using an old version of macOS, you might still be able to get this app to work. You can download the most recent release here.
- While there are a few Mac apps on the App Store that offer limited customization options for your cursor (such as highlighting it or making it easier to find on the screen), unfortunately, there are not many tools available now for customizing your cursor on Mac.

Community Q&A

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Question

I couldn't find the cursor folder. Any ideas?

Community Answer

Click the Windows Start button, then click Run. Type in "Windows" then click enter and you will be in the "Windows" folder. The cursor folder should be somewhere in there.

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Question

I changed my cursor with Custom Crust and now I can't get it back. How do I set my cursor back to default?

Community Answer

In Mousecape, make a new cape with no picture. Use that and don't change it.

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When I click away, why does the cursor go away?

Community Answer

Make sure that you right-clicked the cape and pressed apply. That should work.

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