Introduction
Your mouse cursor plays an important role when using your computer. But, after a while, it might get boring looking at the same pointing arrow all day long. Luckily, in Windows, it's really easy to install and use custom cursors. For this reason, I've made this quick guide so you can properly enjoy my creations.
But before we move on with the guide, I want to explain a few concepts to make sure we're on the same page.
So what is a cursor? A mouse cursor is that little icon on your screen that you use to interact with your operating system. In Windows this is also called a pointer but we're going to use the term "cursor" because it's more popular.
What is a cursor scheme? As you may have noticed, the mouse cursor changes from a simple arrow to various icons like a pointy hand or a vertical line, depending on your interaction with the operating system. The set of all the cursors used at once makes up a cursor scheme.
To use custom cursors you can either replace them one by one or install an entire scheme. In this guide we'll be focusing on how to install and use an entire cursor scheme.
Compatibility
- all my cursor schemes are compatible with Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, 11
- all my cursor schemes support Windows scaling up to 400%. This means that the cursors will look pixel perfect and sharp, regardless of how big or small your screen is
STEP 1: INSTALL A CURSOR SCHEME
- first, you need to unpack the archive you have downloaded
- then, you need to open each folder you have unpacked and look for the _install.inf file
- now Right Click on the _install.inf file and select Install from the context menu (in Windows 11 you have to first click on Show more options to get the classic context menu with the Install option)
STEP 2: APPLY A CURSOR SCHEME
- open the Control Panel from the Start Menu
- change the View by to Large or Small Icons and click on the Mouse link
- go to the Pointers tab and from the Scheme drop-down menu choose the one you just installed
- for best results, make sure the option Enable pointer shadow is disabled
- finally, click Apply or OK
STEP 3 (OPTIONAL): CHANGE THE CURSOR SIZE
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If the cursor you selected is too small for your screen, there's a trick to increase its size in the Windows Settings. Keep in mind that you can only do this in Windows 10 & 11. Here's how it works:
- open the Windows Settings from the Start Menu and find the Pointer Size option
- increase the size of the pointer to whatever you like. This action will change your cursor scheme to the default one so don't panic
- follow STEP 2 of the guide again to switch back to your custom cursor scheme while keeping the increased size of the cursor
CURSOR TESTING AREA
Now it's time to test out your new cursors! Hover over each box to preview some of the cursors in the Cursor Pack you just applied. Please keep in mind that CSS doesn't support all the Windows Cursors so only 12 are displayed below, but all my Cursors Packs are fully complete. Each square is labeled with the cursor type, making it easy to test the appearance and functionality of each cursor in real time.