Finding the Mouse Pointer

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 28, 2017)

1

I don't know about you, but as I get older it seems that it is harder and harder to locate the mouse pointer on the screen. It could be a symptom of aging eyes, but it could also be because with higher and higher resolutions for the screen, it can be pretty easy to "misplace" the location of the mouse pointer.

If you have this problem often, Windows provides a cool way to easily locate the mouse pointer location:

  1. Display the Control Panel. (How you do this varies based on the version of Windows you are using.)
  2. Click Hardware and Sound.
  3. Click Mouse. (This link is under the Devices and Printers section.) Windows displays the Mouse Properties dialog box.
  4. Make sure the Pointer Options tab is displayed. (See Figure 1.)

    5. Figure 1. The Pointer Options tab of the Mouse Properties dialog box.

  5. Make sure the Show Location of Pointer When I Press CTRL Key check box is selected.
  6. Click OK.

That's it. Now, when you press the Ctrl key, by itself, Windows "zeroes in" on the location of the mouse pointer, and you can easily see that location.

 This tip (11252) applies to Windows 7, 8, and 10.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Showing Text when a Cell is Empty

Wouldn't it be great if you could have Excel display some text in a cell only when that cell is empty? Unfortuantely, ...

Discover More

Struggling with New Changes to Track Changes

In the latest versions of Microsoft 365, the company has introduced an entirely new way to deal with markup comments. ...

Discover More

Keeping Words in the Custom Dictionary

The spell checker that is part of Word allows you to create and use custom dictionaries to expand how the checker does ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

Removing Spyware with Windows Defender

Despite your best efforts, it's possible that your system might still get afflicted with spyware. If that happens, you ...

Discover More

Notes that Stick Around

Throughout your day it can be necessary to quickly write things down to quickly remember later. Unfortunately, a Post-It ...

Discover More

Should I Leave My Computer On All the Time?

Do you turn your computer on and off all the time? Do you really know if this is good for your computer or not?

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 5 - 3?

2017-08-28 15:30:36

Lou Jones

On my computer (Windows 10) it's a little different: Only after I release the CTRL key does Windows "zero in" with a series of shrinking circles

Newest Tips
Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.