Changing the Mouse Pointer
Most of us don't think too much about the mouse pointer, but Windows uses individual cursor files to specify the various pointers it uses. (Depending on which version of Windows you are using, there are 15 - 17 individual pointers that can be used, each reflecting a different condition such as "busy," "text select," resizing, or even "unavailable.") In addition, Windows "packages" a collection of cursor files into what is called a "scheme."
Windows allows you to specify which pointer scheme should be used and, further, to modify the individual cursor files, if desired. Just follow these steps:
- Display the Control Panel.
- Click the Hardware and Sound link.
- Click the Mouse link (under the Devices and Printers heading). Windows displays the Mouse Properties dialog box.
- Make sure the Pointers tab is displayed. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Pointers tab of the Mouse Properties dialog box.
- Use the Scheme drop-down list to specify how you generally want the mouse pointer to look. (Pick a few different ones so you can get an idea of what pointers are in each scheme.)
- If desired, double-click on any of the individual cursors in the Customize list. Windows displays the Browse dialog box so you can locate and select a cursor file defining how that particular mouse pointer should look.
- When you are done making changes, click OK. Your changes take effect immediately.
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. Learn more about Allen...
Stable Layout on Different Printers
Want your document to print out the same on printers other than your own? This may be an elusive quest, as explained in ...
Discover More
Automatically Updating Fields and Links
You can update fields and links automatically when you print your document, but what if you want them updated when you ...
Discover More
Changing the Reference in a Named Range
Define a named range today and you may want to change the definition at some future point. It's rather easy to do, as ...
Discover More
Launching and Understanding the Xbox Game Bar
The Xbox Game Bar is a feature that often goes unnoticed by non-gamers. Let's go over launching and default settings for ...
Discover More
Limiting Bandwidth for Updates
Use a new advanced feature in Settings to limit upload bandwidth usage. By setting the absolute bandwidth an update can ...
Discover More
Controlling the Taskbar on Multiple Monitors
On Windows computers the Taskbar, by default, runs along the bottom of the screen. Learn how to control how the Taskbar ...
Discover More
Comments