How to add a yellow circle highlight around the mouse cursor in Windows 11

Question

Hello Community,

I’ve noticed in many tutorial videos that the mouse pointer is surrounded by a yellow circle highlight (see screenshot below). Is there a way to enable this feature on a Windows 11 PC without using third-party tools or applications?

I’d greatly appreciate your guidance.

Thank you!

Answer 1

Hello,

Go to Settings > Bluetooth and devices > Mouse. Scroll down and click on "Additional Mouse settings".

Now in the pop up, go to Pointers.

Here you can change the look of the pointer. However, Microsoft doesn't have a native theme or .cur file that has the highlight, but you can download it from third party website. And then use the "browse" option here to find the file and replace it with the downloaded .cur file.

This is a third party website that has free download you can use: http://www.rw-designer.com/gallery?search=highl...

Mind you - this website doesn't have updated certificate, so your browser may warn you about the download, but these files are safe.

Note: This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.

Answer 2

You are welcome.

Unfortunately I would not know what all of the video content creators do out there, since the options are many with third party apps.

Yes, you can use PowerToys, but it only highlights when you click. You can enable it by using Windows + Shift + H if you have the shortcut activated in the tool for Mouse Highlighter.

The method I gave you is the most Windows day and can give you the most control, as you can find any pointer .cur file you want and then use it to replace any pointer behavior, such as normal select, working in background, link selection, drag and move, etc. If you want animated effect, I am quite certain you will need some third party tools to help you achieve that.

Answer 3

Thanks, Emily.

Does this mean that all video content creators use this method? I came across some Microsoft-provided utilities like PowerToys (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/mouse-utilities) during my search, but the information I found wasn’t very detailed. Could you please provide further guidance or advice?

EDIT: I downloaded and tried using it, but it doesn't look like what I've seen in many videos. In those videos, I noticed that the yellow circle around the cursor has an elastic animation, or rather, a dynamic resizing effect with cursor movement.

Thank you!