The mouse pointer is a fundamental part of how you interact with your PC. A pointer that’s too small or dull can seriously affect your productivity, and the default Windows 10 mouse pointer may appear small and unappealing.

At times, you might find it difficult to locate the default mouse pointer on your computer screen. Windows 10 has some exciting features that allow you to configure your mouse pointer size and color. In addition to this, you have the option to download third-party mouse pointers.

Why You Should Configure Your Mouse Settings

There are several reasons why you should configure your mouse pointer settings.

For example, if you have vision impairments, it may be a little harder for you to use the default Windows mouse pointer. Changing the pointer size and color can help make your mouse pointer stand out clearly on the screen.

It can be hard for you to clearly see the mouse pointer at its default size on high-resolution monitors. Reducing your screen resolution could turn out to be an ineffective solution. While you can configure the mouse DPI settings to make your mouse easier to use, the ability to make your mouse pointer bigger and colorful can be very helpful.

Here's how you can change your mouse pointer size and color in Windows 10.

1. Change the Mouse Pointer Size and Color Via Device Settings

Open the Mouse Properties window by navigating to Windows Start Menu > PC Settings > Devices > Mouse > Additional mouse options.

Configuring additional mouse options

In the window that pops up, click the Pointers tab. Select your desired mouse pointer scheme from the drop-down list under Scheme. Click Apply and then click OK to save the changes. You’ll be able to see a preview of the pointer scheme in the Customize box.

Selecting mouse pointer scheme

If you want to change your mouse pointer size and color back to their default settings, you can click the Use Default button.

2. Change the Mouse Pointer Size and Color Via Ease of Access Settings

Open the Mouse pointer window by navigating to Windows Start Menu > PC Settings > Ease of Access > Mouse pointer.

You can change your pointer size by dragging the slider under Change pointer size. Choose a pointer size from 1 to 15, where 1 is the default size. You can change your pointer color by selecting any of the four options under Change pointer color.

Opening the Mouse pointer window

On the four different color options to choose from:

  • The first option is the default white mouse pointer with a black border.
  • The second option is a black pointer with a white border.
  • The third option is an inverted pointer, which appears white on a black background and vice versa. The inverted pointer setting can help you identify the pointer with ease on any type of background.
  • The fourth option allows you to choose any pointer color of your choice.

If you choose the fourth option under the Change pointer color section, you’ll be able to choose a color from the Suggested pointer colors. If you don’t like these options, you can pick your own color by clicking Pick a custom pointer color.

Picking a custom pointer color

3. Change the Mouse Pointer Size and Color Via the Control Panel

Open the Control Panel by typing Control Panel in the Start Menu search bar and selecting the Best match. When you’re on the Control panel, navigate to Ease of access > Change how your mouse works.

Changing how the mouse works using the Control Panel

Under Mouse pointers, you can change the size and color of your mouse pointer by selecting any of the options that appear. When you’ve made a choice, click Apply and then click OK to save your changes.

Selecting Mouse Pointers

4. Change the Mouse Pointer Size and Color via the Registry Editor

Press the Windows Key + R to open the Run command dialog box. Type Regedit and click Enter to open the Registry Editor. When you’re on the User Account Control prompt, click the Yes button to continue.

In the Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Control Panel > Cursors.

Navigating to the Cursors key in the Registry Editor

To Select a Pointer Scheme, double-click the (Default) string value in the right-hand side panel. By default, the value data for this string will be Windows Default. The other pointer scheme options you can put as data values are as follows:

  • Magnified
  • Windows Black (extra large)
  • Windows Black (large)
  • Windows Black
  • Windows Default (extra large)
  • Windows Default (large)
  • Windows Inverted (extra large)
  • Windows Inverted (large)
  • Windows Inverted
  • Windows Standard (extra large)
  • Windows Standard (large)

To change the pointer scheme, simply type in the name of your desired pointer scheme in the Value data box and click OK to finish.

Changing the pointer scheme in Registry Editor

When you finish, close the Registry Editor and restart your computer to apply the changes.

5. Download Third-Party Mouse Pointers

If you’re looking for something more unique than the default Windows pointers, you can install third-party mouse pointers. There are many sites where you can download free attractive pointers, but you must look for safe sites for downloading Windows software.

Here’s how you can get started with installing third-party mouse pointers:

  1. Download your pointers from a trusted site such as Open Cursor Library.
  2. Extract your downloaded pointers file to any folder of your choice. To make things simple, you can extract your downloaded pointers to the Cursors folder on your PC. You can navigate to this folder by clicking This PC > Local Disk (C:) > Windows > Cursors.
  3. To select your downloaded pointers, open the Mouse Properties window by navigating to Windows Start Menu > PC Settings > Devices > Mouse > Additional mouse options.
  4. Click the Pointers tab in the Mouse Properties window. In the Customize box, select the first default mouse pointer and click Browse. This will help you look for the folder containing your new mouse pointers.
Changing default mouse pointers with downloaded ones

When you land on the mouse pointers folder, select your preferred mouse pointer and click Open. This will change the first default mouse pointer that you selected within the Customize box.

Selecting downloaded mouse pointers

From here, select the other default mouse pointers in the Customize box and replace them with the relevant ones you've downloaded. When you finish, click Apply and click OK in the Pointers tab to save the changes.

What Are Your Favorite Mouse Pointer Sizes and Colors?

Changing your mouse pointer size and color is easy if you follow the tips in this article. As you can see, Windows 10 makes it easy for you to configure your mouse pointer settings.

You can also expand your options by downloading your favorite third-party mouse pointers. You can even take things a step further by creating your own custom mouse pointers.