How to install a custom cursor on Windows

Before you start

• Keep the cursor file somewhere permanent, such as C:\Windows\Cursors or a folder in Documents. Windows refers to the file in place, so moving or deleting it later will make the pointer revert.
• Install cursors only from sources you trust. Files you created yourself in the AniFX cursor creator are made in your browser and never uploaded.

Install a cursor

1. Press Win + R, type main.cpl and press Enter. You can also open Settings, go to Bluetooth & devices → Mouse (Windows 11) or Devices → Mouse (Windows 10), and choose Additional mouse settings.
2. Open the Pointers tab.
3. In the Customize list, select the role you want to replace, for example Normal Select (the main arrow) or Working in Background (the busy indicator).
4. Click Browse…, choose your .cur or .ani file and click Open. The preview box shows the pointer, and an animated one will play.
5. Repeat for any other roles you want to change.
6. Click Apply, then OK.

Save your choices as a scheme

Once you have set several roles, click Save As… on the Pointers tab and give the scheme a name. You can then switch between schemes from the Scheme drop-down.

Which role for which cursor?

• Static .cur files suit Normal Select, Link Select, Text Select and Precision Select.
• Animated .ani files suit Working in Background and Busy, because motion there means “something is happening”.
• Each role is set separately, so one animated file does not change the others.

Go back to the default

On the Pointers tab, select the role and click Use Default to restore a single pointer, or choose Windows Default from the Scheme drop-down and click Apply to restore them all.

If it does not look right

• The pointer looks blurry: use a larger size such as 48 or 64 pixels if your display uses scaling above 100%, or if you have increased the pointer size in Windows settings.
• The click lands in the wrong place: the hotspot is set incorrectly. Reopen the cursor in the creator, move the hotspot and download again.
• The animation is too fast or slow: change the frame durations in the creator and download a new .ani.
• Nothing happens when you double-click the file: that is normal. Windows installs cursors only through the Pointers tab.