17 cursors
Mono
The classic ink arrow, cleanly redrawn.
Windows bundle 131 KB · Web bundle 38 KB
Cursors
Free cursor packs
Original cursor sets drawn here, for Windows and for the web. Every pack is released under CC0 1.0, so you can use it anywhere, change it, and ship it in your own work without asking or giving credit.
17 cursors
Neon
Glowing blue edges for dark wallpapers.
Windows bundle 462 KB · Web bundle 98 KB
17 cursors
Outline
Hollow, light and easy on the eye.
Windows bundle 142 KB · Web bundle 46 KB
17 cursors
Pixel
Chunky 8-bit pointers with hard edges.
Windows bundle 35 KB · Web bundle 17 KB
Move your mouse over a preview to use that cursor. What CC0 means for you, and what it does not cover, is on the licenses page.
Reference
The 17 cursor roles in Windows
Windows has 17 cursor roles. Each one is a value under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Cursors that holds the path to a .cur or .ani file. Mouse Properties > Pointers shows them by their label, and a scheme string lists the 17 files in the order below, separated by commas.
| # | In Mouse Properties | Mono | Registry name | Default file | What it is for | CSS values that use it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Normal Select |  | Arrow | aero_arrow.cur | The everyday pointer you see almost everywhere. | |
| 2 | Help Select |  | Help | aero_helpsel.cur | The arrow with a question mark, shown in help modes and over 'what is this?' controls. | |
| 3 | Working in Background |  | AppStarting | aero_working.ani animated | The arrow with a spinning ring, shown while a program works in the background and you can keep clicking. | |
| 4 | Busy |  | Wait | aero_busy.ani animated | The spinning ring on its own, shown when a program is busy and cannot respond yet. | |
| 5 | Precision Select |  | Crosshair | Built into Windows | Thin crossed lines for precise pointing, such as drawing or selecting an area. The default scheme leaves this role empty and uses an image built into Windows. | |
| 6 | Text Select |  | IBeam | Built into Windows | The I-beam over text you can select or type into. Built into Windows, like the crosshair. | |
| 7 | Handwriting |  | NWPen | aero_pen.cur | A pen, shown in places that accept pen or handwriting input. | None: Windows only |
| 8 | Unavailable |  | No | aero_unavail.cur | The circle with a slash, shown when an action is not possible, such as dropping a file where it cannot go. | |
| 9 | Vertical Resize |  | SizeNS | aero_ns.cur | The up-down arrow over the top and bottom edges of a window you can resize. | |
| 10 | Horizontal Resize |  | SizeWE | aero_ew.cur | The left-right arrow over the left and right edges of a window. | |
| 11 | Diagonal Resize 1 |  | SizeNWSE | aero_nwse.cur | The diagonal arrow over the top-left and bottom-right corners of a window. | |
| 12 | Diagonal Resize 2 |  | SizeNESW | aero_nesw.cur | The diagonal arrow over the top-right and bottom-left corners of a window. | |
| 13 | Move |  | SizeAll | aero_move.cur | The four-headed arrow, shown when you move a window or an object. | |
| 14 | Alternate Select |  | UpArrow | aero_up.cur | An upward arrow that a few programs use as an alternative selection pointer. Rarely seen today. | None: Windows only |
| 15 | Link Select |  | Hand | aero_link.cur | The pointing hand over links. | |
| 16 | Location Select |  | Pin | aero_pin.cur | The hand with a map pin, used by apps when you pick a place. | None: Windows only |
| 17 | Person Select |  | Person | aero_person.cur | The hand with a person badge, used by apps when you pick a person or contact. | None: Windows only |
In a scheme string and in an .inf installer, the files must appear in this exact order. Leave a slot empty (two commas in a row) to keep the built-in cursor for that role.
- Where Windows keeps the cursor in use
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Cursors
- Where saved schemes live
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Cursors\Schemes
- Schemes that come with Windows
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Control Panel\Cursors\Schemes
- Default cursor folder
- C:\Windows\Cursors
- Default scheme
- Windows Default (system scheme), stored internally as the Windows Aero scheme
- Base size setting
- CursorBaseSize (32 by default)
- Sizes in the default files
- Each default aero .cur file holds five sizes: 32, 48, 64, 96 and 128 pixels. Windows picks the one that matches the pointer size setting.
- Default animations
- aero_working.ani and aero_busy.ani each hold 18 frames shown 3 jiffies (50 ms) apart, a 0.9 second loop.
Values read from the registry and C:\Windows\Cursors on Windows 11 (build 26200), October 2026.
Reference
Where the hotspot goes
Where the click lands for each cursor role, for a design that fills a 32x32 grid. Coordinates are pixels from the top-left corner, starting at 0. In CSS you write them after the url(), and in a .cur file they are stored with the image.
| Role | Hotspot (x y) | Where it goes | Windows default, 32 px |
|---|---|---|---|
Normal Select (Arrow) | 0 0 | The arrow's tip. If your outline adds a pixel of padding, move the hotspot to the first pixel of the tip. | 0 0 |
Help Select (Help) | 0 0 | The tip of the arrow, not the question mark. | 0 0 |
Working in Background (AppStarting) | 0 0 | The tip of the arrow. The spinner is decoration. | 0 8 |
Busy (Wait) | 16 16 | The centre of the spinner. | 16 16 |
Precision Select (Crosshair) | 16 16 | Where the two lines cross. With 1 px lines drawn at x 15 and y 15, use 15 15. | No file |
Text Select (IBeam) | 16 16 | The middle of the beam, halfway up the stem. | No file |
Handwriting (NWPen) | 0 0 | The pen's nib, which points to the top-left. | 0 0 |
Unavailable (No) | 16 16 | The centre of the circle. | 8 8 |
Vertical Resize (SizeNS) | 16 16 | The centre of the double arrow. | 4 11 |
Horizontal Resize (SizeWE) | 16 16 | The centre of the double arrow. | 11 4 |
Diagonal Resize 1 (SizeNWSE) | 16 16 | The centre of the diagonal arrow. | 8 8 |
Diagonal Resize 2 (SizeNESW) | 16 16 | The centre of the diagonal arrow. | 8 8 |
Move (SizeAll) | 16 16 | The centre, where the four arrows meet. | 11 11 |
Alternate Select (UpArrow) | 16 0 | The tip of the upward arrow, top centre. | 4 0 |
Link Select (Hand) | 10 0 | The tip of the index finger. For a hand that fills the grid this sits around x 8 to 12, y 0. | 6 0 |
Location Select (Pin) | 10 0 | The fingertip, as for Hand. The pin badge is decoration. | 6 0 |
Person Select (Person) | 10 0 | The fingertip, as for Hand. The person badge is decoration. | 6 0 |
windowsDefault32 is the hotspot in the 32 px image of the default Windows 11 cursor. Those images draw the shape smaller than the grid and leave the rest transparent, which is why their centres sit at 8 or 11 rather than 16. Crosshair and IBeam have no file in the default scheme.
Cursors the web has and Windows does not
| CSS value | Hotspot (x y) | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
cell | 16 16 | The centre of the plus. |
vertical-text | 16 16 | The middle of the sideways beam. |
alias | 0 0 | The tip of the arrow; the badge is decoration. |
copy | 0 0 | The tip of the arrow; the plus badge is decoration. |
grab | 16 16 | The middle of the palm. |
grabbing | 16 16 | The middle of the closed hand. |
col-resize | 16 16 | The centre of the bar. |
row-resize | 16 16 | The centre of the bar. |
zoom-in | 13 13 | The centre of the lens, not the handle. For a lens in the top-left two thirds of the grid this is near 13 13. |
zoom-out | 13 13 | The centre of the lens. |
context-menu | 0 0 | The tip of the arrow. |
Tips
- Pick the pixel the eye reads as 'the point'. For arrows and hands that is a tip; for symmetric shapes it is the centre.
- Keep pointing hotspots near the top-left. A cursor whose hotspot sits deep inside the image is dropped sooner near the page edges in Chrome and Safari.
- When you scale a cursor to 48, 64 or 128 px, scale the hotspot with it: 16 16 at 32 px becomes 32 32 at 64 px.