Install a custom cursor on Windows 11, step by step

Step 1: Check what is in the pack

A Windows cursor pack usually contains:

• .cur files for still cursors such as the arrow, the hand and the I-beam;
• .ani files for animated ones, typically Busy and Working in Background;
• often an install.inf file that copies everything into place and adds the set to Windows in one go.

Windows has 17 cursor roles, from Normal Select to Person Select. A pack does not have to fill all of them; any role it skips keeps its current cursor.

If you only have PNG images, convert them first with the PNG to CUR converter. Windows does not accept PNG files as cursors.

Step 2: Unzip it to a folder you will keep

Windows reads cursor files from wherever they are when you pick them. If you later delete or move the folder, your cursors quietly switch back to the defaults.

• With an .inf installer, unzip anywhere. The installer copies the files into a folder under C:\Windows\Cursors.
• Without one, move the folder somewhere permanent first, for example C:\Windows\Cursors\My Pack or a folder in your Documents.

Step 3: Install with the .inf file, if there is one

1. Open install.inf in Notepad first and look at it. A cursor installer should only copy .cur and .ani files and add a scheme under Control Panel\Cursors. If it does anything else, do not run it.
2. Right-click install.inf and choose Install. In Windows 11 the option may sit under Show more options.
3. Accept the administrator prompt. Windows needs it to copy files into C:\Windows\Cursors.
4. Nothing visible happens. That is normal. Carry on with Step 5 to switch the cursors on.

Step 4: Or set each cursor by hand

1. Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse and click Additional mouse settings. You can also press Windows+R, type main.cpl and press Enter.
2. Open the Pointers tab.
3. Click a role in the list, such as Normal Select, then click Browse.
4. Pick the matching .cur or .ani file and click Open.
5. Repeat for every role the pack covers.

The roles, in the order Windows lists them:

Mouse Properties name	What it is for	Registry name
Normal Select	The everyday arrow	Arrow
Help Select	Arrow with a question mark	Help
Working in Background	Arrow with a spinner, still clickable	AppStarting
Busy	Spinner, wait	Wait
Precision Select	Crosshair	Crosshair
Text Select	I-beam over text	IBeam
Handwriting	Pen input	NWPen
Unavailable	Circle with a slash	No
Vertical Resize	Up-down arrow	SizeNS
Horizontal Resize	Left-right arrow	SizeWE
Diagonal Resize 1	Top-left to bottom-right	SizeNWSE
Diagonal Resize 2	Top-right to bottom-left	SizeNESW
Move	Four-headed arrow	SizeAll
Alternate Select	Upward arrow	UpArrow
Link Select	Pointing hand	Hand
Location Select	Hand with a map pin	Pin
Person Select	Hand with a person badge	Person

Step 5: Save the set as a scheme and apply it

1. Still on the Pointers tab, if you used an .inf file, open the Scheme list and pick the pack’s name.
2. If you set cursors by hand, click Save As, type a name and click OK.
3. Click Apply.

Saving a scheme means you can switch back to this set in two clicks after trying something else.

Step 6: Pick a size that stays sharp

Open Settings > Accessibility > Mouse pointer and touch and move the Size slider. Windows picks the closest size stored inside each cursor file and scales it. The default Windows cursors store five sizes (32, 48, 64, 96 and 128 pixels) for this reason, so a pack that does the same stays crisp at every step.

Careful: choosing a Mouse pointer style on that same page (white, black, inverted or a custom colour) replaces your pack with Windows’ own cursors. If that happens, go back to the Pointers tab and pick your scheme again.

Step 7: Go back to the default cursors

On the Pointers tab, open the Scheme list, choose Windows Default (system scheme) and click Apply. To reset a single role, select it and click Use Default.

If your cursors keep resetting

• A theme changed them. When you apply a theme in Settings > Personalization > Themes, it can bring its own cursors. Untick Allow themes to change mouse pointers on the Pointers tab to stop that.
• The files moved. If you deleted or moved the folder, Windows falls back to the defaults. Put the files back, or install again from a permanent folder.
• An app draws its own cursor. Many games and some design apps ignore the Windows cursors entirely. Nothing in Windows can change that.

Your scheme also shows up in web browsers for the cursors that map to Windows roles: the hand over links is your Link Select cursor. Cursors that browsers draw themselves, such as the open hand for dragging or the zoom magnifier, do not change.

Optional: write your own .inf installer

If you are making a pack, an .inf file saves people the 17 Browse clicks. Put it in the same folder as the cursor files, rename the files to match, and change the two names under [Strings]:

[Version]
signature="$CHICAGO$"

[DefaultInstall]
CopyFiles = Scheme.Cur
AddReg    = Scheme.Reg

[DestinationDirs]
Scheme.Cur = 10,"%CUR_DIR%"

[Scheme.Reg]
HKCU,"Control Panel\Cursors\Schemes","%SCHEME_NAME%",,"%10%\%CUR_DIR%\%arrow%,%10%\%CUR_DIR%\%help%,%10%\%CUR_DIR%\%working%,%10%\%CUR_DIR%\%busy%,%10%\%CUR_DIR%\%cross%,%10%\%CUR_DIR%\%text%,%10%\%CUR_DIR%\%pen%,%10%\%CUR_DIR%\%unavailable%,%10%\%CUR_DIR%\%vert%,%10%\%CUR_DIR%\%horz%,%10%\%CUR_DIR%\%dgn1%,%10%\%CUR_DIR%\%dgn2%,%10%\%CUR_DIR%\%move%,%10%\%CUR_DIR%\%alternate%,%10%\%CUR_DIR%\%link%,%10%\%CUR_DIR%\%pin%,%10%\%CUR_DIR%\%person%"

[Scheme.Cur]
arrow.cur
help.cur
working.ani
busy.ani
cross.cur
text.cur
pen.cur
unavailable.cur
vert.cur
horz.cur
dgn1.cur
dgn2.cur
move.cur
alternate.cur
link.cur
pin.cur
person.cur

[Strings]
CUR_DIR     = "Cursors\My Pack"
SCHEME_NAME = "My Pack"
arrow       = "arrow.cur"
help        = "help.cur"
working     = "working.ani"
busy        = "busy.ani"
cross       = "cross.cur"
text        = "text.cur"
pen         = "pen.cur"
unavailable = "unavailable.cur"
vert        = "vert.cur"
horz        = "horz.cur"
dgn1        = "dgn1.cur"
dgn2        = "dgn2.cur"
move        = "move.cur"
alternate   = "alternate.cur"
link        = "link.cur"
pin         = "pin.cur"
person      = "person.cur"

The 17 paths in the scheme line must stay in exactly this order: Arrow, Help, AppStarting, Wait, Crosshair, IBeam, NWPen, No, SizeNS, SizeWE, SizeNWSE, SizeNESW, SizeAll, UpArrow, Hand, Pin, Person. %10% stands for the Windows folder, so the files land in C:\Windows\Cursors\My Pack. The installer only adds the scheme; people still pick it on the Pointers tab and click Apply.

FAQ

Where does Windows 11 keep its cursor files?

In C:\Windows\Cursors. The default cursors are the files that start with aero_, such as aero_arrow.cur and aero_busy.ani. The text I-beam and the crosshair are built into Windows and have no file there.

Can I use a PNG as a Windows cursor?

Not directly. Windows only accepts .cur and .ani files. Convert the PNG with the PNG to CUR converter and set the hotspot, the pixel that does the clicking, while you do it.

Is it safe to install cursor packs?

Cursor files are small images, so the bigger risk is the installer and anything else bundled in the download. Keep Windows updated, since it is Windows that reads the files. Read the .inf file before running it, never run an .exe that claims to install cursors, and get packs from a source you trust.

Why does my animated cursor not move?

Check that it is a real .ani file and not a renamed GIF, which Windows cannot animate. Also check that the role you put it in is the one you expect: Busy and Working in Background are the roles people most often animate.