How to change your cursor on a Mac

Unlike Windows, macOS has no built-in way to install a cursor theme. System Settings lets you change the pointer’s size and colors, and that’s it. Here are both options: the built-in settings, and full custom cursor skins with CursorSkins.

Option 1: Change the pointer size and color in System Settings

Since macOS 12 Monterey you can recolor the standard arrow and make it bigger. It’s quick, and it doesn’t need any app.

1. Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings. (On macOS 12 Monterey it’s called System Preferences.)
2. Go to Accessibility → Display, then find the Pointer section. (On Monterey it’s the Pointer tab.)
3. Drag the Pointer size slider to make the cursor larger.
4. Use Pointer outline color and Pointer fill color to pick new colors.
5. Click Reset to get the standard black-and-white pointer back.

In the same place, Shake mouse pointer to locate briefly enlarges the cursor when you wiggle the mouse. What you can’t do here is change the cursor’s shape — that needs a custom cursor set.

Option 2: Install custom cursor skins on your Mac

To use a completely different cursor — a capybara, a neon arrow, a pixel goose — you need an app that registers new cursor images with macOS. That’s what CursorSkins does, and it covers all 16 cursors macOS uses, not just the arrow.

1. Wishlist CursorSkins on Steam — it launches in November 2026. Once it’s out, install it from your Steam library.
2. Open the Workshop tab and pick a skin — for example Little Capybara or Blue Hearts. Click Subscribe.
3. The skin appears in My Library. Open it to see every state in the fitting room.
4. Click Apply. The arrow, the pointing hand, the text cursor, the spinning wait cursor and the rest all change.
5. To undo it, click Restore default.

You can also choose a bigger cursor size (48 to 128 pixels) in the app, so detailed skins stay clear on large or high-resolution displays.

Which cursors change on a Mac?

macOS draws 16 standard cursors: the arrow, help, busy (the spinning wait cursor), crosshair, text (I-beam), forbidden, the pointing hand, move, the four window-resize cursors, copy, make alias, zoom in and zoom out. A CursorSkins skin replaces all of them. See cursor states explained for what each one is for.

Good to know

• After a restart: macOS puts the default cursors back when you log out or restart. Open CursorSkins and it reapplies your skin.
• Apps with their own cursors: some apps and games draw their own pointer instead of using the system one. Those keep their own cursor.
• macOS versions: CursorSkins supports macOS 12 Monterey and later on Intel and Apple silicon Macs, including macOS 26, where Apple renamed some of the system cursors.
• No drivers: it doesn’t install drivers or system extensions, and Restore default puts everything back the way it was.

FAQ

Can I use Windows cursor files (.cur, .ani) on a Mac?

Not directly — macOS doesn’t read them. CursorSkins can import .cur and .ani files (and macOS .cape sets) and convert them, so a cursor you made for Windows works on your Mac too. See how to make your own cursor.

Can I get animated cursors on a Mac?

Yes. macOS supports animated cursors with up to 24 frames per cursor. Sets like Mochi Hamster and Pixel Goose animate many of their states. Browse more in animated cursors.