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M.W. Mouse Pointer Schemes for Windows

Background

Back in around 2005 I was using a PC with Windows XP. During that period I was fortunate to find a program that allowed you to edit the Windows XP mouse pointer (aka Cursors [1]) graphics. While using that machine I had noticed things with the mouse pointers that I felt were incomplete or that could be improved. So I decided to make my own mouse pointers that appear here. To be clear, these are derivative works that I created from the mouse pointers that were provided in Microsoft Windows XP (with the exception of the three Macintosh schemes).

I produced these mouse pointers originally in around 2005 and more recently I revised them in 2025 to include some changes, in particular I added support for the Windows 10 & 11 additional "Location Select" (pin) and "Person Select" (person) pointers.

I was also fortunate to be exposed to these mouse schemes when I was, while using Windows XP, since they were removed in Windows 7+. If I had missed that Windows XP period in time, these schemes would not have been created. In my opinion, I have carried forward the best parts of the Windows XP mouse schemes, that were mostly removed, into these schemes which you can use today.

See Table 1 below to see the names of the Windows XP schemes that were mostly removed by Microsoft in Windows 7+ and see my comments about how they influenced my mouse schemes.

I found some of the XP schemes to be childish or silly, such as Dinosaur, and I only care for the schemes (or parts of schemes) that have a professional and formal style. So, my schemes only adopted portions of the Windows XP schemes that were professional and formal in nature. I apologies to you if you found the portions I left out to be pleasing.

In the following Table 2, have a look at all of the scheme mouse pointers to get an idea of which schemes look good to you and install those into your PC after downloading the archive and try them out.

Table 2: Mouse Pointer Names and Comparison Table
Scheme Names	File names in alphabetical order without extensions (.cur, .ani)
M.W. (None):
M.W. White-2D:
M.W. Black-2D:
M.W. Green-2D:
M.W. Green-2D Outline:
M.W. Green-3D:
M.W. Red-3D:
M.W. White-3D:
M.W. Cyan-3D:
M.W. Gold-3D:
M.W. Magnified:
M.W. Magnified Green Solid:
M.W. Magnified Green Solid Raster:
M.W. Magnified Green Hollow:
M.W. BIG GREEN 1:
M.W. BIG GREEN 1 Raster:
M.W. BIG GREEN 2:
M.W. BIG GREEN 2 Raster:
M.W. BIG GREEN 3:
M.W. BIG GREEN 3 Raster:
M.W. BIG GREEN 4:
M.W. BIG GREEN 4 Raster:
M.W. BIG GREEN 5:
M.W. BIG GREEN 5 Raster:
M.W. Macintosh:
M.W. Macintosh OS X:
M.W. Macintosh OS X Aqua:

Notes on the Creation and Use of My Schemes

Notes on All Schemes

All of the scheme files I provide here are made up of only a single 32x32 pixel mouse pointer (except in .ani files which also have additional frames for animations). In todays schemes (Windows 10+) the scheme files are made up of multiple resolution mouse pointers at 32x32 pixels and higher resolutions such as 64x64 pixels etc. all in each single file.

Notes on All Green Schemes

All green schemes here are drawn in bright green to be the most easily detectable by the human eye. Quote from Wikipedia [2]: "For example, while the L cones have been referred to simply as red receptors, microspectrophotometry has shown that their peak sensitivity is in the greenish-yellow region of the spectrum."

I have chosen to use a pure green color which is close enough to the greenish-yellow they speak of. An example of the use of pure green for improved eye sensitivity was seen in the use of pure green in Green Screen monochrome monitors in the 1980s and 1990s.

All of the green mouse pointers are outlined in black to aid in seeing them when placed on a green background.

Notes on All Green "Raster" Schemes

In schemes that have "Raster" in the name, there is an alternating horizontal bright green then a horizontal dim green scan line to produce a scheme that looks like it is in use on a retro raster green screen picture tube (CRT) monitor (as opposed to flat panel LCD/LED used today). This also serves to somewhat dim the brightness of the scheme when compared to the non raster version. If you are not into retro computing, and the nostalgia for old CRTs, then these Raster schemes may not be for you.

The following M.W. (None) scheme, -2D family schemes, and -3D family schemes (and additionally the Macintosh family schemes down further below) are of the smallest size mouse pointers in my collection. They are somewhat difficult to use on large screen high resolution monitors due to being so small. These mouse pointers are hard to find at times on busy backgrounds. Give them a try and see how you like them.

M.W. (None) - Notes

Windows XP Windows Default scheme went into this scheme.

This scheme still exists in Windows today as (None).

This scheme is not modified from the Windows XP version and is here only for completeness sake and to use as a reference when looking at M.W. White-2D and M.W. Black-2D, both of which are better to use than this one. Also, you can see how M.W. (None) is made up of approximately a mix of mouse pointers from both M.W. White-2D and M.W. Black-2D

The beam and cross are not actually exactly as they appear here (in Table 2). They actually have opacity and are not solid black.

M.W. White-2D - Notes

This scheme was made from M.W. Black-2D

M.W. Black-2D - Notes

Windows XP Windows Black went into this scheme. Note that this scheme still exists in Windows today as Windows Black.

I made changes to this scheme, in particular I fixed the link hand to be black and I possibly made other changes I do not remember after 20 years.

M.W. Green-2D - Notes

This scheme was made from M.W. White-2D

M.W. Green-2D Outline - Notes

This scheme was made from M.W. Green-2D

All of the following five -3D family schemes have animated busy and wait mouse pointers.

M.W. Green-3D - Notes

This scheme was made from M.W. Cyan-3D

M.W. Red-3D - Notes

This scheme was made from M.W. Cyan-3D

This scheme does not work well when used on a dark background. A red pointer is hard to spot on a dark screen.

M.W. White-3D - Notes

Windows XP 3D-White went into this scheme.

M.W. Cyan-3D - Notes

Parts of Windows XP Dinosaur and parts of Windows XP Windows Animated went into this scheme.

I made some of the mouse pointers in here to finish the scheme.

M.W. Gold-3D - Notes

Windows XP 3D-Bronze, parts of Windows XP Dinosaur, and parts of Windows XP Old Fashioned went into this scheme.

I made some of the mouse pointers in here to finish the scheme.

The following M.W. Magnified family schemes and M.W. BIG GREEN family schemes are the biggest and most usable mouse pointer schemes on large screen high resolution monitors in my collection of schemes. I am most proud of these mouse pointers. I think you will find at least one of these to be useful to you. I received positive feedback from a visually impaired individual stating that these mouse pointer schemes are easier to use over the normal Windows inbuilt mouse pointer schemes.

M.W. Magnified - Notes

Windows XP Magnified went into this scheme. This one is still in Windows as Magnified.

There are several pointers that I fixed in this M.W. Magnified scheme when compared to the XP version.

M.W. Magnified Green Solid - Notes

This scheme was made from M.W. Magnified. There was just a changing of colors to produce this green scheme.

M.W. Magnified Green Solid Raster - Notes

This scheme was made from M.W. Magnified Green Solid. The green is made to look like Raster scan lines.

M.W. Magnified Green Hollow - Notes

This scheme was made from M.W. Magnified Green Solid. There was just a removal of interior pixels replaced with transparent to produce this green outline scheme.

M.W. BIG GREEN 1 - Notes

This scheme was made from M.W. Magnified Green Solid. There was just a filling in of interior black regions with green to produce this fat looking green scheme.

M.W. BIG GREEN 1 Raster - Notes

This scheme was made from M.W. BIG GREEN 1. The green is made to look like Raster scan lines.

M.W. BIG GREEN 2 - Notes

The main mouse pointer arrow (arrow) is the largest possible arrow drawn at a 45 degree angle in a 32x32 pixel cell.

All of the rest of the pointers are basically made to be as big as possible in a 32x32 pixel cell.

One negative aspect of this scheme's main arrow pointer is that it substantially goes off the right hand side of the screen when operating the vertical scrollbar on the right hand side of a maximized window. If this is a problem for you, check out M.W. BIG GREEN 3 for a scheme that addresses this issue.

I find that the main mouse pointer is a little uncomfortable to use due to it being on a 45 degree angle. If you feel that way too, you may want to use the M.W. BIG GREEN 1 where the main mouse pointer is in a more vertical orientation.

M.W. BIG GREEN 2 Raster - Notes

This scheme was made from M.W. BIG GREEN 2. The green is made to look like Raster scan lines.

M.W. BIG GREEN 3 - Notes

This scheme was made from M.W. BIG GREEN 2. All of the mouse pointers are the same with the exceptions of arrow, help and wait. These pointers have an arrow that points straight up as an isosceles triangle in the biggest size possible in a 32x32 pixel mouse pointer. This triangle does away with the issue in M.W. BIG GREEN 2 where the arrow pointer gets almost completely cut off on the right hand side of the screen when operating a vertical scrollbar. Fifty percent of the triangle pointer is still visible when operating the vertical scrollbar on the far right side of the screen.

M.W. BIG GREEN 3 Raster - Notes

This scheme was made from M.W. BIG GREEN 3. The green is made to look like Raster scan lines.

M.W. BIG GREEN 4 - Notes

This scheme was made from M.W. BIG GREEN 2. All of the mouse pointers are the same with the exceptions of arrow, help and wait. These pointers have a thin line green "X" in the biggest size possible in a 32x32 pixel mouse pointer. These "X" arrows have the largest possible footprint of all of the M.W. BIG GREEN family schemes pointer arrows while not obscuring much of the screen image. This "X" does away with the issue in M.W. BIG GREEN 2 where the arrow pointer gets almost completely cut off on the right hand side of the screen when operating a vertical scrollbar. Fifty percent of the "X" pointer is still visible when operating the vertical scrollbar on the far right of the screen.

These "X" pointers work well on bright backgrounds screens but not so good on dark backgrounds due to the only visible pixels being a single pixel width thin line "X" in green. Give it a try and see how it works out for you.

As a side note, the "X" pointer reminds me of using retro Computer-aided design (CAD) systems from the 1980s and 1990s.

M.W. BIG GREEN 4 Raster - Notes

This scheme was made from M.W. BIG GREEN 4. The green is made to look like Raster scan lines.

Both of the following M.W. BIG GREEN 5 family schemes have animated arrow, help and wait mouse pointers.

The arrow, help and wait mouse pointers are not actually exactly as they appear here (in Table 2). They actually have animations and flicker between green and black.

M.W. BIG GREEN 5 - Notes

This scheme was made from M.W. BIG GREEN 4. All of the mouse pointers are the same with the exceptions of arrow, help and wait. These pointers have been made to have a three pixel wide thin line green "X" in the biggest size possible in a 32x32 pixel mouse pointer. These "X" pointers use animation to flip between the green "X" and a black "X" causing a flicker, but providing a more visually apparent pointer when compared to those in M.W. BIG GREEN 4 at the sacrifice of image stability. This scheme has all of the other benefits of M.W. BIG GREEN 4 while providing more apparent "X" pointers.

These flickering "X" pointers work well on bright backgrounds screens as well as on dark backgrounds due to the use of three pixel wide thin line "X" pointers in green and black, alternately. The big question is: can you live with the annoying flickering? :-) Give it a try to see if it is acceptable to you.

M.W. BIG GREEN 5 Raster - Notes

This scheme was made from M.W. BIG GREEN 5. The green is made to look like Raster scan lines.

The following three "Macintosh" family schemes were not produced by Microsoft or myself, they apparently were produced by Apple.

All of the following three "Macintosh" family schemes have animated busy and wait mouse pointers.

I am providing these three schemes here because I found them on the web in around 2005 and they were in my collection of schemes and some people might still want these lost artifacts from the Web.

M.W. Macintosh - Notes

This scheme was found on the web and had no person's name associated with its production.

This particular pointer collection was from a Macintosh OS prior to OS X, I am not sure which one.

The beam and cross are not actually exactly as they appear here (in Table 2). They actually have opacity and are not solid black.

M.W. Macintosh OS X - Notes

This scheme was originally prepared by "Binary aka Chris O" and called "OSX4XP." I renamed all of the files to conform with my standard naming of scheme files.

Note that the original "Install.inf" and "Readme.txt" files are included in the "Z-Original-Install.inf" and "Z-Original-Readme.txt" files in the install folder.

M.W. Macintosh OS X Aqua - Notes

This scheme was originally prepared by "Binary aka Chris O" and called "OSX4XP." I renamed all of the files to conform with my standard naming of scheme files.

This scheme is the same as M.W. Macintosh OS X except for the following two animated mouse pointers which were included in the original file archive, but unused.

The original file "AquaBlob Working in Background.ani" was renamed into "wait.ani" and the file "AquaBlob Busy.ani" was renamed into "busy.ani."

Note that the original "Install.inf" and "Readme.txt" files are included in the "Z-Original-Install.inf" and "Z-Original-Readme.txt" files in the install folder.

File Names for the Pointers in Windows Mouse Properties

The following table may come in handy when editing / creating mouse pointer schemes in conjunction with the Mouse Properties > Pointers tab > Customize: section.

Download

Click here to download the current version of my ZIP archive:

M.W. Mouse Pointer Schemes for Windows.zip

Version: 1.5 - Date: 2025-02-22 - Size: 313 KB

Enjoy!

How to Install / Enable / Uninstall and Disable These Mouse Schemes

As a result of there being many versions of Microsoft Windows that will support these schemes (e.g, Win 9x/NT/2k/ME/XP/Vista/7/8/8.1/10/11), each with its own particular layout, I am not able to describe the exact steps to install and uninstall a mouse scheme on your system. To aid in this issue, I have supplied two Mouse Scheme Shortcuts that I will discuss below. Note that if you find that the two shortcuts do not operate as described below, I have done my best to help you but I can't address all versions of Windows. I am fairly certain that they will work on Windows 7 through 11 (64-bit). If you are not using one of those OSs then unfortunately I can't help you.

Here is my best attempt to describe how to install a mouse scheme. To install one of my mouse schemes on your Windows PC, unzip the ZIP archive you downloaded from my web site onto your Desktop or in a folder of your choice. After doing that, open the "M.W. Mouse Schemes" folder. Inside the folder "Mouse Scheme Shortcuts" is an image file called "M.W. Mouse Pointer reference table.png" that you can view to see all of the mouse schemes. View it to determine a mouse scheme that you would like to install. Now open the folder of a scheme you wish to install from inside the "M.W. Mouse Schemes" folder. In that folder is a file named the same as the name of the folder you opened (with a .inf file extension if you have extensions set to be visible). Right click your mouse while pointing at it and select the "Install" item from the pop-up context menu. At this point you may get a pop-up dialog (with a sound alert) asking you "Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device? (INF Default Install)". Just ignore it and click [Yes] to continue. After that warning (if you had it pop-up, or not) you will then see the Mouse Properties dialog appear. (NOTE: You may need to minimize the folder with the .inf file in it in order to see the Mouse Properties dialog behind it. It is definitely there if you see "Windows Setup - Windows is now setting up the following items:" appear in the upper left part of your screen.) Now, to enable the mouse scheme, in the Scheme section of the Mouse Properties dialog, click on the name of the currently selected scheme, which is likely "(None)", to get a drop-down menu of mouse schemes installed on your Windows setup. Look for the newly installed scheme name that you picked earlier, when you opened the folder, and left click it to select it. Now click the [Apply] button at the bottom of the dialog and you should see your mouse pointer change to the mouse scheme's pointer. You can now click [OK] to close the Mouse Properties. You are done!

If in the future you wish to change your active mouse scheme to a different one and you do not know how to get to your Mouse Properties without installing one of my mouse schemes, which automatically brings it up, you can open the "Mouse Scheme Shortcuts" folder that is in the "M.W. Mouse Schemes" folder from the ZIP archive you downloaded. In this folder is a "config.bat" file. Double click on it to bring up the Mouse Properties dialog. Make your changes like you did in the install process above. If you would like to do this on an ongoing basis, you can copy the "config.bat" file to a place where you can easily get to it, such as on your Desktop, and click it when needed. Also, if you desire, you can rename it from "config.bat" to something else you prefer while still retaining the ".bat" at the end of the name if you see it there.

To uninstall a theme, open the "Mouse Scheme Shortcuts" folder that is in the "M.W. Mouse Schemes" folder from the ZIP archive you downloaded. In this folder is an "uninstall" shortcut file. Double click on it to bring up the Windows Uninstall dialog. In this dialog you will see a list of programs and mouse schemes currently installed on your system. Look through the list to find the mouse scheme you would like to uninstall and right click on it to bring up a uninstall/change menu item. Left Click the uninstall/change item when you are *absolutely* sure that you are on the correct mouse scheme to be uninstalled (you will not be given a second chance "Are you sure?" message). and it will be uninstalled. If you would like to do this on an ongoing basis, you can copy the "uninstall" shortcut file to a place where you can easily get to it, such as on your Desktop, and click it when needed. Also, if you desire, you can rename it from "uninstall" to something else you prefer.

Note: if you uninstall a mouse pointer scheme while it is in use as your active mouse scheme, you will receive 15 or 17 (depending on your Windows version) "Error" pop-ups when you next go into the Mouse Properties Pointers tab. The 15/17 "Error" pop-ups will say: "The C:\... file, which contains the '...' cursor, is either missing or corrupt.". You will need to left click the "OK' button on each error. These errors are nothing to worry about. To prevent that from happening, first disable the mouse scheme by selecting another mouse pointer scheme to be active (by using "config.bat" described earlier) before uninstalling the mouse scheme you want to uninstall.

Be aware, when uninstalling these mouse schemes, there is one piece of residual information that still resides in the Windows cursors directory (e.g. C:\Windows\Cursors) - the directory named after the mouse scheme that the scheme was installed in. As far as I can tell this is an issue with the Windows uninstall function and is not correctable by changing something in the [Mouse Scheme Name].inf file that creates the uninstall information stored in the Windows registry. To address this slight issue, you need to manually delete the directory in the Windows cursors directory (e.g. C:\Windows\Cursors) if you do not want any evidence remaining in you system. Leaving the empty directory there is not a problem and does not consume any disk space other than the entry in the directory itself. All of the data files in that directory are correctly removed by the Windows uninstall function described above.

Use These Schemes as a Base to Create Your Own

If you feel like creating your own mouse schemes you can use these schemes as a starting point to modify into your own creation. You can do so using the "Greenfish Icon Editor Pro" [3a] or the "Greenfish Icon Editor Pro Portable" [3b] on a Windows PC. That program is the one I used to do my mouse scheme work in 2025.

Please contact me if you have created a new mouse scheme that I might share here if you would like me to do so. I may include it here or provide a link to your own web page that has the mouse scheme(s).

License

Please adhere to the following license agreement when using, modifying, or redistributing my mouse schemes.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International - CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License.

Related Links

                             © 2025 Michael Walden
  (This document was originally published here: https://MW.Rat.bz/pointers)
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