If you use a massive 4K monitor or a multi-display setup with your Mac, you may occasionally lose track of where your tiny mouse cursor is located. To solve this, Apple introduced a feature where if you rapidly shake your physical mouse (or swipe your finger back and forth quickly on the trackpad), the on-screen cursor automatically inflates to the size of a golf ball for a brief second so you can easily spot it.
While this accessibility feature is helpful for some, it can be highly disruptive for others. If you are doing precision graphic design work in Photoshop, editing a fast-paced video in Final Cut Pro, or playing a video game that requires rapid, twitchy mouse movements, the cursor will constantly and erroneously balloon up, completely obstructing your view of the screen.
You can completely disable the “shake to locate” feature, ensuring your cursor remains a fixed, consistent size regardless of how erratically you move your mouse.
How to Stop the macOS Cursor from Enlarging
You must disable this specific trigger within the Accessibility settings.
- Open the System Settings (or System Preferences) via the Apple Logo in the top-left menu bar.
- Scroll down the left sidebar and click on Accessibility.
- In the right-hand pane, click on Display.
- Scroll down to the “Pointer” section.
- Look for the toggle switch labeled Shake mouse pointer to locate.
- Turn this toggle to the Off position.
macOS will immediately disable the dynamic scaling algorithm. Your mouse cursor will now remain perfectly static in size, even if you rapidly scrub your mouse back and forth across your entire desk.