The Disappearing Pointer
When you are watching a video in full-screen mode within Google Chrome (such as on YouTube, Netflix, or Vimeo), the browser is programmed to automatically hide the mouse cursor after a few seconds of inactivity. This is the correct behavior for 99% of users, as a static white cursor hovering over a movie is distracting. However, if you are giving a live presentation using a web-based video player and need to constantly use the cursor as a laser pointer to highlight specific elements on the screen, this automatic hiding becomes a significant hindrance to your presentation.
Keeping the Mouse Visible
Google Chrome does not offer a native setting to permanently disable the cursor-hiding feature during full-screen video playback. To stop Google Chrome from automatically hiding the cursor, you must rely on a browser extension.
Because the cursor hiding is triggered by JavaScript inactivity timers built into the specific video players (like YouTube’s player), the only way to override it globally is by installing an extension that simulates constant micro-movements. Open the Chrome Web Store and search for an extension designed to keep the mouse awake. While there isn’t a single famous extension solely for this, extensions designed to prevent screen sleeping (like “Keep Awake”) sometimes include cursor-lock features. Alternatively, you can search for “Always show cursor.” Once installed and activated via the extensions puzzle-piece icon, these small scripts will inject code into the webpage that prevents the inactivity timer from ever reaching zero, ensuring your cursor remains visible even during full-screen video playback.