Accessibility Features Are For Everyone
For decades, the standard Apple mouse pointer has been a small, black arrow with a thin white outline. While this classic design is minimalist and unobtrusive, it can also be incredibly difficult to see. If you are using a massive high-resolution 4K monitor, or if you simply have vision impairments, tracking a tiny black arrow across a busy spreadsheet or a colourful photograph can become a frustrating daily chore.
Apple includes powerful customization options built directly into macOS that allow you to dramatically alter how your cursor looks. You can increase its physical size, and more importantly, you can change its colour to something highly visible (like bright yellow, hot pink, or neon green).
While these tools are technically classified as “Accessibility” features designed for visually impaired users, they are incredibly useful for anyone who frequently loses track of their mouse, or for professionals who record screen tutorials and need their viewers to clearly see where they are clicking.
How to Change the Mac Cursor Size
If you only want to make the cursor larger without changing its classic black-and-white design, the process is very straightforward.
- Click the Apple Logo in the top left corner of your screen.
- Select System Settings from the dropdown menu (or “System Preferences” if you are running macOS Monterey or older).
- Scroll down the left-hand sidebar and click on Accessibility.
- In the right-hand panel, look under the “Vision” section and click on Display.
- Scroll down until you find the “Pointer” section.
- You will see a slider labeled Pointer size.
Click and drag the slider to the right to increase the size of the cursor. The change happens instantly in real-time, so you can drag the slider back and forth until you find the exact size that feels comfortable for your screen.
How to Change the Mac Cursor Colour
Increasing the size is helpful, but changing the colour is often the best way to ensure you never lose your mouse pointer against a dark background.
- Navigate back to the exact same Pointer settings menu (Apple Logo > System Settings > Accessibility > Display > Pointer).
- Below the size slider, you will see two distinct colour options:
- Pointer outline colour: This changes the thin border around the edge of the arrow (default is white).
- Pointer fill colour: This changes the main body of the arrow (default is black).
- Click the small colour swatch next to Pointer fill colour.
- The macOS colour picker window will appear. You can choose a colour from the standard grid, or use the colour wheel to pick a highly specific, vibrant shade.
Pro Tip: For maximum visibility, choose a fill colour that heavily contrasts with the applications you use most often. If you use “Dark Mode” all day, a bright yellow or neon green fill colour with a thick white outline is almost impossible to lose track of.
How to Reset the Cursor to Default
If you share your Mac with someone else who finds the giant pink cursor distracting, or if you simply want to return to the classic Apple design, you can reset everything instantly.
- Go back to the Pointer settings menu (Apple Logo > System Settings > Accessibility > Display > Pointer).
- Next to the “Pointer outline colour” and “Pointer fill colour” options, you will see a small button labeled Reset Colors.
- Click this button to instantly restore the default black-and-white arrow.
- To reset the size, simply drag the “Pointer size” slider all the way back to the far-left position.
The “Shake to Find” Feature
If you prefer to keep your cursor small but occasionally lose track of it on a large monitor, ensure the Shake mouse pointer to locate feature is turned on. This setting is located in the exact same menu, just above the size slider.
When this is enabled, rapidly wiggling your physical mouse (or scrubbing your finger back and forth quickly on your trackpad) will cause the cursor to temporarily balloon in size for a second, allowing your eyes to locate it instantly without permanently changing your settings.
