How to Disable the Windows 10 ‘Turn on text cursor indicator’ Option

The Bold Keyboard Cursor

In Windows 10, an accessibility feature was introduced to help users locate their typing cursor (the blinking vertical line) on high-resolution screens or against cluttered backgrounds. This feature is called the “Text cursor indicator.” When enabled, Windows attaches two brightly colored blobs (which look a bit like a pair of brackets or a sideways bow tie) to the top and bottom of the standard blinking cursor whenever you are typing in a text field or document.

While extremely useful for users with visual impairments, this feature is highly distracting for standard users. If you accidentally enabled it via a keyboard shortcut, or if you inherited a PC where it was turned on, you might find the brightly colored blobs constantly flashing on your screen incredibly annoying. If you prefer the traditional, minimalist vertical line cursor, you can disable the colorful indicator.

How to Disable the Text Cursor Indicator

You can turn off the bold cursor blobs in the Accessibility settings.

1. Click the Start button and select the Settings gear icon (or press Windows Key + I).
2. In the Settings menu, click on Ease of Access (or “Accessibility”).
3. Scroll down the left-hand navigation pane and click on Text cursor (located under the “Vision” section).
4. Look for the main toggle switch at the top of the pane labelled Turn on text cursor indicator.
5. Toggle the switch to the Off position.

The brightly colored blocks will immediately vanish. Whenever you click into a text box or open a Word document, you will see the standard, thin, blinking vertical line.