How to Enlarge the Mouse Cursor on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chrome OS

By Ben Stegner  

Most people can use a computer as it comes, but sometimes you need to make some changes for accessibility. Those with imperfect vision can make their systems easier to see with certain tweaks. One of these is enlarging the mouse cursor so you don’t lose track of it amid other on-screen elements.Are You Nearsighted or Farsighted? Tips to Make Windows More Accessible for Young & Old Are You Nearsighted or Farsighted? Tips to Make Windows More Accessible for Young & OldComputers use print that's too small, your eyesight changes, you get headaches, and the computer gets called a lot of dirty names. Consult this guide to Windows Accessibility tools for some stress relief!READ MORE

Here’s how to enlarge the mouse cursor no matter which OS you’re using.

Windows 10

Open the Start Menu and type Mouse, then choose the Mouse Settings entry. On this menu, click the Additional mouse options text to open the Control Panel Mouse section. Choose the Pointerstab and under the Scheme tab, change the selection to Windows Default (large) or Windows Default (extra large). This preserves the look of the cursor, but makes it much bigger.

macOS

Click the Apple Menu and open System Preferences. Then open the Accessibility menu and select the Display tab. Slide the Cursor Size slider to dynamically change the cursor until it’s set somewhere comfortable for you. When you’re done, just close the window.

Linux

In Ubuntu, entering the following line into a Terminal window should work for enlarging your cursor. Replace 48 with a different number if you don’t like the resulting size:Save Time in the Linux Terminal with These 20 Shortcuts Save Time in the Linux Terminal with These 20 ShortcutsWhether you're a terminal newbie or someone who got over the fear long ago, here are 20 shortcuts that can help you overcome some of the command line's awkwardness.READ MORE

dconf write /org/gnome/desktop/interface/cursor-size 48

If this doesn’t work for your flavor of Linux, see this Stack Exchange post for more options.

Chrome OS

As you probably know, Chromebooks are already a great machine for the elderly. You can make them better by enlarging the mouse cursor. Visit Settings, then scroll to the bottom and click Show advanced settings. Head to the Accessibility header, then check Show large mouse cursor to greatly enlarge it size.5 Reasons Chromebooks are the Perfect Computer For an Elderly Person 5 Reasons Chromebooks are the Perfect Computer For an Elderly PersonIt's your granddad's birthday — but what should you buy him? You could get him socks (again), some gardening equipment, or perhaps a large bottle of whisky… Or you could buy him a Chromebook.READ MORE

Do you prefer a small or large cursor? Let us know if you made yours bigger by leaving a comment below!

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