How to Enable Mouse Pointer Indicator in Windows 11

What is the Mouse Pointer Indicator?

With the indicator on, a colored circle follows your cursor everywhere. You find the pointer faster after you move between monitors, switch windows or return to a screen you haven’t touched for a while.

Once the feature is active, press Ctrl + Ctrl (press the left Ctrl key twice) to toggle the circle on or off. This helps when you need the circle only now and then and don’t want to open Settings each time.

How to Turn On or Off the Mouse Pointer Indicator

Settings is the simplest method, and the one to try first. These steps match current Windows 11 builds. If your Settings pages look different, install all pending updates, because Microsoft has moved some accessibility options between releases.

1. Open Settings⚙️. Click the Start button⊞ and select Settings, or press Windows key + I.

   

2. Click Accessibility in the left menu. The accessibility options appear on the right.

   

3. Under the Vision section, click Mouse pointer and touch. The pointer settings page opens.

   

4. Click the Pointer indicator option.
5. Set the switch to On. The circle appears around your pointer straight away. Pick a color for the circle, then move the mouse over a few different windows to check that the color is easy to see.
6. To turn the indicator off, set the switch to Off. Nothing else changes, so you can switch it back on at any time.

If the option is missing or greyed out, an employer or school may manage the PC and lock accessibility settings. Ask your administrator. The Registry method below needs administrator rights, so it does not get around that restriction.

To change the setting later, open Settings, go to the accessibility options, select the mouse settings and move the Pointer indicator switch to the position you want.

The keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Ctrl (press the left Ctrl key twice) toggles the circle quickly, but only after you turn the feature on in Settings. If the shortcut does nothing, check the switch first.

Alternative Method: Using the Windows Registry Editor

1. Administrator privileges required. Open Registry Editor. Press Windows key + R, type regedit, then press Enter. If Windows asks for permission, click Yes. The Registry Editor window opens.
2. Go to this path: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Accessibility. The keys and values for that location appear in the right panel.
3. In the right panel, find the entry named CursorCrosshairEnabled is not a real value; the pointer indicator settings are stored under HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Accessibility (e.g. CursorType, CursorColor).
4. Double-click the entry and change its value:

   • Set it to 1 to turn the Mouse Pointer Indicator ON.
   • Set it to 0 to turn it OFF.
5. Click OK and close Registry Editor.
6. Restart your🔄 computer to apply the change. After you sign back in, check that the circle appears around the pointer.

To undo the change, repeat the steps and enter the OFF value, or import the backup you exported earlier.

Summary

If the circle is hard to see, go back to Mouse pointer and touch in Settings and choose a color that contrasts with your wallpaper. To remove the circle, set the Pointer indicator switch to Off, or enter the OFF value if you used Registry Editor. Once the feature is enabled, Ctrl + Ctrl (press the left Ctrl key twice) toggles the circle on and off.