How to change and highlight the mouse cursor on Mac: Complete tutorial

Looking to customize your Mac’s cursor? Here’s everything you need to know to make it work better for you. Whether you want to boost visibility, add cursor effects for presentations, or simply give your Mac a personal touch, this guide covers all the best ways — using both Apple’s built-in options and trusted third-party apps.

Step-by-step guide: How to highlight your Mac cursor

The quickest way to highlight your Mac cursor is to open Apple menu () > System Settings > Accessibility > Display > Pointer and either (1) increase Pointer size or (2) turn on “Shake mouse pointer to locate.” After that, you can keep reading for more advanced cursor effects.

Methods to use your Mac highlight cursor

You already have two solid options:

• Built-in: Make the pointer larger or invert its colors in Accessibility settings.
• Third-party: Use apps like Almighty or Presentify to add rings, ripples, or spotlights with every click.

I'll break down each method below.

Quick reference: Built-in vs. third-party methods

Method 1: Built-in highlight and size options

1. Open System Settings (called "System Preferences" on macOS Monterey or earlier).
2. Go to Accessibility > Display > Pointer.
3. Use the slider to adjust Pointer size.
4. Click the color swatches to change Pointer outline and Pointer fill color.
5. Enable Shake mouse pointer to locate for a quick highlight effect when you wiggle your mouse.

These steps work on macOS Ventura, Sonoma, and newer. For older versions, look for similar options under Accessibility.

Method 2: Use Almighty for advanced cursor effects

I’ve foundAlmighty to be really useful for advanced cursor customization. Almighty is a macOS utility that lets you add cursor highlights and unlock over 50 Mac shortcuts in one app.

To activate cursor effects with Almighty:

1. Install and launch Almighty.
2. Go to the Mouse tab.
3. Enable Visualize Cursor for instant highlighting.

Method 3: Add spotlight or ripple effects with Presentify

Presentify is another great option, especially for screen sharing, demos, or tutorials. It adds cursor effects like spotlights and ripples, and lets you annotate your screen.

To add a spotlight or ripple effect with Presentify:

1. Install and open Presentify from the menu bar.
2. Choose Settings > Cursor.
3. Pick the highlight Size and Opacity.
4. Click the Color well to choose any shade you like.

Presentify also supports iPad and drawing tablets for more advanced annotation.

Add cursor effects to highlight the pointer on Mac

If you’re creating presentations or tutorials, you can also add visual overlays to help your audience follow along with your actions on screen. Giving a web-based demo? Drop the free90’s Cursor Effects script into your page, and your pointer can trail fairy dust, rainbows, or bubbles in seconds.

You can also check out more on theGitHub project.

This approach is perfect for browser-based demos and online workshops.

How to change the cursor on your Mac

If you’ve been using Macs for a while, you might have noticed the cursor seems smaller these days. That’s because high-resolution displays make everything look smaller, including your mouse pointer. macOS now lets you resize and recolor the cursor in a few clicks. Although Apple designed these tweaks as accessibility features, anyone can use them for quick personalization.

Here’s how:

1. Open Apple menu () > System Settings > Accessibility > Display > Pointer.
2. Adjust Pointer size with the slider.
3. Set the outline color and fill color for the pointer.
4. Turn on Shake mouse pointer to locate for quick highlighting.
5. Click Reset if you want to go back to the default cursor look.

Why change your Mac cursor?

Having a more visible cursor can actually save you time and reduce eye strain, especially when you’re working long hours or presenting to others. Some common reasons to change your cursor:

• Find it faster: A larger or highlighted cursor is easier to spot, especially on big or multiple displays.
• Add personality: Change color or effects to reflect your style or brighten your workspace.
• Work more efficiently: Improved visibility means less time searching for your pointer and more time getting things done.

If you're not sure whether your issue is a one-off glitch or something deeper, the Fix My Mac GPT tool is a decent first stop.

Highlight your Mac cursor with the right tools

Customizing your Mac cursor doesn't have to be complicated. Whether you're using macOS's built-in accessibility features or exploring advanced cursor effects, you have plenty of options to make your pointer more visible and personalized:

• Cursor effects can boost productivity and reduce eye strain.
• macOS now supports quick pointer resizing and color changes from System Settings.
• Almighty and Presentify offer advanced cursor effects for presentations, tutorials, and everyday use.
• For web demos, try browser-based cursor effects scripts for instant results.
• Only use cursor effect apps from trusted sources to keep your Mac secure.

For the best cursor highlighting experience, try Almighty for advanced cursor visualization and shortcuts, or Presentify for spotlight effects and screen annotation during presentations. Both apps are available through afree seven-day trial of Setapp, which gives you access to over 260 trusted Mac apps (from managing your finances withMoneyWiz to improving your network withWiFi Explorer. All apps are security-tested and updated for the latest macOS releases, so you can customize with confidence.