Copywriter, technical writer, translator (FR>EN, ES>EN, IT>EN), journalist

The visible mouse pointer

I max out the resolution on my screen so I can squeeze the most detail possible into said screen. While I can read most everything on the screen, and quickly increase font size when I can’t, I sometimes lose track of the unfailingly black mouse pointer on the Mac.

Other people, particularly those with failing eyesight, may experience the same problem. So I suggest you take steps to make the mouse pointer more visible.

Apple Mac OS

On the Mac, the one built-in option involves opening System Preferences from the Apple menu, then opening Universal Access. Towards the bottom of this window is a Cursor Size slider. Move the slider control to the right to increase the size of the mouse pointer, and all mouse graphics (arrow, hand, etc.) grow in size.

Microsoft Windows

Windows offers a lot more options than the Mac does when it comes to changing the appearance of the mouse pointer. To find them, open the Windows Control Panel and, in the top right corner, type the words “mouse pointer.” Options such as “Make it easier to see the mouse pointer” and “change how the mouse pointer looks when it’s moving” appear. My favourite options here are “Display pointer trails” and “Show location of pointer when I press the CTRL key.”