| title | Mouse Utilities in PowerToys for Windows | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| description | Mouse utilities in PowerToys enhance cursor functionality with Find my mouse, Mouse Highlighter, Mouse jump, and Crosshairs features for Windows users. | ||||
| ms.date | 01/31/2026 | ||||
| ms.topic | concept-article | ||||
| ms.localizationpriority | medium | ||||
| no-loc |
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Mouse utilities in PowerToys is a collection of features that enhance mouse and cursor functionality on Windows. These utilities help you locate your cursor, highlight mouse clicks, jump across screens, and display crosshairs for improved precision and productivity.
:::image type="content" source="../images/pt-mouse-utilities-cursorwrap.gif" alt-text="An animated gif of the PowerToys Cursor Wrap feature of its Mouse Utilities.":::
CursorWrap helps you move your mouse faster by allowing the cursor to seamlessly wrap around the edges of the screen. When enabled, moving past the top, bottom, left, or right edge instantly brings the cursor back on the opposite side, reducing long mouse travel and making navigation smoother on both single- and multi-monitor setups.
CursorBrake adds configurable friction when moving your cursor between monitors. This helps prevent accidental monitor transitions during precise cursor movements near screen edges, while still allowing intentional crossings.
CursorBrake offers three friction modes to suit different preferences:
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Dwell Time | Push against the monitor edge for a configurable duration before the cursor crosses to the next monitor. Creates a "sticky" feeling at boundaries. |
| Virtual Distance | The cursor must travel extra distance at the edge before crossing. Feels like pushing through gentle resistance. |
| Velocity Threshold | Only allows crossing if the cursor is moving fast enough. Prevents slow accidental crossings while allowing quick intentional movements. |
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Enable CursorBrake | Enables or disables the CursorBrake utility. |
| Friction mode | Select from Dwell Time, Virtual Distance, or Velocity Threshold. Default is Dwell Time. |
| Friction strength | Adjust the intensity of the friction effect. Higher values require more effort to cross monitor boundaries. |
| Bypass key | Hold a modifier key (Ctrl, Alt, Shift, or Win) to temporarily disable friction and cross monitors freely. |
| Per-edge configuration | Configure friction settings for individual monitor edges using the visual monitor layout editor. |
Activate a spotlight that focuses on the cursor's position by pressing the Ctrl key twice, using a custom shortcut, or by shaking the mouse. Click the mouse or press any keyboard key to dismiss it. If you move the mouse while the spotlight is active, the spotlight dismisses on its own shortly after the mouse stops moving. It has an option to use a transparent spotlight with independent backdrop and spotlight opacities, boosting focus and accessibility.
:::image type="content" source="../images/pt-mouse-utilities-find-my-mouse.gif" alt-text="An animated gif of the PowerToys Find my mouse feature of its Mouse Utilities.":::
From the settings page, you can configure the following options:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Activation method | Choose between Press Left Ctrl twice, Press Right Ctrl twice, Shake mouse, or Custom shortcut. |
| Minimum distance to shake | Adjust sensitivity. |
| Activation shortcut | The custom shortcut used to activate the spotlight. |
| Do not activate when Game Mode is on | Prevents the spotlight from being used when actively playing a game on the system. |
| Overlay opacity | The opacity of the spotlight backdrop. (default: 50%) |
| Background color | The color of the spotlight backdrop. (default: #000000) Support for transparency is available. |
| Spotlight color | The color of the circle that centers on the cursor. (default: #FFFFFF) Support for transparency is available. |
| Spotlight radius | The radius of the circle that centers on the cursor. (default: 100px) |
| Spotlight initial zoom | The spotlight animation's zoom factor. Higher values result in more pronounced zoom animation as the spotlight closes in on the cursor position. |
| Animation duration | Time for the spotlight animation. (default: 500ms) |
| Excluded apps | Add an application's name, or part of the name, one per line (for example, adding Notepad matches both Notepad.exe and Notepad++.exe; to match only Notepad.exe add the .exe extension). |
Display visual indicators when the left or right mouse buttons are clicked. By default, you can turn mouse highlighting on and off with the Win+Shift+H shortcut.
From the settings page, you can configure the following options:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Activation shortcut | The customizable keyboard command to turn mouse highlighting on or off. |
| Primary button highlight color | The highlighter color for the primary mouse button. |
| Secondary button highlight color | The highlighter color for the secondary mouse button. |
| Always highlight color | The highlighter color for the mouse pointer. |
| Highlight mode | Determines how the cursor is highlighted. Spotlight dims the screen to spotlight the cursor. Circle highlight highlights the cursor with a circle, while keeping the rest of the screen unaffected. |
| Radius | The radius of the highlighter, measured in pixels. |
| Fade delay | How long it takes before a highlight starts to disappear, measured in milliseconds. |
| Fade duration | Duration of the disappear animation, measured in milliseconds. |
Mouse jump allows moving the mouse pointer long distances on a single screen or across multiple screens.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Activation shortcut | The customizable keyboard command to activate the mouse jump. |
| Thumbnail Size | Constrains the thumbnail image to a maximum size. The default size is 1600x1200 pixels. |
| Appearance | Expand this section to adjust the popup appearance by customizing the colors, borders, spacing, and more. |
Mouse Pointer Crosshairs draws crosshairs centered on the mouse pointer. This feature is particularly useful for users with visual impairments or those who need enhanced cursor visibility for precision tasks.
The gliding cursor option is an accessibility feature that lets you control the mouse with a single button by using guided horizontal and vertical lines. Use the Win+Alt+. keyboard key combination to activate the gliding cursor, then move the mouse to control its position. Cancel the gliding cursor with the Esc key or by clicking the mouse.
:::image type="content" source="../images/pt-mouse-utilities-gliding-cursor.png" lightbox="../images/pt-mouse-utilities-gliding-cursor.gif" alt-text="An animated gif of the PowerToys gliding cursor feature of its Mouse Utilities.":::
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Activation shortcut | The customizable keyboard command to turn mouse crosshairs on or off. |
| Color | The color for the crosshairs. |
| Opacity | (default: 75%) |
| Center radius | (default: 20px) |
| Crosshairs thickness | (default: 5px) |
| Border color | The color for the crosshair borders. |
| Border size | Size of the border, in pixels. |
| Orientation | Choose between Horizontal, Vertical, or Vertical and Horizontal (default). |
| Automatically hide crosshairs when the mouse pointer is hidden | |
| Fix crosshairs length | |
| Crosshairs fixed length (px) | |
| Gliding cursor | This activation shortcut is the customizable keyboard command to turn the gliding cursor on or off. |
| Gliding cursor: Travel speed | Provides a slider to adjust the speed at which the gliding cursor moves across the screen. |
| Gliding cursor: Delay speed | Provides a slider to adjust the delay before the gliding cursor starts moving. |
[!INCLUDE install-powertoys.md]