A mouse pointer, also known as a cursor, is a graphical image that appears on the display device to show where your mouse is currently pointing. This pointer can be moved by using a mouse or a touchpad on a laptop and a stylus pen on a touchscreen.
All operating systems support a mouse pointer including Windows and Mac. However, sometimes the settings of this pointer change, and it either starts appearing too big or changes its color.
Have you ever noticed that your mouse cursor suddenly gets enlarged on the screen? Why does this happen and how to disable this feature? Many people who have recently switched to Mac operating system ask these questions.
If you are also one of those people who want to know why this happens, you are in the right place. Here we will find out why the mouse cursor becomes too large while playing a game on Mac and whether it’s a system error or a useful feature.
So, let’s get started.
Table of Contents
Why Does Mouse Get Bigger On Mac?
Well, the first thing you need to know is that it’s nothing to worry about. If your mouse cursor has suddenly gotten enlarged, it’s because you probably accidentally shook the mouse and it happened automatically.
It is actually an accessibility feature that was recently added to Mac operating system. The feature is known as “Shake to Find”. When you shake the mouse, the cursor on the screen gets enlarged so you can see it more clearly.
Come to think of it, it sounds like a very useful feature. At times, you seem to have lost the cursor on the screen because it’s tiny in size. Imagine just shaking the mouse to locate the cursor after it increases in size. Sounds cool, right?
Both Windows and Mac operating systems allow users to change their display settings. These settings include mouse or cursor settings as well. You can change the color of the pointer, how large it should appear on the screen, and how it appears.
Is It a Useful Feature?
Having a huge cursor on the screen can be useful if you’re trying to locate it. However, if you’re doing something important and suddenly the cursor gets enlarged by itself, it can be quite distracting.
The cursor can get big in size when you shake the mouse or even move it too quickly. The system recognizes this move as shaking the mouse and making the cursor bigger. Most of the time while gaming, you have to move the mouse quickly. And if the cursor becomes enlarged on every move, it won’t seem like a useful feature at all.
However, it’s possible to disable this accessibility feature on Mac by following a few simple steps. We will discuss those steps in the next section.
First, let’s find out if the same thing happens in Windows. Windows by default doesn’t have any automatic cursor locating feature. However, you can change the cursor settings by going to Ease of Access in Settings. Choose Mouse Pointer and then change the size according to your preference.
For some people having a large mouse pointer can be advantageous, for example, people with vision impairments can hugely benefit from this feature. Similarly, changing its color can also benefit you when you’re trying hard to locate it on the screen.
While Windows doesn’t allow the mouse pointer to get bigger on its own, Mac operating system does. Simply shake the mouse or move it too quickly and the cursor will get enlarged.
How to Disable the Feature?
If you don’t want the cursor to get bigger, you can disable this accessibility feature on your Mac PC easily.
Here is a step-by-step guide to disabling the “Shake the Mouse” feature on Mac.
- Open System Preferences and go to Accessibility.
- Click Display from the list of settings.
- Open the Cursor tab and uncheck “Shake mouse pointer to locate”.
- This will disable the giant cursor feature.
It’s a simple process and doesn’t take long. Once you disable it, the cursor won’t get bigger when you shake the mouse or move it too quickly. Alternatively, if the setting is disabled by default and you want to enable it, repeat the above steps but this time check “Shake mouse pointer to locate” instead of unchecking it.
How to Make Mouse Bigger Using Trackpad?
If you’re using a laptop and want to use the “Shake the Mouse” feature, simply move your finger back and forth on the trackpad to have the pointer grow large in size.
This makes it easy to locate the pointer on the screen. The cursor will get small in size once you stop shaking the mouse or stop your finger from moving back and forth on the trackpad.
Although a huge mouse pointer can be distracting most of the time, it’s good to know that it goes back to its normal size when you stop shaking the mouse. However, in some cases, it might not get back to its original size. In that case, you can open the settings and manually change the size of the pointer like you would on a Windows PC or laptop.
Conclusion
An enlarged mouse cursor on the screen can be distracting especially when you’re doing something important. Although a useful feature when you need to locate a lost cursor on the screen, the huge size usually diverts you from the task at hand.
This is an accessibility feature in Mac operating system rather than a system error and nothing to worry about. Simply disable it and you won’t see an enlarged cursor again.
However, disabling this useful feature is not recommended because the cursor only gets enlarged momentarily and gets back to its original size when you stop shaking the mouse. At the same time, gamers find it distracting because more often than not they have to move the mouse quickly, which repeatedly increases the cursor size.
In such a case, you can disable the feature and enjoy your gaming experience without any on-screen distractions.