How do I change the cursor and its size?

Question

I have recently created an Ubuntu 12.04 partition on my Windows 7 laptop. When installing it, I switched to "high contrast" mode, which has rather large cursors (by large I mean about twice as large and thick as they should normally are).

Now I have successfully installed the partition, the large cursors have stuck around even after exiting this high contrast mode, but only when I am hovering over stuff e.g. hovering over text inputs, links, and when resizing windows. All of these cursors are too large. They cursor is only normally sized when the computer should be displaying the normal mouse pointer.

Does anyone know how I might go about fixing this?

Solution 1

I would suggest you update your cursor theme and cursor size.

First in a terminal type:

sudo update-alternatives --config x-cursor-theme

Choose the number of the theme you want - e.g. 0 for DMZ-White

Changing the value here requires a reboot - a logout and login will not suffice.

Secondly, using dconf-editor (install using sudo apt-get install dconf-tools)

navigate to org.gnome.desktop.interface

change the cursor size to 24 and cursor theme to DMZ-White

Solution 2

For a command-line / automated way of doing it, try:

dconf write /org/gnome/desktop/interface/cursor-size 48

Works for me on Ubuntu 16.04.

In 18.04 LTS there is a new key. The following still works for me in 19.10 (I'll report back if it persists or not...)

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface cursor-size 48

Solution 3

it's very clunky, but do-able.

1. Download your favorite cursor theme from Gnome Look or other sources, and untar it in the folder you downloaded.
   
2. Next, open a terminal and type sudo nautilus and a Root Nautilus will launch. BE VERY CAREFUL DELETING AND MOVING FILES IN IT
3. Now, go to your downloads folder (from the Root Nautilus you just opened) and copy the folder of the downloaded cursor theme (not the .tar archive)
4. After doing so, go to /usr/share/icons and paste the folder of the cursors. but don't close it just yet.
5. Within the 'icons' folder you'll see a 'default' folder - open it - and open the 'index.theme' file (in gedit, in-case it doesn't open automatically), and change the theme name to the name of the cursor folder you copied (for example: 'neutral'). save and close the file.
6. Almost done. Now install Gnome/Unity Tweak Tool and change the cursor theme within them. In the Gnome Tweak Tool it look like this:
7. Log out and log back in and you're set.

Truly Canonical and the Ubuntu community need to do some work for this in terms of End-User customization, but bottom line is that this works.

Solution 4

Check your mouse theme using the dconf-editor:

1. Install the package dconf-tools

2. Run dconf-editor

3. Navigate to org.gnome.desktop.interface and check the mouse cursor settings:

DMZ-White should be set as the theme. Then log out and back in and see if you still have the problem.

References:

• How can I change default settings for new users?

Solution 5

Try change the setting in gconf-editor (Alt F2, gconf-editor). It is either under

/desktop/gnome/peripherals/mouse/cursor_size

or

/apps/compiz/general/allscreens/options/cursor_size

View more solutions

Comments

[Admin]

askubuntu.com/questions/75611/mouse-pointer-size-problem then follow these steps.

[Steve3p0]

Does anyone have a solution for this?!? This is a ADA issue. I nearly ruined my Ubuntu 16.04 install trying to implement workarounds.

[SDsolar]

askubuntu.com/questions/298842/…

[Scrooge McDuck]

An year old question is reported as duplicate of this 2012 one; since then we have graphical tools to set cursor size.

[Admin]

doesn't work for me. Are there another solutions?

[Jeremy]

Thanks, but this didn't work for me.

[Jeremy]

Thanks, but this didn't work for me.

[James Waldby - jwpat7]

On my Linux 3.0.0-14, Ubuntu 11.10, metacity 2.34.1 system, using dconf-tools to change the cursor-size number changes the cursor size in several kinds of windows, such as in firefox, gnome-terminal, pan, thunderbird, but does not change its size in emacs, dconf-editor, tool bar, et al

[fragos]

The application of cursor theme isn't consistently handled in 11.10. Changes as above indeed don't impact the normal cursor pointer but do take effect in some cases like when hovering over a link or within a text entry field both the cursor size and theme set in dconf are used not for the cursor displayed while moving around the screen.

[Tom]

Thank you very much! That would have driven me to insanity after a couple more hours.

[Lee Goddard]

The location has changed in 14.04 (I used CTRL-F to find \cursor-size) but I find the value is reset after a reboot?

[neuronet]

Weird that these kind of mouse settings don't come up in System Settings->Mouse and Touchpad!

[nehem]

Sometimes life is easier, if you know how to live.... Like this answer :D

[Jonathan Hartley]

Gah, in recent months I've noticed this settings gets reset to a normal cursor size, maybe on reboot. I'm on 16.04 now, but don't know when this started happening. :-(

[Aaron Franke]

update-alternatives: error: cannot stat file '/etc/alternatives/x-cursor-theme': Too many levels of symbolic links

[lindhe]

Are they the same option (symlinked), or different ones?

[xdavidliu]

same here, on 16.04 this gets reset on boot

[xdavidliu]

this gets reset after reboot in 16.04

[xdavidliu]

for 16.04 I suggest using unity tweak tool, as per this question

[Jonathan Hartley]

Another command line / automated way of doing it: askubuntu.com/a/298865/11307 (Uses gsettings and ~/.Xresources - maybe this method is persistent)

[Steve3p0]

Does not persist on 16.04.

[SDsolar]

Upvote for this. However I got stopped at step 1. This answer says to download my favorite mouse theme. Huh?

[SDsolar]

Upvote for the command and thorough screenshots. But if it gets reset at boot it will only last until the next software update. Darn.

[Alex Yakunin]

Doesn't work on Ubuntu 18.04.

[Alex Yakunin]

Doesn't work on 18.04.

[wldomiciano]

The package dconf-tools is not available in Ubuntu 18.10, but I managed installing the package dconf-editor. Thanks for show the way!

[mikakun]

changing cursor theme (xx-large cursor : gnome-look.org/p/999574 ) was the only thing that worked for me on a lxde desktop (the setting cursor-size in .config/settings.ini having no effect whatsoever )

[WinEunuuchs2Unix]

Ubuntu 16.04 name has changed: gsettings get org.gnome.desktop.interface cursor-size

[exebook]

Neither works in 19.10

[Louis]

Does not work on ubuntu 16.04 : dconf-editor shows empty

[73Gavin]

Worked great on 20.04. Thanks. gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface cursor-size 48

[angelcervera]

And how do you change the size there?