My default mouse cursor doesn't change, no matter which theme I use

Question

If I open gnome-tweak-tool, go to the Theme section and choose the DMZ-Black cursor theme, my default cursor stays exactly the same. However, the other cursor images (like when I move a window or hover over a link) are the correct ones from the DMZ-Black theme. The same happens if I choose the Adwaita theme, for example.

Does anyone know why this is? How can I completely change my cursor theme so that the default cursor is also changed?

Solution 1

Multi-user 14.04

If you have only one user on your system, it will be ok to change default curser theme, whether by copying DMZ-Black contents onto DMZ-White, or changing default index.theme content, or even using command sudo update-alternatives --config x-cursor-theme.

But on a multi-user system, you need to personalize for yourself alone without affecting other users. Well, it's not so hard. You just need to make a "default" curser theme under your home.

Let's change the cursor theme in steps:

Via Terminal

1. gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface cursor-theme "DMZ-Black" – simply replace "DMZ-Black" with your desired theme
2. mkdir ~/.icons/default
3. gedit ~/.icons/default/index.theme

4. copy the following lines in the text file and save it:

   [Icon Theme]
   Inherits=DMZ-Black
   

   – again replace "DMZ-Black" with your desired theme.

Via GUI

1. Install Dconf Editor or Unity Tweal Tool to be able to change the cursor theme;

2. On Dconf Editor, search for "cursor-theme", double click it and change the value to "DMZ-Black" or your desired theme.

   

   Alternatively on Unity Tweak Tool under Apearance, go to Cursors and select "DMZ-Black" or your desired theme.

   

3. Open Files (Nautilus) and go to ~/.icons (make one if there isn't any);

4. Make a new folder, name it default and open it;
5. Make an empty document and name it index.theme;

6. Open the file, paste the following lines and save it:

   [Icon Theme]
   Inherits=DMZ-Black
   

   You can replace "DMZ-Black" with your desired theme.

   

This works also on Synaptic Package Manager and Nautilus with root privileges.

Source: Raschix's comment on a post from webupd8.org 4 years ago!

Solution 2

In a terminal enter this:

gksu gedit /usr/share/icons/default/index.theme

Then change DMZ-White with exact name of the theme you want use, in your case DMZ-Black. Then it will show the correct theme.

Comments

[Dylan McCall]

Thank you! That solved my problem. I learnt I can also change that by using sudo update-alternatives --config x-cursor-theme.

[Prototype700]

The terminal method worked for me in Ubuntu Studio 15.10 when the selected black pointer from the mouse preferences would switch between black and white depending on the window beneath. I had to create the directory ".icons" first however with: mkdir ~/.icons