Unable to change the normal default select cursor on windows 11

Julia de Veld 35 Reputation points
2026-08-28T09:05:28.3966667+00:00

Hello,

As far as I can tell, I couldnt find a similar question that addresses the issue I am experiencing.

I am trying to change my mouse pointer style in Windows 11, and every cursor changes successfully (text selection, link selection, busy, etc.), except for the normal/default select cursor (the standard arrow).

I've already tried the following (also checked after every restart):

  • Changing themes through the Personalization settings.
  • Creating a separate local Windows account to determine whether the issue is specific to my account.
  • Changing the cursor scheme through Mouse Properties → Pointers.
  • Manually selecting different cursor files for the normal/default pointer in the pointers tab.
  • Changing the cursor value data through Registry Editor.

None of these have worked. Every other cursor changes normally, but the standard arrow always remains the same. It seems as though Windows is ignoring whatever cursor is assigned to the normal/default pointer and keeps reverting to the default arrow.

Kind regards!

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Accessibility
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Answer accepted by question author
DaveM121 929K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-08-28T09:39:46.3333333+00:00

Many people are reporting problems applying/changing custom cursors at the moment, this problem seems to be caused by a recent Windows 11 update, open the Settings App, go to Windows Update - Update History, what is the KB number of the last couple of updates installed on your system.

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