How To Find Mouse Cursor in Windows 11 (Full 2026 Guide)

Lost your pointer on a big screen? Learn how to find your mouse cursor in Windows 11 instantly using the built-in Pointer Options and PowerToys.

Often, especially on big screens or with small mouse pointers, it is very easy to lose track of where the cursor is. It feels like the mouse pointer has disappeared and is nowhere to be found, but when in fact, it is just a bit harder to see and identify. It’s not a hardware or driver problem.

For example, while I was configuring Windows 11 on my 55-inch media PC, I suddenly couldn’t find the mouse cursor because it blended perfectly into the background.

Thankfully, on Windows 11, you have two easy ways to find a lost mouse cursor. You can either use the built-in method or use PowerToys “Find my mouse” module for custom shortcuts and advanced customization. In this guide, I will show both methods. Follow the one you like. Let’s get started.

Use Built-in Pointer Options to Find Mouse Cursor Location

1. Open Settings by pressing “Windows key + I“.
2. Go to the “Bluetooth & devices” tab on the sidebar.
3. Click the “Mouse” option on the right panel.
4. Click “Additional mouse settings” under “Related settings”.
5. Go to the “Pointer Options” tab.
6. Select the “Show location of pointer when I press the CTRL key” checkbox.
7. Click “OK“.

From now on, pressing the CTRL key highlights the mouse cursor with a sonar-like animation around the mouse pointer wherever it is.

Use PowerToys ‘Find My Mouse’ to Find the Mouse Cursor Location

Important note: Before proceeding, make sure you’ve installed PowerToys. If you haven’t, download PowerToys from this official GitHub page and install it.

1. Open the Start menu.
2. Search and open “PowerToys“.
3. Click “Input & Output” on the left sidebar.
4. Select the “Mouse Utilities” option.
5. Turn ON the “Find My Mouse” toggle.
6. With that, you’ve enabled Find My Mouse in PowerToys.
7. From now on, press the “Left Ctrl” key twice to highlight and show where the mouse pointer is located.

Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)

First, open the PowerToys tool. To do that, open the Start menu by pressing the “Start” button. Next, search for “PowerToys” and click the result or the “Open” option in the right panel of the Start menu.

In the PowerToys window, click the “Input & Output” option on the left sidebar. Next, select the “Mouse Utilities” tab under it. Next, turn ON the “Find My Mouse” toggle on the right panel.

That is it. From now on, whenever you cannot find the mouse cursor on your screen, press the “Left Ctrl” key twice. PowerToys instantly locates and highlights the mouse pointer by darkening the entire screen and a white background behind the mouse cursor.

Customize Find My Mouse Settings

Change activation method (shortcut) to locate the mouse pointer:

By default, Find My Mouse activates when you press the left CTRL key twice. If you want, you can change it to “Press Right Control twice,” “Share mouse,” or a custom keyboard shortcut of your choice. Here’s how:

In the “Mouse Utilities” page (PowerToys > Input & Output > Mouse Utilities), select the activation method of your choice from the “Activation method” dropdown menu.

If you chose “Custom shortcut” as the activation method, click the small down arrow icon next to the dropdown menu to expand “Activation method”. Next, click the “Edit” (pencil) icon next to the shortcut and press the shortcut you want to use.

Additionally, if you don’t want to accidentally trigger the Find My Mouse feature, select the “Only activate while holding the Windows key” checkbox under the “Activation method” section.

Exclude specific apps from triggering the Find My Mouse feature:

You can also exclude specific apps (programs/applications) from triggering the Find My Mouse feature. Here’s how:

In the Mouse Utilities page, scroll down and select the “Exclude apps” section. Next, type the exe file name in the field below it. For example, if you don’t want the Find My Mouse trigger in Google Chrome, type “chrome.exe” in the field.

Important Note: When adding multiple apps, ensure you type each file name on a separate line.

Customize the appearance of the pointer highlight:

You can also customize how Find My Mouse highlights the mouse pointer when you want to find it. Here’s how:

In the Mouse Utilities page, scroll down and select the “Appearance & behavior” section to expand it. Under it, you can change the background color, spotlight color, spotlight radius, initial zoom, and animation duration.

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That is all. It is that simple to find the mouse cursor in Windows 11 using built-in options and the PowerToys Find My Mouse module. If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.