On Windows 11, whether you have a multi-monitor setup or a single large display, sometimes, you may lose sight of the mouse pointer on the screen, and you would typically shake the mouse until you find it again.
Although thatâs a natural behavior, Windows 11 has a feature in the mouse settings to quickly find the pointer, showing a ripple animation on the screen when pressing the âCtrlâ key.
If you use PowerToys, you can also enable the âFind My Mouseâ feature that similarly lets you find the mouse pointer by pressing the âCtrlâ key twice. The difference is that the PowerToys feature is a modern take on the feature available on Windows, and it allows you to customize the experience, such as color, size, and animation duration.
This guide will teach you two ways to find your mouse on Windows 11.
- Find mouse pointer location with PowerToys on Windows 11
- Find mouse pointer location with Ctrl key on Windows 11
Find mouse pointer location with PowerToys on Windows 11
If you choose to use the feature available with PowerToys, you first need to install the application from the Microsoft Store, or you can also use the winget install --id Microsoft.PowerToys
command to install the app from Command Prompt.
To enable the find my mouse feature for Windows 11, use these steps:
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Open PowerToys.
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Click on Mouse utilities.
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Under the âFind My Mouseâ section, turn on the âEnable Find My Mouseâ toggle switch.
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After you complete the steps, when you canât find the mouse on the screen, press the âCtrlâ key twice to highlight the mouse location on the screen.
Optionally, under the âAppearance & Behaviorâ section, you can customize the experience. For example, the âActivation methodâ allows you to change the action to find the mouse. You can choose to press twice the âCtrlâ key or shake the mouse.
Appearance & behavior settings
Also, the âOverlay opacityâ option lets use a slider to adjust the transparency of the overlay to find the pointer. The âBackground colorâ and âSpotlight colorâ options let you create custom screen overlay colors when finding the mouse.
In addition, there is an option to control the spotlight radius, initial zoom, and duration of the animation.
Find mouse pointer location with Ctrl key on Windows 11
Alternatively, you can also use the legacy mouse settings to enable the option to show the pointer location on the screen when pressing the âCtrlâ key.
To enable the find mouse pointer feature by pressing the âCtrlâ key on Windows 11, use these steps:
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Open Settings on Windows 11.
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Click on Personalization.
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Click the Themes page on the right side.
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Click on Mouse Cursor.
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Click the Pointer Options tab.
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Under the âVisibilityâ section, check the âShow location of pointer when I press the CTRL keyâ option.
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Click the Apply button.
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Click the OK button.
Once you complete the steps, the next you lose sight of the pointer, press the Ctrl key on the keyboard to activate the visual aid to find the mouse pointer wherever it might be on the screen.
While this guide is focused on Windows 11, you can also use these features on Windows 10.