If you are bored with your current computer screen, a subtle cursor change may give it a subtle new look. Windows allows you to make your mouse cursor appear any way you like. Download new cursors or design your own and save them as CUR files. All you need is a software program that allows you to edit existing cursors and save them in the CUR format.
CUR File Format
- Cur Files, consisting of binary data, are one of the file types Windows uses to display mouse cursors. These files have ".cur" extensions, and you can discover them by searching for that extension in Windows Explorer. New Cur files may also arrive on your computer when you install new themes. Change your existing cursor by typing "Change how the mouse pointer looks" in the Windows Start menu search box and pressing "Enter." The Mouse Properties window that opens contains images of cursors you can use.
Windows Cursors
- Every cursor that you see on a computer screen is a picture. Windows developers can change a cursor's picture in response to your actions. Move your mouse over a Help menu, for example, and the program may change the cursor into a hand You may also see the operating system change your cursor image when you move your mouse over certain objects. The default Windows cursor is an arrow. Windows CUR files reside in a folder named Cursors in your Windows directory.
CUR File Editors
- The RealWorld Graphics Cursor Editor allows you to create complex cursor designs using filters and conventional image-editing tools. The program is free and works with Operating systems as old as Windows 2000. The Sib Cursor editor, which also lets you draw cursors, imports existing Cur files and other types of images in a variety of formats. "Drop Shadow" and "Colorize" are just a few of the built-in effects you can add to cursors you edit. Greenfish Icon Editor Pro, another free application, allows you to drag images from browsers into the program for editing. This editor supports layering and also comes with special effects.
Using Cursors
- After creating or editing new CUR files, you can add them to Windows, use them in desktop applications you create and upload them to your Web server. Convert your cat's image into a cursor, for example, and you can make that cursor move around your pages as site visitors navigate your site. If you build and distribute Windows themes, you will also find a Cur file editor useful for creating custom cursors for your theme packages.
