How to Change the Mouse Cursor on Ubuntu Linux

On Ubuntu’s standard GNOME desktop, install a cursor theme in your user profile and select it in GNOME Tweaks. The whole process takes three parts: download a theme archive, put its theme folder in ~/.local/share/icons, and choose it under Tweaks > Appearance > Cursor.

Theme changes and pointer size are different

Ubuntu’s built-in Settings can make the pointer larger, but that does not install a different design. For size, open Settings > Accessibility > Seeing > Cursor Size. To change the arrow, hand, loading indicator, and other pointer shapes, follow the theme steps below. The instructions here are for Ubuntu Desktop with GNOME; Kubuntu, Xubuntu, and other desktop flavors have their own appearance tools.

Download and prepare a cursor theme

1. Choose a theme. Download a cursor theme from its creator’s site or a Linux desktop theme directory such as GNOME-Look. Check the creator’s notes for GNOME or Xcursor compatibility and choose a package that includes a cursor theme, not only desktop icons. Theme files are community-made, so use a source you trust and do not run an installer script just to change a cursor.

2. Extract the archive. Open Files, go to Downloads, right-click the downloaded .zip, .tar.gz, or .tar.xz file, and choose Extract Here (or the equivalent extract option shown on your Ubuntu version). If the archive opens in Archive Manager, use its Extract control instead.

3. Find the actual theme folder. Open the extracted folder. For a standard cursor pack, the installable folder contains an index.theme file and a cursors directory at the same level. Some archives add an outer wrapper folder; open it and use the inner folder that contains those items. Do not copy only the cursors subfolder.

Install the theme for your account

Ubuntu follows the Freedesktop user-data layout: by default, user files go under ~/.local/share, with icon themes in its icons subdirectory. This keeps the theme available to your account without changing system files or using administrator permissions. See the XDG Base Directory specification and the Icon Theme specification.

Open Terminal with Ctrl+Alt+T and create the destination folder if it does not already exist:

mkdir -p ~/.local/share/icons

In Files, press Ctrl+H to show hidden folders, then open Home > .local > share > icons. Copy or drag the theme folder you identified into icons. The folder layout should look like ~/.local/share/icons/ThemeName/index.theme and ~/.local/share/icons/ThemeName/cursors/. Keep the folder name intact.

Install GNOME Tweaks and select the cursor

1. Install Tweaks. In Terminal, run sudo apt install gnome-tweaks and enter your Ubuntu password if prompted. Ubuntu lists gnome-tweaks in its package archive for current releases; see the Ubuntu package search. Confirm the install when APT asks.

2. Open Tweaks. Press the Super key, type Tweaks, and open the app. If you installed it but cannot find it, run sudo apt update and confirm the package is available for your Ubuntu release.

3. Choose the theme. In Tweaks, select Appearance in the sidebar. Open the Cursor dropdown and select the installed theme. The desktop normally applies the choice right away.

Check the result and fix a missing theme

Move the mouse over the desktop, a link, and a text field to see the different pointer shapes. If the theme does not appear in Tweaks, check these common causes:

• The folder is nested too deeply. Make sure index.theme and cursors are directly inside the theme folder under ~/.local/share/icons.
• The archive is still compressed. Tweaks needs the extracted folder, not the downloaded archive file.
• The theme uses a different name. The folder name or the name listed in index.theme may differ from the archive filename. Look for that name in the dropdown.
• The desktop has not refreshed the list. Close and reopen Tweaks. If the selected pointer still looks unchanged, sign out and back in, then check again.

To undo the change, select Ubuntu’s original cursor theme (usually Yaru) in the same dropdown. You can then remove the custom theme folder from ~/.local/share/icons if you no longer need it.

Change only the pointer size

If you like the current design and only want a larger pointer, skip the theme download and open Settings > Accessibility > Seeing > Cursor Size. Choose a size from the available options. GNOME’s mouse settings guide covers pointer behavior; the size control’s availability and wording can vary slightly by Ubuntu release.