how to change appearance of too-bright mouse pointer in Excel?

Question

how to change appearance of too-bright mouse pointer in Excel?

ThomB 5

To reduce visual strain, I need to make the appearance of the indicator in Excel less bright. I've made the worksheet less bright, which helps overall, and I've changed the color of the mouse pointer in settings, but the cross-hatch indicator in Excel is still glaringly bright. I prefer not to flip to dark mode because too much text does not flip properly.

MSFT365 in Windows 11

Thanks in advance for suggestions.

Kai-L 7,335 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-13T16:06:00.22+00:00

Dear @ThomB,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum.

Correct me if I'm wrong, I understand that you're looking to change the mouse pointer in Excel (the white plus sign, technically called the selection indicator). I understand that this can be a source of significant visual strain, especially when working on a darker spreadsheet background.

The issue is that this specific Excel selection indicator is not directly controlled by Windows accessibility settings or the general Excel theme settings. It is a graphic element hardcoded to use maximum brightness for visibility against any cell color.

Unfortunately, Microsoft Excel does not provide a built-in setting to directly change the color, transparency, or brightness of the spreadsheet's primary cross-hatch cursor.

I can't stress enough the importance of your feedback in this scenario. I strongly recommend that you share your detailed experience and feedback directly with the Microsoft product team through their official feedback channels. This is the most effective way to make your voice heard and influence future feature improvements and adjustments.

You can visit the Excel · Community to submit a new idea or vote on existing one here: Change colour of the white-cross mouse-pointer · Community. Our product team is in charge of the site, and they constantly check customer reviews and feedback. The higher votes, the more attention the related team will pay, and a lot of the features are developed and improved based on customer feedback. As a moderator, I will also pass along your feedback to the appropriate team for further consideration. While we don't directly influence product design, user feedback is actively reviewed and helps prioritize future development.

I really understand how convenient this feature would be for your workflow. I want you to know that I wish I had a way to change it for you directly but as a moderator of Q&A forum, my ability to assist is with the existing product functionality and the power to influence its design rests entirely with our product development team. We appreciate your kindness and understanding as we deal with these evolutionary product changes. Please get in touch if you need anything else.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

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Answer 1

To change the appearance of the mouse pointer in Excel, particularly if it appears too bright, you can adjust the mouse pointer settings in Windows. Here are some steps you can take:

Change Mouse Pointer Color: You mentioned that you've already changed the color of the mouse pointer. Ensure that you select a color that is less bright and more comfortable for your eyes. You can do this by going to Settings > Devices > Mouse > Additional mouse options > Pointers tab.
Adjust Pointer Size: In the same settings area, you can also adjust the size of the mouse pointer. A smaller pointer may be less visually straining.
Use Mouse Pointer Crosshairs: If you haven't already, consider enabling the mouse pointer crosshairs feature in Microsoft PowerToys. This feature draws crosshairs centered on the mouse pointer, which can enhance visibility without making the pointer itself too bright. You can customize the color and opacity of the crosshairs to better suit your needs.
Reduce Screen Brightness: Since you've already adjusted the worksheet brightness, you might also want to adjust your overall screen brightness settings to see if that helps with the glare.
Consider Accessibility Features: Windows has various accessibility features that can help reduce visual strain. You can explore these in Settings > Ease of Access > Mouse pointer and Text cursor settings.

Unfortunately, if the specific Excel cross-hatch indicator is still too bright and there are no direct settings in Excel to adjust its brightness, you may need to provide feedback to Microsoft for future updates.

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how to change appearance of too-bright mouse pointer in Excel?

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