What to know
- Microsoft’s PowerToys has been updated with new tools, and among these is Mouse Utilities, a new set of features that aim to improve how you use your mouse on your PC. Among these utilities is Find My Mouse, which is used to highlight your mouse pointer and put it in the spotlight no matter where it is on your screen.
- To use Find My Mouse, install and launch PowerToys > Mouse Utilities > Enable Find My Mouse. Once enabled, you can then customize Find My Mouse, including the activation method as well as the excluded apps.
Microsoft has been constantly updating PowerToys to add new tools and improve existing ones. PowerToys now have added Mouse Utilities and other tools for your mouse to help you make the most of your PC. Among these new utilities is the addition of Find My Mouse, a new tool that can highlight your mouse pointer, making it easier to find on your screen.
This feature can be useful on larger displays where it might be difficult to find your mouse pointer. In addition to this, Find My Mouse puts your mouse pointer in the spotlight, which can also be helpful when sharing your screen during presentations and more. Let’s take a look at how you can use Find My Mouse on your PC.
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How to highlight mouse location on Windows 11 using PowerToys
We first need to download and install PowerToys on your PC. We can then enable Find My Mouse and customize it to your liking. Follow the steps below to help you along with the process.
Step 1: Install PowerToys and enable Find My Mouse
Here’s how you can install PowerToys on your PC. Follow the steps below to help you along with the process.
Open this link and download the relevant PowerToys version for your PC.
Next, double-click and launch the setup once downloaded.
Check the box for I agree to the license terms and agreement at the bottom.
Now, click Options to choose where Powertoys is installed on your PC.
Select Browse to choose where PowerToys is installed.
Click OK after you’ve selected the location.
Click OK again.
Finally, click Install.
Click Close once PowerToys is installed.
Now launch the Start menu and search for PowerToys. Click and launch the app once it shows up in your search results.
Now click Mouse Utilities in the left sidebar.
Next, enable the toggle for Enable Find My Mouse at the top if you wish to use this tool.
And that’s it! Find My Mouse will now be enabled on your PC. You can now use the next step to customize and use Find My Mouse on your PC.
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Step 2: Customize and use Find My Mouse
We can now customize and use Find My Mouse on your PC. Let’s get started.
Launch the Start menu and search for PowerToys. Click and launch the app once it shows up in your search results.
Now click Mouse Utilities in the left sidebar.
Click the drop-down menu for Activation method to choose the preferred way to activate Find My Mouse.
Choose one of the following options depending on your preferences.
- PressLeft Control twice
- Shake mouse
Next, check the box for Do not activate when Game Mode is on. This will prevent Find My Mouse from activating while you’re playing games.
Next, click Appearance & behavior to choose how Find My Mouse appears on your PC.
Use the first slider for Overlay opacity (%) to adjust the opacity or transparency of the overlay.
Next, click the drop-down menu for Background color.
Now choose your preferred background color. You can use the spectrum at the top to dial in your preferred color.
You can also type in a HEX code for a preferred color if you like.
Next, you can click the drop-down menu for RGB and choose either RGB or HSV and enter the values for the same to dial in your preferred color.
Similarly, click the drop-down menu for Spotlight color and choose your preferred Spotlight color. You can use either of the options discussed above to dial in your preferred color.
Next, choose your Spotlight radius (px) by entering the preferred value in the text box beside it.
Now use the next slider to choose Spotlight initial zoom. This dictates the animation zoom factor at the start of the animation.
Lastly, choose how long the animation should last by entering the preferred value beside Animation duration (ms).
Next click Excluded apps. This will allow you to specify apps where you don’t wish to use Find My Mouse.
Now type in the name of the .exe file for the desired app you wish to exclude from Find My Mouse.
If you don’t know the .exe file name for the specific app, then search for the app in the Start menu and click Open file location.
You will now be taken to the .exe file. You can now note down its name and enter it in Powertoys to exclude the app.
We will now have customized Find My Mouse according to your needs. Use the activation method you set in the steps above to activate the same. Here’s what it should look like on your PC. Once activated, you can use the activation method again to turn it off.
And that’s it! You can now use Find My Mouse to highlight your mouse no matter where it is on your screen.
We are confident that this post will assist you in effortlessly highlighting your mouse on your PC. If you encounter any difficulties or have further inquiries, we encourage you to contact us through the comments section below. Our team is eager to assist you in any way possible.
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