Pointers in macOS
macOS has several styles of pointers that move on the screen when you use your mouse or trackpad.
Pointer | Name | Purpose | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Arrow | This is the pointer shown most often. It’s used to point to and select items, move scroll bars, resize windows, and more. If you lose track of the pointer on the screen, quickly move your finger on the trackpad or quickly move the mouse—the pointer briefly gets bigger so it’s more visible. You can turn off this feature, if you want, or change the size and color of the pointer. Choose Apple menu | |||||||||
 | Poof | Indicates that the item you’re dragging disappears when you release the button. If the item is an alias, its original is not deleted. | |||||||||
 | Copy | Appears when you Option-click a file or folder, and indicates that dragging the item creates a copy of it at a new location instead of moving it. | |||||||||
 | Alias | Appears when you Option-Command-click an item, and indicates that dragging the item creates an alias for the item. | |||||||||
 | I-beam | Appears when you select and insert text. | |||||||||
 | Crosshair | Appears when you select a rectangular area in an image. | |||||||||
 | Pointing hand | Appears when the mouse pointer is over a link to a webpage, document, or other item. | |||||||||
 | Open hand | Appears when the mouse pointer is over an item that you can move and adjust within specific bounds—for example, text within a spreadsheet cell or a table row in a document. | |||||||||
 | Closed hand | Appears when you’re moving and adjusting an item within specific bounds—for example, text within a spreadsheet cell or a table row in a document. | |||||||||
 | Move left | Indicates that a sidebar, toolbar, window, or other location can be moved and resized to the left. | |||||||||
 | Move right | Indicates that a sidebar, toolbar, window, or other location can be moved and resized to the right. | |||||||||
 | Move left or right | Indicates that a sidebar, toolbar, window, or other location can be moved and resized to the left or right. | |||||||||
 | Move up | Indicates that a sidebar, toolbar, window, or other location can be moved and resized up. | |||||||||
 | Move down | Indicates that a sidebar, toolbar, window, or other location can be moved and resized down. | |||||||||
 | Move up or down | Indicates that a sidebar, toolbar, window, or other location can be moved and resized up and down. | |||||||||
 | Screenshot selection crosshair | Indicates that you can drag to select what you want to include in the screenshot. | |||||||||
 | Window and menu screenshot camera | Indicates that the screenshot you take is of an entire window or of commands on a menu. | |||||||||
 | Not allowed | Indicates that the item you’re dragging can’t be placed in the current location. | |||||||||
 | Items are loading | Appears when items are loading. You can still move the pointer elsewhere. | |||||||||
| Wait cursor | Appears when a delay of more than a few seconds occurs. | |||||||||
in the sidebar, click Display, then change the settings below Pointer. (You may need to scroll down.)