After restarting my PC, my custom mouse cursor reset to the default pointer and I can't get it back. I've tried changing it through both Control Panel and the Settings app; the custom cursor appears selected, but the normal-selection pointer still displays the default one. Interestingly, the custom cursor appears when hovering over text fields. During startup, the custom cursor briefly loads before switching back. Could a mouse or pointer driver be overriding the cursor settings, and how can I fix it?
2 Answers
This sounds like a mouse or pointer driver conflict rather than a cursor-settings problem. Open the classic mouse settings with `control main.cpl`, then check which mouse and pointer drivers are installed. Windows may have added an outdated driver—sometimes an Alps driver—even if you don’t have hardware from that manufacturer. Remove drivers for devices or brands you don’t actually use, then restart and reapply the cursor scheme.
Since the cursor changes depending on what’s under the pointer, Windows may be loading different cursor schemes for different states. Recheck the individual pointer roles in the Cursor settings—especially Normal Select—and make sure the custom scheme is saved after applying it. If it keeps reverting immediately, uninstalling suspicious or duplicate mouse and touchpad drivers is the next thing I’d try.
I updated the mouse drivers and checked the mouse settings, but that didn’t fix it. I’ll look for any incorrect pointer drivers that Windows may have installed.