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Anyone noticing the cursor is harder to find on a busy screen after the last couple of Ventura updates?

PinkyMacGodess

PinkyMacGodess

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Original poster
Mar 7, 2007
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Midwest America.
I have a TV on a Mac Mini, and when using my riding app, the cursor sometimes gets lost in the mess on the screen, and lately, after the past couple of updates, the amount of movement to get the cursor to 'blow up' to find it seems to have gotten higher to the point it's taking longer to 'find' it.

Is there an adjustment in the System Settings that might make it more like before?

TIA...
 
Now that you mention it, I've noticed that I'm having to shake the mouse to locate the cursor more often than I used to. Granted, I have a 34" 5k main screen and a 27" 4k secondary screen, and I AM getting older, but I've had these screens for a long time and never recall having to shake to locate as often.

There is no adjustment that I'm aware of, other than making the cursor itself larger in the Accessibility settings, but that brings its own issues (for me, anyway).

The getting older part I've not been able to resolve. I suppose I'll have to live with it. 😆
 
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MacGizmo said:
There is no adjustment that I'm aware of, other than making the cursor itself larger in the Accessibility settings, but that brings its own issues (for me, anyway).

The getting older part I've not been able to resolve. I suppose I'll have to live with it. 😆
Click to expand...
No so much for finding the cursor, but I have used the Accessibility > Display settings to marginally increase the size and colour of the pointer (outline white; fill red) to find it on my screen / within apps. I long ago gave up on desktop image in favour of a plain black screen, which certainly helps, too.

Age (or at least, eyes burnt out by decades of lookng at a screen) may be an issue here (😏), but I'm gonna guess finding the cursor / pointer on increasingly larger screens is part of the problem - so much real estate which it can hide in - wiggled or not. I note that Windows now has a feature (might be in the optional PowerToys) that actually puts a halo around the pointer when a user wiggles to find it. Something like that might help here, too?
 
So it's not just me. I'm older too, but the idea that someone tweaked the cursor to make it harder to find makes me want to fill their pants with fire ants. (Joking...)

I was starting to think it was 'age', and not macOS, but it really seemed that it was the later. Hmm... I guess I could submit a comment requesting a product update which would be a regression actually. It's just weird that Apple would do that, but it's their contract programmers I'd bet, and no one say the change. Funny how small changes can make things so different, so challenging. Thanks...
 
There are a few screen cursor apps on the App Store that will allow you to customize all sorts of settings to make the cursor visible. May also be some from other developers outside the store but I haven't really looked that hard.
 
Yep. Cursor often disappears on my second screen. Have to bounce it around/ blindly drag it back to main screen, click to see it again.
 
orbital~debris said:
So what exactly is it being suggested that has changed?
I haven't noticed any differences myself…
Click to expand...

On my busy screen, I used to be able to skate it across the screen and see it 'blow up'. Now, it seems that I have to wag it around a bit, and if I don't see it at normal size moving, I have really no clue what part of the menu it might pop out on, and even then, sometimes it's not that high on the screen to even see it on the menu bar. It's a really busy screen that is, for a 'monitor' HUGE. Sometimes I can't see it at all unless I really wag it around way more than it seemed I had to not long ago.

I liked being able to zip it across the screen and catch it, where now it seems to take more motion. I was just curious if anyone else also thought that the mouse pointer location seems to have altered. Apparently it has. :confused:
 
But you’ve always had to waggle the mouse to make the pointer appear larger, since the feature was introduced (in macOS El Capitan). No change to that.
 
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orbital~debris said:
But you’ve always had to waggle the mouse to make the pointer appear larger, since the feature was introduced (in macOS El Capitan). No change to that.
Click to expand...

True, but it's taking more movement to make it happen, and it's annoying because sometimes it doesn't appear to get larger, it moves to an area I can see it. It's doesn't seem to be consistent. I used to be able to wag it side to side and it showed up. Now, as I said upstream, it seems to take much more movement and the large mouse disappears quicker. Annoying, but whatever, I try to live with it. I park the mouse over the menu bar when I can.

Oh, that's the other thing, it seems to not go large much, so I have to try to watch it off the sides or top, and I have hot corners enabled and often they are triggered by the wagging mouse. One puts the system to sleep.
 
PinkyMacGodess said:
True, but it's taking more movement to make it happen, and it's annoying because sometimes it doesn't appear to get larger, it moves to an area I can see it. It's doesn't seem to be consistent. I used to be able to wag it side to side and it showed up. Now, as I said upstream, it seems to take much more movement and the large mouse disappears quicker. Annoying, but whatever, I try to live with it. I park the mouse over the menu bar when I can.

Oh, that's the other thing, it seems to not go large much, so I have to try to watch it off the sides or top, and I have hot corners enabled and often they are triggered by the wagging mouse. One puts the system to sleep.
Click to expand...

What mouse are you using? If not Apple, has it had a software update recently that could have changed its sensitivity?

If an Apple mouse, have you checked in Settings to adjust the tracking sensitivity?
 
orbital~debris said:
What mouse are you using? If not Apple, has it had a software update recently that could have changed its sensitivity?

If an Apple mouse, have you checked in Settings to adjust the tracking sensitivity?
Click to expand...

On my Mini, it's the 'Magic' Trackpad, and on my IMP it's the 'Magic' Mouse. They appear to track fine, it's just locating the cursor that is off. I'll check that setting though, JIC...

On th3e IMP, when I have both screens filled with stuff, it's just annoying that the cursor plays hide and seek... (First world problems, I know)
 
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