How to Make the Cursor Bigger in Screen Recordings on Mac

To make the cursor bigger in a Mac screen recording, enlarge the pointer before you record. Open System Settings, go to Accessibility > Display, and drag Pointer size to the right. The Mac's own recorders (the Screenshot toolbar and QuickTime Player) then capture that larger pointer.

You may want to choose the size after recording, or use a different size for each video. In that case, record in Screen Bolt and use the Size slider in the editor's Cursor panel (1.0× to 7.0×).

The two approaches work differently. With the macOS setting, the cursor becomes part of the video's pixels, so you can't change it later. Screen Bolt records the cursor's movement separately and draws the cursor itself in the editor and the export. That means you can resize it as often as you like.

Make the cursor bigger before recording (macOS Pointer size)

This method is free, needs no extra app, and works with any recorder that captures the system pointer.

1. Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
2. Click Accessibility in the sidebar.
3. Click Display.
4. Under Pointer, drag the Pointer size slider to the right until the pointer is the size you want.

If the labels look different on your macOS version, type "Pointer size" into the search field in System Settings.

Then record as usual:

1. Press ⌘⇧5 (Command-Shift-5) to open the Screenshot toolbar.
2. Choose Record Entire Screen or Record Selected Portion.
3. Optional: open Options and turn on Show Mouse Clicks to add a circle around each click.
4. Click Record.

For the full built-in workflow, see how to screen record on Mac.

What this method can't do

• You can't change the size afterward. The pointer is part of the recorded image. A video editor can crop or zoom into the frame, but that enlarges everything around the cursor too. It can't enlarge the cursor alone.
• It affects your whole Mac. The pointer stays large while you work until you move the slider back.
• Shaky movement is recorded as it happened. Small hand jitters and overshoots show up in the video exactly as you made them, and a large pointer makes them easier to see.

The same Display pane has a setting called Shake mouse pointer to locate. It briefly enlarges the pointer when you wiggle the mouse. If you move the mouse quickly during demos and don't want that effect in your video, turn this setting off before you record.

Change the cursor size after recording in Screen Bolt

Screen Bolt hides the system cursor while it captures the screen. Instead, it records where the pointer was and when you clicked. The editor then redraws the cursor using Screen Bolt's own cursor images: arrow, pointing hand, I-beam, open and closed hand, and crosshair. Because the cursor is drawn rather than captured, you can resize it at any time.

1. Record a display, window or area in Screen Bolt. By default, the editor opens when you stop.

2. Open the Cursor panel from the sidebar, or press ⌘6.

3. Drag Size to change the cursor. The range is 1.0× to 7.0×, and the default is 3.0×.

4. Play the preview to check the size, then click Export. To reuse a size in later videos, save it as a preset:

5. Click Presets in the toolbar.

6. Choose Save Current as Preset....

A preset stores the cursor settings along with the background, zoom and other styling. Another option is to turn on Use last project settings as default for new recordings in Settings > Editing. For more, see keeping recordings on-brand with presets.

Picking a size

Judge the cursor at the size your viewers will actually watch it:

• Small embeds and phones (Slack previews, docs pages, vertical clips): go larger, so the pointer stays visible after the video is shrunk.
• Full-screen tutorials: start from the 3.0× default. Go smaller if the cursor starts covering the buttons or text you're pointing at.
• Videos with many zooms: zooming already enlarges the area around the cursor, so you may need a smaller cursor size. See how to zoom in on a screen recording.

For more on keeping on-screen detail legible, read how to make text readable in screen recordings.

Smooth the cursor and hide it when idle

These settings are in the same Cursor panel:

A bigger cursor makes shaky movement more obvious, so keep Smooth Movement on when you raise the size. Cursor smoothing explains what smoothing does to your recorded motion.

Auto-hide when Static helps when you stop moving the mouse and talk over a screen. While the cursor is still, it stays out of the way of the content.

Add click highlights

A larger cursor shows viewers where you are. A click effect shows them what you did. Screen Bolt gives you three options:

• Highlight on Click in the Cursor panel, in a color you choose.
• Cursor Press Effect, which is on by default.
• Click Sounds in the Sounds panel, with presets such as Soft Tap or Mechanical, if you want an audible cue.

The built-in alternative is Show Mouse Clicks in the ⌘⇧5 Options menu. It works, but you can't change or remove it after recording. For a side-by-side of the methods, see how to show mouse clicks in a Mac screen recording.

Compare the methods

Use the macOS setting if you record occasionally, one size is enough, and you're happy with QuickTime or the Screenshot toolbar.

Use Screen Bolt if you want to set the cursor size for each video, smooth the movement, or hide the cursor when idle without re-recording.

Limits to know in Screen Bolt

• The macOS pointer size doesn't carry over. Screen Bolt removes the system cursor from the capture and draws its own cursor images. A large system pointer or custom pointer colors won't appear in the recording. Use the Size slider instead.
• One size for the whole video. The Size slider applies to the entire recording.
• Turning off Show Cursor doesn't remove the cursor from the export. In version 1.11.5, the cursor disappears from the preview but is still drawn in the exported file.
• Imported videos have no adjustable cursor. A video recorded in another app and opened in Screen Bolt has no cursor data. Its cursor is part of the image, so the Cursor panel has nothing to change.
• Quick export skips the editor. If After recording is set to Export to file, the video renders immediately with default styling, so you get no chance to adjust the cursor first. To change that, set it back to Open editor in Settings > Recording.
• Free version export limits. Every Cursor panel setting is available in the free version. Free exports, though, are capped at 3 minutes and 720p and carry a watermark. The 3-minute check uses the full recording length, so trimming a longer take doesn't get it under the cap. The pricing table shows what Pro removes.

If it doesn't work

The pointer is big on screen but normal in the recording.

• If you recorded in Screen Bolt, this is expected, because it draws its own cursor. Change Size in the Cursor panel instead.
• If you recorded with QuickTime or the Screenshot toolbar, check that Pointer size in Accessibility > Display is set the way you want, then record again.

The Cursor panel changes nothing. You probably opened a video file rather than a Screen Bolt recording. Videos opened with Create project from video..., or a movie file opened with Open project..., have no cursor data. Record again in Screen Bolt to get an adjustable cursor.

The exported cursor ignores your settings. Check After recording in Settings > Recording. If it's set to Export to file, the video was rendered before you could edit it. Open the project from File > Open recent and export again from the editor.

The cursor jumps or looks jittery at a large size. Check that Smooth Movement is on in the Cursor panel.

The cursor covers what you're pointing at. Reduce Size, or turn on Auto-hide when Static so the cursor disappears while you pause.

Your cursor size didn't apply to a new recording. Save it as a preset with Presets > Save Current as Preset.... Or turn on Use last project settings as default for new recordings in Settings > Editing.

FAQ

Does a bigger macOS pointer show up in QuickTime recordings? Yes. QuickTime Player and the ⌘⇧5 Screenshot toolbar record the pointer at the size set in Accessibility > Display. You can't change that size after recording.

Can I make the cursor bigger in a video I've already recorded? Only if you recorded it in Screen Bolt, because Screen Bolt stores the cursor positions separately. For other recordings, your only option is to crop or zoom into part of the frame, which enlarges the cursor along with everything around it.

Is cursor resizing included in Screen Bolt's free version? Yes. All Cursor panel settings are in the free version. Free exports are limited to 3 minutes at 720p and include a watermark. You can download Screen Bolt free and try it on your next recording.