SoftCursor

[ToastyX]

SoftCursor is a simple program to switch between hardware and software mouse cursor rendering in Windows. Software rendering can work around mouse cursor corruption issues with certain graphics drivers. It can also make the mouse cursor match the current color profile or color settings, such as when using "Night light" in Windows 10.

Download: SoftCursor-1.0.zip - Source: SoftCursor-1.0-src.zip

Usage:

To enable software cursor rendering, simply click the "Software cursor" radio button. Changes take effect immediately. The program does not need to run in the background.

To restore hardware cursor rendering, simply click the "Hardware cursor" radio button.

Command-line options:

• /h - Use hardware cursor
• /s - Use software cursor
  

Known issues:

• Some games will not display a mouse cursor with software rendering in exclusive full screen mode. Use borderless windowed mode if possible.
  

[fr4nk1sh]

Nice little tweak.. but it causes for whatever reason my games to lag a lot.

[Flare]

Great This resolved the problem, my cursor-arrow in windows went grey when i turned HDR on.
I just saw this topic when i wanted to download the Ati-Patcher, gave it a try just for curiosity and it´s a lucky Shot.

I will try to spread this tool whenever i find a HDR user, or on other opportunitys.

Thank you!

[ZoRG172]

ToastyX
This utility helped to solve the flickering cursor bug in Elden Ring! Thank you!

[hsh]

(08-01-2019 10:30 PM)ToastyX Wrote:  SoftCursor is a simple program to switch between hardware and software mouse cursor rendering in Windows. Software rendering can work around mouse cursor corruption issues with certain graphics drivers. It can also make the mouse cursor match the current color profile or color settings, such as when using "Night light" in Windows 10.

Download: SoftCursor-1.0.zip - Source: SoftCursor-1.0-src.zip

Usage:

To enable software cursor rendering, simply click the "Software cursor" radio button. Changes take effect immediately. The program does not need to run in the background.

To restore hardware cursor rendering, simply click the "Hardware cursor" radio button.

Command-line options:

• /h - Use hardware cursor
• /s - Use software cursor
  

Known issues:

• Some games will not display a mouse cursor with software rendering in exclusive full screen mode. Use borderless windowed mode if possible.
  

[x7007]

How can we set the hardware cursor in registry to be always on? it seems like when we don't use the program in hardware mode and it's closed the cursor behave like in Software mode. is there a way we can check that? with the program or with another program which mode the cursor is when the software not running? I think something in windows messed up and it's using software as default.

Could you make a program to see what mode it is using now?
Could you say which registry we can use to add it so it will use Hardware mode without the program?

[ToastyX]

(01-08-2026 01:39 PM)x7007 Wrote:  How can we set the hardware cursor in registry to be always on? it seems like when we don't use the program in hardware mode and it's closed the cursor behave like in Software mode. is there a way we can check that? with the program or with another program which mode the cursor is when the software not running? I think something in windows messed up and it's using software as default.

Could you make a program to see what mode it is using now?
Could you say which registry we can use to add it so it will use Hardware mode without the program?

The program doesn't need to be running. It doesn't do anything in the background. It just changes a setting. The program already shows what mode it's using when you run it. Easy way to check is to draw a selection rectangle on the desktop. If it's hardware, the selection rectangle lags behind the cursor. If it's software, the cursor is synchronized with the selection rectangle.