How to Make My Cursor a Cross

Changing the cursor on your computer from a standard pointer to a cross is more than a way to add variety to your computing life: The cross pointer is actually more accurate than the standard pointer. It's easy to change your cursor on a computer that's running the Windows XP operating system.

Things You'll Need

• Computer running Windows XP

Instructions

1. Click on the "Start" menu at the bottom left of your computer screen and click on the "Control Panel" icon.

2. If you have the classic view, double-click on the "Mouse" icon.
   If you have the category view, click on "Appearance and Themes" and select "Mouse Pointers" under the "See Also" section.

3. Click on the "Pointers" tab on the top row of the resulting menu.

4. Double-click on the "Normal Select" pointer icon under the "Customize" section.

5. Click on one of the nine cross pointers from the resulting menu and click on the "OK" button at the bottom right of the screen. The nine cross pointers look like plus signs, and their names all begin with "cross..."

6. Click on the "Apply" button and then click on "OK" to finalize the process.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also customize pointers besides the "Normal Select" (e.g., the "Busy" pointer) to your liking by following the same procedure outlined in this article.