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MaCursor

Custom cursor themes for macOS.

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MaCursor lets you replace every macOS system cursor — arrow, I-beam, crosshair, wait spinner, and more — with custom artwork of your own. Browse 34+ built-in themes, import Windows .cur / .ani cursor files, design your own from scratch in the visual editor, and switch between themes instantly with global hotkeys.

Requires macOS 15 Sequoia or later.

MaCursor Screenshot

Features

  • 34+ Built-in Themes — Ships with a curated themes, ready to apply
  • One-Click Apply — Double-click any theme to instantly replace all system cursors
  • Full Theme Editor — Create and edit themes with a split-pane editor: metadata, cursor list, per-cursor image slots, hotspot editing, and animated cursor preview
  • Windows Cursor Import — Drag & drop .cur and .ani files to import Windows cursors, including animated cursors with sprite sheet composition
  • HiDPI / Retina Support — Separate 1× and 2× image representations per cursor for crisp rendering on Retina displays
  • Cursor Scale — Adjust cursor size from 1.0× to 4.0× with a live slider
  • Global Hotkeys — Assign keyboard shortcuts to favorite themes for instant switching from anywhere
  • Background Helper Tool — Lightweight login item (macursorhelper) that keeps shortcuts active and reapplies your theme across user switches
  • Auto-Updates — Built-in Sparkle integration for seamless over-the-air updates
  • Light / Dark / System Appearance — Full appearance mode control
  • 10 Languages — English, Deutsch, Español, Français, Nederlands, Русский, Türkçe, 日本語, 简体中文, العربية
  • macOS Tahoe Ready — Includes cursor identifiers for macOS 26 Tahoe's new "S" variant cursors

Quick Start

Get up and running in under a minute:

1. Install MaCursor

Download the latest .dmg from the Releases page, open it, and drag MaCursor to your Applications folder.

2. Get Themes

Browse and download .cursor theme files from the Theme Gallery.

Tip

On the GitHub page, click any .cursor file then click the ⬇ Download button to save it.

3. Import & Apply

Double-click any .cursor file, drag & drop it onto the MaCursor library window, or use File → Import Theme. Then select the theme and click Apply.

4. Make It Permanent (Recommended)

Without the helper tool, cursors reset after a restart or user switch. To keep your theme active permanently:

  1. Open MaCursor → Settings → General.
  2. Click Install next to Helper Tool.
  3. That's it — the helper runs silently at login and reapplies your theme automatically.

Important

The helper tool is a lightweight login item. It uses minimal resources and keeps your chosen cursor theme across restarts, sleep/wake cycles, and user switches.

Install

Download the latest .dmg from the Releases page. The app ships as a universal binary (Apple Silicon + Intel). Every release is code-signed, notarized, and stapled by Apple.

Usage

Applying a Theme

Select a theme from the sidebar and click Apply, or simply double-click it. The theme persists across app relaunches.

Restoring System Cursors

Click the Restore button (↺) in the toolbar to reset all cursors to macOS defaults.

Importing Themes

Import .cursor theme files by double-clicking, dragging onto the library window, or via File → Import Theme.

Editing a Theme

Right-click a theme → Edit, or select it and click Edit in the toolbar. The editor opens in a dedicated window with:

Pane Description
Metadata Theme name, author, version, HiDPI toggle
Cursor List All cursors in the theme, sorted alphabetically
Cursor Detail Image drop zones for 1×, 2×, 5×, and 10× representations, hotspot coordinates, frame count, and animation duration

Drop .png, .cur, or .ani files directly onto the representation slots in the editor to add or replace cursor images.

Importing Windows Cursors (.cur / .ani)

You can add Windows cursor files directly into any theme via the editor:

  1. Right-click a theme → Edit (or select it and click Edit in the toolbar).
  2. Drag .cur or .ani files from Finder onto the Cursor List pane (left side of the editor).
  3. Each dropped file is imported as a new cursor entry with its images and animation data preserved.
  4. Assign the imported cursor to the desired cursor type (e.g., Arrow, I-Beam, Wait) from the cursor detail pane.
  5. Click Save.

Tip

You can drag multiple .cur and .ani files at once. Animated .ani files are imported with their full sprite sheet and animation timing intact.

Global Shortcuts

  1. Open Settings → General → Helper Tool and install the helper.
  2. Switch to the Shortcut tab.
  3. Add slots, assign a theme and a key combination to each.
  4. Press your shortcut from any app to switch cursors instantly.

Important

Global shortcuts require the Helper Tool to be installed and running. The helper is a lightweight login item that registers system-wide hotkeys and reapplies your cursor theme on user switches.

Development

Build from Source

  1. Clone the repository:
    git clone https://github.com/writronic/MaCursor.git
    cd MaCursor/Project
  2. Open MaCursor.xcodeproj in Xcode 16+.
  3. Build and run the MaCursor scheme.

Note

MaCursor uses Sparkle via Swift Package Manager. Xcode resolves the dependency automatically on first open.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read CONTRIBUTING.md before getting started.

Bug Reports & Feature Requests

Search existing issues before opening a new one. Use the Bug Report or Feature Request template to ensure your report includes all necessary details.

Localization

MaCursor supports 10 languages. Translation files are located in MaCursor/Resources/l10n/ — each language has its own .lproj/Localizable.strings file. Pull requests for new or improved translations are welcome.

Cursor Themes

Created a theme you'd like to share? Submit it to the built-in gallery — see the contributing guide for instructions.

Code

Fork the repository, create a feature branch, and open a pull request. Please follow the pull request template and keep changes focused.

Credits

MaCursor is based on Mousecape, re-engineered with a modernized architecture and native SwiftUI experience.

License

MaCursor is available under the GPL-3.0 license.


Made with ❤️ by Writronic

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