Windows 10 PowerToys: How to activate and use the Mouse utilities app

Despite the continuing roll out of the Windows 11 update, users of Windows 10 still need their tweaks, hacks and utility updates. One of the more powerful and useful sets of utilities and tools is the free Windows 10 PowerToys application. With the release of version 49.1, the developers have added a new utility to the toolkit.

Mouse utilities will eventually add a complete set of new mouse-related utilities designed to enhance the mouse and cursor functionality on Windows systems. However, as of this initial release, Mouse utilities contains a single simple, yet useful, feature.

SEE: Windows 10 PowerToys: A cheat sheet (TechRepublic)

How to activate the Mouse utilities app in Windows 10 PowerToys

Before you can activate the Mouse utilities app of Windows 10 PowerToys, you must first download the current version of the toolkit. Once it is installed, click or tap the PowerToys icon in the system tray of the taskbar to open PowerToys, as shown in Figure A.

Figure A

Using the left-hand navigation bar, find the Mouse utilities item and click it. As you can see in Figure B, the interface for this app is simple and straightforward.

Figure B

Use the toggle switch to enable the Find My Mouse feature. If you play computer games, it is recommended that you check the box to disable the feature when in game mode.

SEE: Windows 10 Start menu hacks (TechRepublic Premium)

Once Find My Mouse is activated, two consecutive presses of the left CTRL key will locate your mouse cursor and highlight its current position with a halo, as shown in Figure C.

Figure C

The halo around the mouse cursor will remain until you press the Esc key to dismiss it.

This simple-to-use feature could be helpful during presentations where you want to draw and focus the attention of your audience to a specific part of the screen.

Mouse utilities was developed and contributed to the Windows 10 PowerToys project by Raymond Chen.

Microsoft Weekly Newsletter

Be your company’s Microsoft insider by reading these Windows and Office tips, tricks, and cheat sheets.
Delivered Mondays and Wednesdays

Sign up today

Also see