Cursora
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Cursora documentation

Everything you need to set up Cursora – from the first cursor to troubleshooting.

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Installation

Cursora needs WordPress 6.0 or later and PHP 7.4 or later.

Cursora is available only from the WordPress.org plugin directory: you install it right in your WordPress admin and get updates the same way.

Cursora is currently in review at WordPress.org and appears in the plugin directory once it is approved.

  • In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins → Add New Plugin and search for “Cursora”.
  • Click “Install Now”, then “Activate”.
  • Open Cursora in the admin menu, choose your cursor image and save.
  • Optional: choose a hover image, adjust size and click point, or switch to effect mode.

Native or effect mode

Native mode turns your image into a real browser cursor. It needs no JavaScript and never lags behind the mouse. Cursora converts PNG, JPG, GIF or WebP into a correctly sized PNG cursor, so browsers never ignore an image that is too large. Animated GIFs become still images.

Effect mode draws your image in a small layer that follows the mouse, with optional smooth trailing and a short click animation. It supports sizes up to 256 px and animated GIF, WebP and SVG.

  • Small logo or icon that should feel like a normal pointer: native mode, 32 px.
  • Large, detailed or animated image: effect mode.

Cursor image and hover image

The cursor image is shown everywhere on your website. The hover image appears over links and buttons. Without a hover image, visitors see the normal hand pointer over clickable elements, so they stay recognizable.

Both images should share the same click point, for example the tip of an arrow. Text fields always keep the normal text cursor.

Size and click point

In native mode, browsers accept cursors up to 128 × 128 px, and Chromium-based browsers replace cursors larger than 32 px with the standard arrow near the edge of the window – 32 px is the safe choice. Effect mode allows up to 256 px.

The click point is the spot that actually clicks, set in percent of the image with a live preview: 0 % / 0 % is the top-left corner, 50 % / 50 % the center. In native mode, Cursora adds a sharp Retina version only when the click point is in the top-left corner, because browsers handle the click point of Retina cursors inconsistently.

Smooth trailing and click animation

In effect mode, the image can follow the mouse directly (Off) or with a soft delay (Light or Strong). A short scale animation shows each click.

Visitors who ask their system for reduced motion get neither trailing nor click animation.

Turn the cursor off on single pages

Open the page, post or product in the editor and tick “Disable custom cursor on this page” in the sidebar (block editor and classic editor). Save, and that page shows the normal pointer.

Themes and page builders

Cursora works with any theme and page builder. Inside the editors of Divi, Elementor, Beaver Builder, Bricks and Oxygen Classic it switches itself off, so editing feels normal – check your cursor in the page preview or on the live page.

Cursora respects cursors that a theme sets on purpose, such as the grab hand on sliders. Clickable widgets of Divi, Elementor, Swiper, Kadence, Slick and WooCommerce galleries get your hover image or the hand pointer.

Accessibility

Cursora is built so that nobody loses their pointer:

  • Form fields keep the text cursor.
  • Links show the hand pointer unless you choose a hover image.
  • Reduced motion switches off trailing and the click animation.
  • If the script or the image fails to load, the normal pointer stays.
  • In forced-colors mode (such as the Windows contrast themes), Cursora switches itself off, so visitors keep their own, often enlarged system pointer.
  • Phones and tablets are left alone.

Troubleshooting

If the cursor does not appear, check these points in order:

  • Clear your page cache and any optimization cache.
  • Make sure Cursora is switched on, an image is chosen and no error is shown under the image.
  • Check that “Disable custom cursor on this page” is not ticked for this page.
  • Test with a mouse on a computer: Cursora stays off on touch devices, inside page-builder editors and in forced-colors mode.
  • An area with the normal arrow may be styled by your theme on purpose (for example cursor: default) – Cursora respects that.

Deactivating and deleting

Deactivating keeps your settings. Deleting the plugin removes its settings, the cursor images it generated in uploads/cursora and the per-page switch setting. Images in your media library are not touched.

Frequently asked questions

How do I change the mouse cursor on my WordPress site?

Install Cursora, open Cursora in the admin menu, pick an image from your media library and save. The new cursor appears on your website immediately (clear your page cache if you use one).

Which mode should I choose?

Native mode for small icons that should feel exactly like a normal mouse pointer (recommended size: 32 px). Effect mode for larger or animated images and smooth trailing.

Which image formats can I use?

In native mode: PNG, JPG, GIF or WebP (WebP if your server supports it). Cursora converts the image into a PNG cursor, so animated GIFs become still images; SVG is not supported. In effect mode: any image your visitors’ browsers can display, including animated GIF, WebP and SVG (WordPress only accepts SVG uploads with an extra plugin).

Why is my native cursor limited to 128 px?

Browsers ignore image cursors larger than 128 × 128 px. Chrome, Edge and other Chromium-based browsers also replace native cursors larger than 32 px with the standard arrow near the edge of the window. Use effect mode for bigger images.

Why does my native cursor look blurry on high-resolution screens?

Cursora adds a sharp Retina (2x) version when the cursor is 64 px or smaller, the source image is at least twice that size and the click point is in the top-left corner. Browsers handle the click point of Retina cursors inconsistently, so for any other click point Cursora prefers an exact click point over extra sharpness.

Does Cursora work with Divi and Elementor?

Yes. The cursor works with any theme and page builder. Cursora switches itself off inside the Divi, Elementor, Beaver Builder, Bricks and Oxygen Classic editors. Divi toggles, tabs, slider arrows and the mobile menu button count as clickable, and so do Elementor video overlays, Swiper carousel arrows and dots, Kadence tabs, Slick slider dots and WooCommerce gallery thumbnails, so they get your hover image or the hand pointer.

Why do I see the normal arrow or another cursor in some areas?

Cursora respects cursors that your theme or a plugin sets on purpose, for example the grab hand on sliders and maps. If a theme sets cursor: default on a whole area, that area keeps the default arrow. Links and buttons – including linked gallery images and the text and icons inside them – show your hover image or the hand pointer. Disabled buttons and form fields inside them keep their own cursor, for example the “not allowed” sign.

The cursor does not show up. What can I check?

Clear your page and optimization cache first. Then check that Cursora is switched on, an image is chosen and no error is shown under the image, and that the per-page switch in the editor sidebar is not set for this page. Cursora also stays off on touch devices, inside page-builder editors and in forced-colors mode.

Will Cursora slow down my website?

No. Native mode adds a few lines of CSS and no JavaScript. Effect mode adds one small stylesheet and one small, deferred script without dependencies such as jQuery. Nothing is loaded from other servers.

Will visitors on phones see the cursor?

No. Touch devices have no mouse pointer, so Cursora does nothing there.

Is Cursora accessible?

Cursora keeps the normal text cursor in form fields, shows the hand pointer over links unless you choose a hover image, turns off animation for visitors who prefer reduced motion and never hides the pointer if the script or image fails to load. When the visitor uses a forced-colors mode (for example the Windows contrast themes), Cursora switches itself off in native and effect mode, so visitors keep their own system pointer, which is often enlarged or high-contrast.

Does Cursora collect data or load external files?

No. Everything is served from your own website.

What happens when I delete Cursora?

Deactivating Cursora keeps your settings. Deleting the plugin (not just deactivating it) removes its settings, the cursor images it generated in uploads/cursora and the per-page switch setting of your pages. The images in your media library are not touched. On a multisite network, deleting the plugin removes only the data of the main site; other sites of the network keep theirs.