Pointer trail is an accessibility feature on Windows devices that allow better tracking of mouse pointer by adding a trail behind its path. The feature could be beneficial to visually impaired people.

That being said, many users also choose to enable it for its aesthetics and there’s no harm. You can quickly enable or disable the feature from the Settings app or the Control Panel, and choose whichever mouse pointer fits you the best.

Enable or Disable the Pointer Trails from the Settings App

In the earlier version of Windows, you had to jump through the metaphorical hoops of the Control Panel to configure your mouse settings. However, that’s not the case anymore making the process much less cumbersome.

First, head to the Start Menu and click on the ‘Settings’ icon to proceed. Alternatively, you can also press the Windows+I keys to do so.

Then, from the right section of the Settings window, click on the ‘Bluetooth & devices’ tab to continue.

Next, tap on the ‘Mouse’ tab from the right section to proceed.

Now, click on the ‘Additional Mouse settings’ tab under the ‘Related Settings’ section. This will bring a separate window to your screen.

If you wish to enable the mouse pointer trails, from the separately opened window, select the ‘Pointer Options’ tab. Then, click on the checkbox preceding the ‘Display pointer trails’ option. You can also adjust the length of trails by adjusting the slider right beneath the option. Slide to your left to make the trail shorter or to the right to make it longer.

In case you wish to disable the mouse pointer trails, click on the checkbox preceding the ‘Display pointer trails’ to uncheck it.

Finally, click on the ‘Apply’ button to confirm and ‘OK’ to close the window.

Enable or Disable Mouse Pointer from the Control Panel

If for some reason you are not able to access the additional mouse settings from the Settings app, you can also take the Control Panel route.

Head to the Start Menu and type Control to perform a search. Then, from the search results, click on the ‘Control Panel’ tile to proceed.

Now, locate the ‘Mouse’ option from the grid and click on it to continue. This will bring a separate window to your screen.

After that, head to the ‘Pointer Options’ tab and perform the steps as showcased in the above section, since it is the same window.

Using the method above, you can easily enable or disable the mouse pointer trails. So, whether you have a small monitor, vision impairment, or you’re doing it purely for the aesthetics, you now have a mouse pointer that leaves behind trails that makes it easy to keep track.