Convert PNG to CUR
Make a custom Windows mouse pointer from a transparent PNG, with the click point you choose, on your own device.
- Nothing is uploaded
- Works offline after first visit
- Open source
- No watermark · limit is your device’s memory; phones hold less
Turn a PNG into a Windows .cur mouse pointer with the hotspot where you want it. It is free, needs no account and adds no watermark, and your files are not uploaded: everything runs in your browser on your device. The size limit is your device’s memory, and phones hold less; give the page a short while after one visit to save itself for offline use, and then it works offline.
Done
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Open the network tab. Your files never appear in it.
Add files and run the tool to see every request this tab makes.
Your files are processed on this device and never sent to a server. Reload the page to clear everything from memory.
A .cur file is a Windows mouse pointer. It looks like an icon file, with the same bundle of sizes, but it also records the hotspot: the one pixel of the picture that does the clicking. Renaming a .png to .cur does not work, because Windows looks for that header and the hotspot and refuses a file that has neither.
This page reads your PNG, scales it to 32, 48, 64 and 128 pixels (never larger than the original, and not 256, because very large pointers are rarely wanted) and writes each size as a PNG entry inside one .cur. The transparent parts stay transparent, so the pointer has no box around it. A rectangular PNG is centred on a clear square instead of being stretched.
Pick the hotspot before you convert. Top left is the arrow convention, where the tip of the arrow is the corner of the picture. Centre suits a crosshair or a target. For anything else, choose Exact pixels and type the position on the 32 pixel version; the larger sizes are scaled to match. The preview shows the picture at 32 pixels with the hotspot marked.
To use the file in Windows, open Settings, then Mouse, then Additional mouse options, and the Pointers tab. Pick a pointer in the list, press Browse, choose your .cur and press Open. Keep the file somewhere permanent, because Windows reads it from that path. Animated cursors (.ani) are not made here, and macOS does not use .cur files.
Need an icon rather than a pointer? PNG to ICO makes a multi-size .ico, ICO to PNG reads icons and cursors back into a PNG, and the favicon generator builds the icon set for a website.
How it works
- Drop your PNG files onto the page, or tap to pick them. A transparent PNG of 128 pixels or more gives the sharpest pointer.
- Choose the hotspot: top left for an arrow, centre for a crosshair, or exact pixels on the 32 pixel size. The preview marks where the click will land.
- Download each .cur file, or all of them as one zip.
In your browser, not on a server
Your browser decodes the picture, then Stayput draws it on a transparent square canvas once for every pointer size and saves each size as a PNG. A small encoder in the page writes the cursor header around them, with the hotspot you chose stored in each size’s directory entry (scaled from the 32 pixel position). The whole file is assembled in memory in your tab.
Compared with upload-based tools: Cursor converters that upload your image often hand back one blurry size with the click point left in the corner, and keep a copy of your artwork on their server. Here every size is drawn locally from your original, you set the hotspot yourself, and nothing leaves the device.
Verify it yourself. Give the page a short while after one visit to save itself for offline use, then turn off Wi-Fi or switch to airplane mode and run the tool again. Or open your browser's developer tools (F12, or Cmd-Option-I on a Mac), pick the Network tab, and watch it while you convert. The panel above does the same count for you.
Questions
What is the hotspot?
It is the pixel of the pointer that counts as the click. For an arrow it is the tip, in the top left corner of the picture. If it is in the wrong place, you will click slightly beside what the pointer seems to touch.
What size should the PNG be?
Square and transparent, at least 128 by 128 pixels. Smaller PNGs still convert, but the .cur only contains sizes up to the original (and always 32), so a small picture looks soft at the larger Windows pointer sizes.
Can I make an animated cursor?
No. This page writes still .cur files. Animated cursors are .ani files, which this site does not make.
Is a renamed .png the same as a real .cur?
No. Windows needs the cursor header and a hotspot for each size. A renamed PNG is refused or shows as a blank pointer.
Will it work on a Mac or in Linux?
macOS does not use .cur files for its pointer. Some Linux desktops and many web pages can read .cur, but the file is made for Windows.
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