Limelight
What is Cursor Highlight?
A cursor highlight is a visual emphasis placed around your mouse pointer so viewers can easily see where it is and where it moves.
A cursor highlight is any on-screen effect that makes the mouse pointer more visible. It usually appears as a glow, ring, circle, or colored halo centered on the pointer, and it travels with the cursor as you move it. The goal is simple: on a large or busy screen, a plain arrow can be hard to spot, so a highlight directs the viewer eye to exactly where you are pointing.
Cursor highlighting is distinct from related effects. Click highlighting flashes only when you press a mouse button, a mouse trail leaves a fading streak behind the moving pointer, and a pointer magnifier enlarges the area under the cursor. A cursor highlight, by contrast, is a steady marker that follows the pointer continuously whether or not you click. Many presenters combine it with on-screen keystroke displays so the audience can see both the pointer and the keys being pressed.
Cursor highlights matter most in screen presenting, recorded tutorials, lectures, and live demos, where the audience cannot see your physical hand and relies entirely on the screen. Limelight provides this through its cursor spotlight, a soft glowing highlight that follows your pointer and turns on with a global hotkey. It runs as a macOS menu-bar overlay on top of any app, so you can add a highlight to a Zoom call, a QuickTime recording, or an OBS capture without changing your setup.
Why Limelight
- ▸A cursor highlight is a glow, ring, or halo that follows the mouse pointer to keep it visible.
- ▸It differs from click effects, mouse trails, and magnifiers, which trigger on clicks, leave streaks, or zoom in.
- ▸It is most useful for demos, tutorials, lectures, and video calls where viewers watch your screen.
- ▸Limelight delivers a cursor highlight as a soft spotlight overlay that works on top of any macOS app.
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FAQ
- Is a cursor highlight the same as a click effect?
- No. A cursor highlight follows the pointer continuously, while a click effect appears only when you press a mouse button.
- Does a cursor highlight get recorded into my video?
- It depends on the tool. Limelight is a live overlay, so the highlight appears on screen and is captured by whatever recorder you run, but Limelight itself records nothing.
- Can I use a cursor highlight on macOS?
- Yes. Limelight runs on macOS 14 and later from the menu bar and adds a cursor spotlight over any app with a global hotkey.