Limelight
What is a Mouse Spotlight?
A mouse spotlight is a focused circle of light around your pointer that dims or de-emphasizes the surrounding screen so attention lands on the cursor.
A mouse spotlight is a presentation effect that surrounds the pointer with a bright, focused area, much like a theater spotlight following an actor. In its strongest form it darkens the rest of the screen and keeps a lit circle around the cursor; in a softer form it simply adds a glow without dimming anything. Either way, the spotlight moves with the mouse so the viewer attention is pulled to where you are working.
A mouse spotlight is related to but different from a plain cursor highlight, a click animation, and a magnifier. A highlight marks the pointer without changing the surrounding screen, a click animation fires only on button presses, and a magnifier enlarges pixels under the cursor. The spotlight is specifically about contrast and focus, isolating the pointer area so nothing else competes for attention.
Mouse spotlights are popular in software demos, online lectures, and webinars where the presenter needs the audience looking at one spot. Limelight offers a cursor spotlight, a soft glowing highlight that follows your pointer, toggled with the global hotkey ⌃⌥1. It works as a menu-bar overlay over any macOS app, so you can spotlight your mouse during a Google Meet call or a Screen Studio recording without any extra software.
Why Limelight
- ▸A mouse spotlight focuses attention by lighting or glowing around the pointer as it moves.
- ▸Some spotlights dim the rest of the screen; others simply add a soft glow.
- ▸It differs from magnifiers and click animations, which zoom in or react only to clicks.
- ▸Limelight provides a cursor spotlight via hotkey ⌃⌥1 as an overlay on top of any app.
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FAQ
- Does a mouse spotlight darken my whole screen?
- Some implementations do, but Limelight uses a soft glowing spotlight that follows the cursor without blacking out the rest of the screen.
- What is the difference between a mouse spotlight and a magnifier?
- A spotlight emphasizes the pointer with light or glow, while a magnifier enlarges the content under the pointer. Limelight spotlights but does not magnify.