Driver Guide

How to Fix Black Box on Mouse Cursor

Are you experiencing a bizarre issue on your PC where your cursor has a black box around it? The error arises when the mouse cursor is corrupt, or the Windows Display Driver Model WDDM is compromised. 

Either way, using your PC with a giant black box around your cursor can get annoying. Not only it ruins the experience, but it also causes inconvenience to a user. If you have encountered a similar situation, do not worry, as we might have a fix!

In this post, we will show you how to remove the black box on the mouse cursor.

Working Methods to Remove Black Box Around Mouse Cursor on Windows

The issue is not something that you come across regularly. A huge black box appears when the mouse cursor is in an uninvited situation for the user. There are two prime reasons why you may be facing the problem.

One of the reasons, as mentioned earlier, is the outdated graphics driver of the PC. However, there is a massive chance that it has appeared due to a certain shift in cursor settings. 

Check out a few ways below that can assist you in restoring your generic mouse cursor and help you get rid of the black box around it. 

Method 1 – Change the Mouse Pointer Display Scheme

The mouse pointer scheme may be causing the issue. Usually, while trying to customize the cursor, users change the settings, which often gives rise to issues like a black box around it. Either way, changing the mouse pointer display setting to basics can be a fix. 

Step 1 – Go to Windows search and type “pointer” in the search bar.
Step 2 – This will give you two options, the first being the mouse pointer size, while the other being the option to change the mouse pointer display or speed setting. Choose the second one and open it.


Step 3 – In the popped-up window, navigate to the Pointers tab to find the scheme settings.


Step 4 – Click on the Scheme in use to see a dropdown with several options.


Step 5 – Now, since you are experiencing the black box error in the system scheme, it may have gone corrupt. Hence, choosing the (None) option is the best thing you can do. 

Make the changes and click on Apply to save them. Give your PC a refresh, and you may see that the black box on the mouse cursor has disappeared. 

Method 2 – Try Changing the Pointer Size

It is quite possible that the black box has appeared out of a glitch in the system. Playing around with the basic settings of your mouse pointer might help you refresh it and eliminate the glitch.

Step 1 – Go to system settings on your computer. You can use the Windows + I shortcut to do so or search for settings in the start menu search.
Step 2 – From the settings menu, use the left panel to open the Accessibility option.


Step 3 – In Accessibility, scroll down to find ‘Mouse’ as an option under the Interaction category.


Step 4 – In the Mouse settings, you can find a dedicated option related to the ‘Mouse pointer’. Click on it to open cursor settings.


Step 5 – From the available options in the settings, make sure that you set the Mouse Pointer Style to basic, and use the size slider to adjust the settings accordingly.


Tip : You can also try changing the mouse pointer style to something else to see if the black box around it is gone. If it does, try re-changing the pointer style to the basic one, and it should get rid of the issue.

Must Read: 5 Ways to Fix Mouse Cursor Stuck: #3 Always Works

Method 3 – Try Enabling Pointer Shadow

Another problem-solving fix can be enabling the pointer shadow from your cursor settings. 

Step 1 – Go to Windows search and type “pointer” in the search bar.
Step 2 – Choose the option that says change mouse pointer display or speed and open it.


Step 3 – Navigate to the Pointers tab in the opened Window.
Step 4 – Click and enable the Enable pointer shadow option that you can find in the Pointers tab.


Step 5 – Click on Apply to save the changes you have made. 

With the help of this change, the black box on the mouse cursor may stop appearing; however, if it does not, go back to the settings and disable the pointer shadow, as it might not be useful to you. 

Method 4 – Update Available Graphics & Display Drivers

If making changes to the pointer settings was no luck for you, do not worry; there are other fixes. The first technique to fix the black box around the mouse cursor is to update the graphics driver. 

Usually, such spots on the display result from outdated graphics driver definitions. Hence updating it might help you well.

However, updating drivers is not an easy task. Especially if you are a newbie or unfamiliar with the technicalities of doing the same. To simplify the process for everyone, we recommend using Advanced Driver Updater. 

Step 1 – Download and install the application from the link below.

Step 2 – Run a quick scan to identify all the outdated drivers on your PC.


Step 3 – Once the scan is complete, click Update All to update the listed drivers. 

The tool is also handy for this specific problem, as you do not know if the issue revolves around the graphics driver or your mouse drivers. Updating all the existing outdated drivers can get the job done for you. 

In a detailed review of the tool

Method 5 – Disable the WDDM Driver Using the Group Policy Editor on Windows (Advanced)

If updating the drivers didn’t work, try using the group policy editor to make the necessary changes on your PC. 

Step 1 – Press Win+ R to open the Run search.
Step 2 – Use the command gpedit.msc and press Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.

Note : the gpedit.msc might not work if you use the home edition of Windows 10 or 11, as the Group Policy Editor is unavailable for these versions.

Step 3 – In the opened window, click on Computer Configuration.
Step 4 – Next, you can find Expand Administrative Templates.
Step 5 – Expand them to select Windows Components.
Step 6 – Select the Remote Desktop Services component from the available options.
Step 7 – After that, navigate to Remote Desktop Session Host.
Step 8 – After selecting the same, navigate to the Remote Session Environment on the editor’s left pane.
Step 9 – You may find the WDDM graphics display driver options there.
Step 10 – Double-click on Use WDDM graphics display driver for Remote Desktop Connections.
Step 11 – Click the Disabled radio button.
Step 12 – Click on Apply and OK to save the changes.

Use these fixes, and you must be able to get rid of the black box on the mouse cursor issue that’s bothering your experience. We highly recommend installing and using Advanced Driver Updater, as it can simplify your troubleshooting process. Let us know in the comments if you have any doubts about the steps shared in the post. 

We hope you find this helpful. Thanks for reading. Good luck!

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Dishank Sharma

A creative tech-writer who loves to explore latest tech-trends & convey them to his readers in the simplest way possible. He loves to blend the crispness of technology with a pinch of creativity while curating best practices for the readers. In his free time, he likes to scribble poetry, listen to rap & travel.

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