Windows 11's Settings app is a much better place than it used to be four years ago when the operating system was initially launched. Plenty of existing features have successfully made it from the old Control Panel to the more modern Settings app, and even though the process is rather slow (remember, the Settings app was introduced nearly 13 years ago with Windows 8), more options are coming.
The latest Windows Server build, 26376, currently available for testing in the insider program, has some interesting hidden stuff inside, which should soon be available in consumer-faced Windows editions. @phantomofearth on X noticed that Microsoft had moved more mouse settings from the Control Panel to the Settings app, giving you fewer reasons to do Win + R > control.
New mouse Settings that are now available in Windows Server build 26376 include the ability to enable the mouse indicator (helps you to find the cursor by pressing the Ctrl key), mouse pointer trails (and the option to change their size), the cursor shadow, and even the ability to customize the image of each pointer. Microsoft also added dedicated icons for existing features, such as cursor speed and enhanced pointer precision.
Hidden in build 26376 (out for server): all of the options in the old mouse properties dialog are now available in Settings, including pointer trails, pointer shadow & pointer image customization!
— phantomofearth ⛄ (@phantomofearth) March 13, 2025
+ Enhance pointer precision/pointer speed, already there, get new/updated icons. pic.twitter.com/bW3EsYIOtj
Microsoft has not announced these new features yet, so the company will probably take some time to finish things up and bring new settings to consumer Windows editions. Meanwhile, you can check out some of the latest Windows Insider updates, such as a new build for Windows 11 23H2 in the Release Preview Channel, which brought File Explorer improvements, a new gamepad keyboard, context menu labels, and other changes.
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