8 Fixes When the Text Cursor Turns White on Windows 11

Key Takeaways 

• Disabling the registry’s Multi-Plane Overlay (MPO) key can fix the problem if it interferes with cursor rendering.
• You should ensure your Windows updates, browser, and mouse drivers are current to prevent cursor issues.
• Disabling Hardware Acceleration is effective because the cursor turning white can often be attributed to conflicts with this feature.

Basic Fixes:

• Uninstall recent Windows updates: If the cursor problem starts after an update, rolling back the update will fix it. This means that the update must have certain bugs.
• Clean boot the computer: Clean booting will force the computer to start with only a limited number of services and apps. This will block apps that may trigger the problem.

Fix 1: Update the Mouse Properties to Use beam_r

Updating the mouse properties is one of the most effective ways of fixing the cursor problem. Specific mouse settings may cause the cursor to turn white, so follow the steps below to update them.

Step 1: Click the magnifying lens on the Taskbar, type mouse, and click the Mouse Settings option.

Step 2: Scroll down and click Additional mouse settings.

Step 3: Click the Pointers tab, click Text Select in the Customize category, and click the Browse button.

Step 4: Select beam_r and click Open.

Step 5: Click Apply and OK on the Mouse properties windows.

Fix 2: Disable the Registry’s Multi-Plane Overlay Key

The Multi-Plane Overplay (MPO) is a function that helps enhance graphics rendering on Windows devices starting from Windows 8. It does so by offloading certain rendering tasks to a dedicated overlay plane. However, the MPO may interfere with how the cursor is rendered and can turn your cursor white on Windows 11.

You may disable the MPO from the Registry editor, but you should back up your registry before making the changes in case you need to revert it.

Step 1: Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog, type Regedit, and hit Enter.

Step 2: Navigate to the path below.

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Dwm

Step 3: Right-click a Space on the right pane, click New and DWORD (32-bit) Value, then name the newly created value OverlayTestMode.

Step 4: Double-click OverlayTestMode and give it a Value data of 5, click OK, then restart the computer for the changes to take effect.

Fix 3: Enable Show Location of Pointer When I Press Ctrl Key

Windows has a feature that allows the cursor to show when you press the Ctrl key. This may not be a permanent fix, but it will always help you know the position of your cursor, even when it turns white.

Step 1: Click the magnifying lens on the Taskbar, type mouse, and click the Mouse Settings option.

Step 2: Scroll down and click Additional mouse settings.

Step 3: Click the Pointers Option tab, tick the Show Location of Pointer When I Press Ctrl Key option, then click Apply and OK.

Fixes if Cursor Turns White in Google Docs, Word or Other Online Apps

While this problem may happen with built-in applications, having the cursor turn white when you use online tools is also prevalent. If this is the case, you should try any of the following fixes:

• Disable Hardware Acceleration: Disabling hardware acceleration reduces the chances of GPU-related conflicts and resolves compatibility issues that cause the cursor problem.
• Disable extensions: If you run multiple extensions, conflicts may trigger the problem. Disable them one after the other to determine the root cause.
• Update browser: An outdated browser is prone to glitches and bugs. SOme of them will interfere with how the cursor is displayed. You should update the browser to fix it.
• Clear cache and cookies: Clearing the browser’s cache and cookies can resolve temporary glitches or conflicts.
• Refresh the page: Sometimes, it is a minor glitch, and a page refresh would fix it.