Howto Change Default Cursor Theme in Debian

If you want to change the default cursor theme first you need to install one of the available cursor themes

crystalcursors
dmz-cursor-theme
xcursor-themes
comixcursors
Chameleon-custor-theme
Big-cursor

For example i am installing crystalcursors

#aptitude install crystalcursors

This will complete the installation.

Now you need to run the update-alternative to set/change the current cursor-theme, when prompted give the number of the theme and press enter.

#update-alternatives --config x-cursor-theme

There are 24 alternatives which provide `x-cursor-theme’.

Selection Alternative
———————————————–
1 /etc/X11/cursors/core.theme
2 /etc/X11/cursors/redglass.theme
3 /etc/X11/cursors/whiteglass.theme
4 /etc/X11/cursors/handhelds.theme
+ 5 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalblue_classic.theme
6 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalblue_nonanim.theme
7 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalblueleft.theme
8 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalblueleft_classic.theme
9 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalblueleft_nonanim.theme
10 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalgray.theme
11 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalgray_nonanim.theme
12 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalgrayleft.theme
13 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalgrayleft_nonanim.theme
14 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalgreen.theme
15 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalgreen_classic.theme
16 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalgreen_nonanim.theme
17 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalgreenleft.theme
18 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalgreenleft_classic.theme
19 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalgreenleft_nonanim.theme
20 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalwhite.theme
21 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalwhite_nonanim.theme
* 22 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalwhiteleft.theme
23 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalwhiteleft_nonanim.theme
24 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalblue.theme

Press enter to keep the default[*], or type selection number: 23
Using ‘/etc/X11/cursors/crystalwhiteleft_nonanim.theme’ to provide ‘x-cursor-theme’

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9 thoughts on “Howto Change Default Cursor Theme in Debian

  1. Thanks. I ask this in freenode channel but…
    I found in there; thanks again.

  2. Thank you! This is exactly what I needed.

    The default installed with KDE-4, the “oxygen” cursor, is unusable on a dark background. The xcursor-themes core theme is what I’ve grown accustomed to.

    I appreciate DebianAdmin.com greatly. Thank you again.

  3. So here I am again, 7 years later, doing the same thing and needing the command. Thanks, DebianAdmin!

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