Linux Equivalent of Windows Ctrl to show Mouse Pointer

Question

In Windows, it is possible to set pressing Ctrl to display the current location of the mouse pointer, as per this tutorial.

Is there a way of setting a key or key combination to perform the same action in Ubuntu? Note, this is the opposite of turning this function off, as detailed at How do I turn off "show mouse" when I press Ctrl?.

Answer 1

GNOME based environments (including default Ubuntu)

Open Terminal and run the following command

gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.peripherals.mouse locate-pointer true

Now if you press ctrl the pointer should be highlighted.

KDE

In KDE, go to System Settings -> Desktop Effects -> Track Mouse. Click on the cog icon beside that, and set ctrl as the modifier key.

Answer 2

It is possible to find this option in the GNOME Tweaks. Just go to 'Keyboard & Mouse' -> 'Pointer Location' and turn it on/off.

Answer 3

In 20.04, this is a slightly different location now for gsettings to work with.

In 20.04, this is the org.gnome.desktop.interface locate-pointer object. So:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface locate-pointer true

Answer 4

In gnome ubuntu 24.04.1 LTS:

Settings > Accessibility > Point and Clicking > Locate Pointer

Answer 5

In 20.04, for those who wanted a feature more similar to macOS's one, there's now Jiggle which is a Gnome Shell extension that enlarges your cursor when shaking the mouse.

Once installed, the extension can be configured using GNOME Extensions or GNOME Tweaks.

GitHub page

Answer 6

If you prefer a graphical way in Ubuntu 20.04 and later, you can go to Settings → Universal Access → toggle Locate pointer on in the Pointing & Clicking section.

Answer 7

For those using Ubuntu 18.04:

Enable it with Gnome Tweak tools or use the command:

gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.peripherals.mouse locate-pointer true

Then use Fn+Ctrl (not just Ctrl).