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Your mouse cursor changed after Windows 11 KB5120998 and won't change back

Last verified September 2026Tested against Windows 11 25H2 (OS Build 26200.9278), Windows 11 24H2 (OS Build 26100.9278), KB5120998 (27 August 2026, introduced the bug), KB5124008 (8 September 2026, contains the fix), Windows 11 25H2 (OS Build 26200.9445, fixed), Windows 11 24H2 (OS Build 26100.9445, fixed), Non-English Windows display languagesWell documented

Microsoft fixed this on 8 September 2026. The September security update, KB5124008, states that it addresses customized mouse cursor settings, including pointer style and colour, failing to display correctly, and Microsoft marked the known issue Resolved on the 24H2 and 25H2 release-health pages the same day. Install it from Settings > Windows Update, restart, then set your pointer scheme again. Uninstalling KB5120998 was the only thing that worked for the first eleven days and is no longer necessary.

Start here

  1. Check the build and your display language
  2. Install the September 2026 security update (KB5124008)

Until 8 September 2026 this bug had no vendor fix, and the only advice that worked was to remove the preview update that caused it. Microsoft's September security update changed that. The KB article names the fix directly - it "addresses an issue that prevented customized mouse cursor settings, including pointer style and color, from displaying correctly" - and the known issue moved to Resolved on the release-health pages for both Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2. One thing worth keeping from the old version of this page: Microsoft scoped the bug to non-English Windows installations. If your display language is English and your cursor changed, this known issue never described your PC, and the September update is not going to change anything. Work through "When something else is wrong" instead. And an honest caveat: KB5124008 shipped on 8 September and this page was re-checked on 9 September. Microsoft documents the fix, but one day is not enough time for independent confirmation across the range of affected machines. The old workaround is still below if the update does not do it for you.

Symptoms

  • Your custom cursor scheme has been replaced by a large white pointer
  • A high-DPI or custom-sized cursor came back at the wrong size
  • Custom cursor animations reverted to the standard ones
  • Choosing a cursor scheme in Settings appears to work but reverts within seconds
  • The change appeared after installing the 27 August 2026 optional update
  • Windows is running in a display language other than English
  • Windows Update has not been run since before 8 September 2026
  • The desktop wallpaper also turned black and goes black again on every reboot

Why this happens

On non-English Windows, KB5120998 stopped cursor settings loading at all

Microsoft's release-health entry says its investigation indicates the issue is caused by code components used in non-English Windows installations: in impacted locales these settings fail to load, so a default is used instead. That also explains why nothing you set sticks - Microsoft states that manually restoring the values is not successful, because the issue prevents the settings loading regardless of their value. Resetting the registry, running DISM and setting the pointer back to default all fail for the same reason. It affects Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 only. Microsoft resolved it on 8 September 2026 with KB5124008.

Install the September 2026 security update (KB5124008)

The wallpaper going black came from the same update, and is now fixed too

People reporting the cursor problem also reported the desktop wallpaper turning solid black and returning to black on every restart, and both stopped when KB5120998 was removed. Microsoft opened a separate known issue for the wallpaper on 2 September 2026, having initially said it was not aware of any issues with the update. Both were resolved by the same September security update, so if you have the cursor bug and the black desktop together, one update fixes both. We cover the wallpaper regression in its own article.

Install the September 2026 security update (KB5124008)

Fixes

Check the build and your display language

about 3 min

These two checks decide whether the rest of the article applies. Microsoft scoped the issue to non-English Windows installations, so the language check matters as much as the build number - and the build number now also tells you whether the fix is already installed.

Applies to: Windows 11 24H2, Windows 11 25H2

  1. Press Windows key + R, type winver and press Enter.
    winver
  2. Read the OS Build line. Build 26200.9278 is Windows 11 25H2 with KB5120998 installed, and 26100.9278 is Windows 11 24H2 with KB5120998 installed. Those are the builds this bug affects.
  3. If you see build 26200.9445 or 26100.9445 or higher, KB5124008 is already installed and the fix is on the PC. A cursor that is still wrong on those builds is a different problem - read "When something else is wrong" below.
  4. If you see a build lower than 26100.9278, KB5120998 is not on this PC and this is a different problem.
  5. Now check the display language: Settings > Time & language > Language & region, and look at Windows display language. Microsoft says this issue is caused by code components used in non-English Windows installations. If yours is English, Microsoft's known issue does not describe your PC - the alternatives below are the better place to look.

Confirmed by the vendor.

Source: Microsoft, Microsoft, Microsoft, Microsoft

Install the September 2026 security update (KB5124008)

about 25 min

This is Microsoft's own fix. The KB5124008 article states that it addresses customized mouse cursor settings, including pointer style and colour, failing to display correctly, and Microsoft marked the known issue Resolved on the release-health pages for both 24H2 and 25H2 on the day it shipped.

Applies to: Windows 11 24H2, Windows 11 25H2

  1. Open Settings, then Windows Update, and click Check for updates.
  2. Install the September 2026 security update. On Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 it is KB5124008, and it takes the build to 26100.9445 or 26200.9445 respectively. It is a security update, so it comes through the normal channel - you do not need to look under Optional updates.
  3. Restart when prompted, then confirm the build with winver.
    winver
  4. Set your cursor scheme again in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse > Additional mouse settings > Pointers. If you use a size or colour set through Accessibility, re-apply that too in Settings > Accessibility > Mouse pointer and touch.
  5. If updates are paused, clear the pause first in Settings > Windows Update, or the September update will not be offered. If you turned off "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available" while working around this bug, you can leave it off - that toggle only controls optional preview updates.

Confirmed by the vendor.

Source: Microsoft, Microsoft, Microsoft

If you cannot take the September update yet, uninstall KB5120998

Check before applyingabout 20 min

This was the original workaround and it still works, but it is now the second choice. Use it only if something is holding the September security update back - a managed device, a deferral policy, or an update that will not install. Removing the preview update costs you no security fixes because it was never a security update.

Applies to: Windows 11 24H2, Windows 11 25H2

Before you do this

You also lose the preview features that shipped in KB5120998, including the taskbar, Start menu and Search improvements. This does not remove any security update. Prefer installing KB5124008 instead - it fixes the bug without giving anything up.

  1. Open Settings, go to Windows Update, then Update history.
  2. Scroll to the bottom and click Uninstall updates.
  3. Find KB5120998 in the list and click Uninstall. If it is not listed, it is not installed and this is a different problem.
  4. Restart the PC when prompted, then set your cursor scheme again in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse > Additional mouse settings > Pointers.
  5. Come back to Windows Update once you are able to install KB5124008 or later. That is the real fix, and it also restores the preview features you lost by removing KB5120998.

Reported to work by 3 users; not confirmed by the vendor.

Source: Windows Latest, Windows Latest, Microsoft

Known issues

  • Microsoft's known issue "Mouse customization is reset on non-English Windows devices" was opened on 28 August 2026, reached status Confirmed on 1 September, and was marked Resolved by KB5124008 on 8 September 2026 at 10:00 PT. Microsoft attributed it to code components used in non-English Windows installations, where the settings fail to load and a default is used instead. It never published a workaround of its own.

    Affects Windows 11 25H2 (26200.9278), Windows 11 24H2 (26100.9278) · Status: fixed

  • The desktop wallpaper turning solid black after the same KB5120998 update is a separate known issue, opened by Microsoft on 2 September 2026 after initially stating it was not aware of any issues with the update. It is also marked Resolved by KB5124008. If both symptoms appeared together, the September update addresses both.

    Affects Windows 11 25H2 (26200.9278), Windows 11 24H2 (26100.9278) · Status: fixed

If none of this worked

Three ways this may not be your problem. If winver shows build 26200.9445 or 26100.9445 or higher, KB5124008 is installed and this bug is already fixed on your PC. If winver shows a build below 26100.9278, KB5120998 was never installed. And if your Windows display language is English, Microsoft's issue does not cover you - it says the cause lies in components used in non-English installations - so treat a changed cursor as an ordinary one. In any of those cases: a third-party cursor pack that was updated or uninstalled will change the pointer the same way, and so will a display scaling change, since Windows picks a different cursor size per DPI. High contrast mode also forces its own pointer. If the pointer is the right shape but the wrong size, check Settings > Accessibility > Mouse pointer and touch, where the size slider overrides the scheme.

Common questions

Has Microsoft fixed it?
Yes. KB5124008, the September 2026 security update released on 8 September, states that it addresses an issue that prevented customized mouse cursor settings, including pointer style and color, from displaying correctly. Microsoft marked the known issue Resolved on both the Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 release-health pages the same day. Install the update, restart, and set your pointer scheme again. This page was re-checked on 9 September, one day after the fix shipped, so there has not yet been time for independent confirmation across a wide range of machines.
I already uninstalled KB5120998. What should I do now?
Run Windows Update and install KB5124008. That brings you back up to date, carries the fix, and restores the taskbar, Start menu and Search improvements you gave up when you removed the preview update. If you also turned off "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available", you can leave that off - it only controls optional preview updates, not security updates.
Do I still need to uninstall KB5120998?
No. Installing KB5124008 fixes the bug and you keep the preview features, so it is the better move in every case. Uninstalling is now only worth doing if something is genuinely blocking the September update, such as a work-managed PC with deferral policies, or an update that will not install.
My Windows is in English and my cursor still changed. Is this the same bug?
Probably not, on Microsoft's own account: it says the cause lies in components used in non-English Windows installations, and in impacted locales only. The reports in the tech press do not record which display languages the affected users were running, so the picture is not perfectly clean - but if you are on English Windows, work through the alternatives in "When something else is wrong" rather than expecting the September update to change anything.
Can I just set the cursor again instead?
Not while the bug is present. Microsoft explained why: the issue prevents the settings being loaded regardless of their value, so restoring them manually is not successful. That matches what people found by trial - resetting the registry, running DISM and putting the pointer back to default all failed to stick. Once KB5124008 is installed, setting the scheme again is exactly what you should do.

Did this fix work?

If a step is wrong, outdated, or did not help, telling us is the fastest way to get it corrected. Reports are reviewed before new articles.

Report a problem with this page

Related problems

Sources

  • Windows 11, version 25H2 known issues and notificationsOfficial

    Microsoft · Support page · checked Sep 21, 2026

    • Microsoft's known issue "Mouse customization is reset on non-English Windows devices" was opened on 28 August 2026 and is marked Resolved by KB5124008 as of 8 September 2026 at 10:00 PT
    • The originating update is OS Build 26100.9278, KB5120998, released 27 August 2026
    • Microsoft states that mouse personalization settings are reverted to certain standard settings, including cursors and cursor animations selected in Mouse Properties
    • Microsoft states its investigation indicates the issue is caused by code components used in non-English Windows installations, and that in impacted locales these settings fail to load so a default is used instead
    • Microsoft states that attempting to manually restore the settings values is not successful, because the issue prevents loading these settings regardless of their value
    • Affected platforms are Windows 11 version 25H2 and Windows 11 version 24H2, with no server versions affected
  • Windows 11, version 24H2 known issues and notificationsOfficial

    Microsoft · Support page · checked Sep 21, 2026

    • The mouse customization known issue is listed as Resolved by KB5124008 on the Windows 11 24H2 release-health page, last updated 8 September 2026 10:41 PT
    • The desktop background known issue from the same KB5120998 update is also marked Resolved by KB5124008, having been opened on 2 September 2026
    • The Teams and Outlook launch failure on ARM devices from KB5121003 is marked Resolved by KB5124008
  • September 8, 2026 - KB5124008 (OS Builds 26100.9445 and 26200.9445)Official

    Microsoft · Release notes · checked Sep 21, 2026

    • KB5124008 was released on 8 September 2026 and produces OS Builds 26100.9445 and 26200.9445
    • Microsoft states the update "addresses an issue that prevented customized mouse cursor settings, including pointer style and color, from displaying correctly"
    • The same update addresses desktop background and other personalization settings not loading correctly, and Teams and Outlook closing unexpectedly on Arm64 PCs
    • Microsoft states it is not currently aware of any issues with KB5124008
  • August 27, 2026—KB5120998 (OS Builds 26200.9278 and 26100.9278) PreviewOfficial

    Microsoft · Release notes · checked Sep 21, 2026

    • KB5120998 was released on 27 August 2026 and produces OS Builds 26200.9278 and 26100.9278
    • It is a Preview update, delivered through Optional updates rather than the security channel
    • Microsoft's "How to get this update" section directs users to Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Optional updates, or to the Microsoft Update Catalog
    • Re-checked on 21 September 2026: Microsoft has since added a Known issues section to this page listing the mouse customization reset on non-English installations, the desktop background reset and the Arm64 Teams and Outlook failure, each shown as addressed by the 8 September 2026 update.
  • "We're aware," Microsoft on Windows 11 KB5120998 breaking the mouse cursorReputable

    Windows Latest · News · checked Sep 21, 2026

    • The affected builds are 26200.9278 on version 25H2 and 26100.9278 on version 24H2
    • Users report that trying to restore a smaller or regular cursor fails because the setting is not saved
    • Users who uninstalled KB5120998 report the cursor problem resolved on its own
    • Users also report the desktop wallpaper turning black after installing the August 2026 updates and reverting to black on every reboot
    • The article does not record which Windows display languages the affected users were running
  • Skip today's Windows 11 update: it breaks cursor styling, resets wallpaper, and moreReputable

    Windows Latest · News · checked Sep 21, 2026

    • Custom cursors revert to a large white pointer that will not change, and accessibility pointer-size selectors have no effect
    • Desktop wallpapers are replaced with solid black and revert to black after logout or restart, until the update is uninstalled
    • Uninstalling KB5120998 through Settings > Windows Update > Update history > Uninstall updates resolved the reported problems
    • Uninstalling also removes the preview features that shipped with it, including the taskbar, Start menu and Search improvements