The arrow of your mouse on the screen is called the mouse pointer (or mouse cursor).

Quick Scoop: What Is That Little Arrow Called?

The Basic Name

When you move your mouse and see that small slanted arrow on the screen, its standard name is:

  • Mouse pointer – the most common term, especially in basic computer lessons and school materials.
  • Cursor or mouse cursor – a more general computer term that covers both the arrow and other shapes showing where you’re interacting.

So if someone asks, “What is the arrow of your mouse on the screen called?”, the simplest, correct answer is: mouse pointer.

In many beginner computer courses (including recent materials up to 2026), the arrow that moves when you move the mouse is explicitly taught as “mouse pointer.”

Pointer vs. Cursor: What’s the Difference?

Short version:

  • On a modern computer, the word cursor is the more general term.
  • The pointer is the specific cursor shape you see when using a mouse in a graphical interface.

A few quick distinctions:

  1. Mouse pointer (the arrow)
    • The slanted arrow you see in normal use.
 * Used for pointing, clicking, and selecting icons, buttons, and menus.
  1. Text cursor (the “I‑beam”)
    • When you click into text, the arrow usually changes to a thin vertical “I‑shaped” symbol.
 * Shows exactly where typed characters will appear.
  1. Other cursor shapes
    • Hand icon over links.
 * Double arrows when resizing windows.

 * Hourglass or spinning circle when something is loading.

All of these are forms of the cursor , but the everyday “arrow of your mouse” is specifically the mouse pointer.

Mini FAQ (Quick Answers)

  1. Is “mouse arrow” an official term?
    • People say “mouse arrow” casually, but the widely accepted, accurate term is mouse pointer.
  1. Why do teachers usually say “mouse pointer”?
    • In school and beginner materials, “mouse pointer” is clear and easy to remember, so it’s the preferred teaching term.
  1. Has this changed over time?
    • Even in recent guides and tutorials, “mouse pointer” is still used to describe the moving arrow on the screen, alongside “cursor” as the more technical word.

Tiny Example to Remember It

Imagine a teacher saying:

“Move your mouse pointer to the icon and click.”

They’re talking about that little arrow that follows your mouse around the screen.

So next time you see it, you can confidently say: “That’s the mouse pointer (a type of cursor).”

TL;DR:
The arrow of your mouse on the screen is called the mouse pointer , and more generally, it’s a type of cursor.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.