Earlier versions of Windows OS had the Mouse Pointer Shadow enabled by default. While some found this feature visually pleasing, others  found it of no use - and yet some others wanted to increase performance by saving that bit of resource – and they therefore looked for a way to disable the mouse pointer  shadow. In Windows 8 this  feature is disabled by default – and then there are again people wanting to re-enable the Mouse Pointer Shadow.

Re-enable Mouse Pointer Shadow in Windows 8

To begin the process, take your mouse to the bottom left corner and right-click. Select Control Panel from the menu.

Type Performance in the search bar and from the search results displayed, select Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows.

In the ‘Performance Options’ window which opens, you will be able to select the settings you want to use for the appearance and the performance of your Windows computer. To enable Windows 8 Mouse Pointer drop Shadow feature, check the Show shadows under mouse pointer feature and click Apply/OK.

This will open the Mouse Properties box. Select Enable pointer shadow and click on Apply.

That’s it! You will have now enabled the shadow on Mouse Pointer of your Windows 8 desktop or tablet.

The same procedure to enable or disable Mouse Pointer Shadow of course applies to Windows 7 too!

So why did Microsoft remove the mouse pointer shadow in Windows 8?

While there is no official documentation, Microsoft probably did so probably because, in remote sessions the responsiveness of the mouse pointer to the user is said to be much higher, without the shadow. I cannot think of any other reason why Microsoft decided to disable just this feature in Windows 8. Saving that bit of resource, could not be a reason, in my opinion.

If you have any ideas on this, please do share.