Use Park Cursor to stop a mouse pointer distracting you

One of the most annoying things about filling in an online form, updating a Facebook page or just typing, is the way that the Windows pointer habitually gets in the way. In this short workshop we’ll show how to download, install and use a free tool called Park Cursor that does just one thing – start typing and it moves the pointer out of the way so it’s easier to see what’s going on. We’ll use Windows 7 but the developer says it works on all popular versions of Windows.

Step 1
Load a web browser such as Internet Explorer and visit the Park Cursor download site. When the website loads, click the Download link on the left, then scroll down to the latest version (it was 2.01 when we visited) and click the blue download arrow next to it. Ignore any security warnings and click Save, then navigate to the downloaded file, right-click it and choose Extract All. The wizard creates a new ‘Park Cursor’ folder. Open this and double-click the Park Cursor Aside icon to load the program. If Windows displays a security warning, ignore it.

Step 2
With Park Cursor running, try opening a program such as Notepad or Microsoft Word and start typing. After three characters have appeared on the screen, the mouse pointer will seem to vanish as Park Cursor sends it to the bottom of the screen where it’s safely out of the way. In this example, a Facebook wall post is being typed without having to put up with the intrusive pointer and the accompanying tooltip. It’s hard for us to demonstrate in a screenshot because the pointer has already been moved out of the way.

Step 3
To alter the program’s settings, roll the pointer down to the Notification Area and right-click the Park Cursor icon (Windows 7 users may need first to click the Show Hidden Icons button). Choose Settings. From this dialogue box it’s possible to change when the pointer is parked out of the way, where it goes, how far out from the edge of the screen it’s parked (we prefer 10 pixels or more so it’s out of the way but still visible). Once any changes have been made, click the OK button to confirm and close the dialogue box.