macOS has a neat feature which super-sizes the on-screen pointer whenever a mouse (or touchpad) is vigorously shaken.
Think that sounds daft?
The momentary magnification has a purpose: making it easier to see where the mouse cursor is on screen.
Plus, most of us shake our mouse to locate the pointer anyway – making it larger when we do it makes it faster to spot.
Indeed, for those with 4K or 8K screens, multi-monitor setups, or using a busy desktop background, it can be easy to loose track of where the mouse arrow is. This is temporarily disorientating when you try to interact with something on screen.
Most of us shake the mouse to find the pointer – this makes spotting it faster
But a quick shake of the mouse (or a firm tickle on the trackpad) makes the cursor temporarily bigger, as if to say: “Oi, I’m over here!” — a time-saver it’s hard to wonder how we managed without!
Not that anyone needs to switch to macOS to benefit.
Ubuntu users can add a similar ‘pointer locate’ feature to their systems using a GNOME Shell extension – “Jiggle” for Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, or “Wiggle” for 24.04 LTS.
Both extensions do the same thing once installed: shake the mouse, or invisi-doodle on a trackpad to instantly see an enlarged cursor on screen.
The Jiggle/Wiggle extension (the latter is a fork of the former to support newer versions of GNOME Shell) also does a few things Apple’s implementation doesn’t, like letting you paint an on-screen cursor trail, and control shake threshold to avoid accidental triggering.
Aside from being a must-have for anyone who wants to make Ubuntu look like a Mac (and feel like a Mac too), this extension is a productivity-enhancing enhancement for all those looking to speed up the time it takes to do things.
While this tiny add-on doesn’t revolutionise the computing experience, it does smooth away a teensy bit of friction.
New to GNOME extensions? Learn how to install GNOME extension on Ubuntu, then take a look at my list of best GNOME extensions for super-useful suggestions!