win2xcur and x2wincur

win2xcur is a tool that converts cursors from Windows format (*.cur, *.ani) to Xcursor format. This allows Windows cursor themes to be used on Linux, for example.

win2xcur is more than a simple image conversion tool. It preserves the cursor hotspot and animation delay, and has an optional mode to add shadows that replicates Windows's cursor shadow effect.

x2wincur is a tool that does the opposite: it converts cursors in the Xcursor format to Windows format (*.cur, *.ani), allowing to use your favourite Linux cursor themes on Windows.

win2xcurtheme converts a packaged Windows cursor theme with an INF installer into a directory of Xcursors, which can be used to construct your own cursor theme on Linux.

Conversely, x2wincurtheme converts a directory of Xcursors into Windows, while generating the complementary install.inf for easy installation.

Finally, inspectcur serves as a debugging tool, able to load arbitrary Windows or X11 cursors and show the animation settings, image sizes, and hotspots.

Installation

To install the latest stable version:

pip install win2xcur

To install from GitHub:

pip install -e git+https://github.com/quantum5/win2xcur.git

The following unofficial packages are available (use at your own risk! I don't maintain these):

• AUR: win2xcur, which may be installed with yay -S win2xcur or paru -S win2xcur.

Usage: win2xcur

For example, if you want to convert the sample cursor to Linux format:

mkdir output/
win2xcur sample/crosshair.cur -o output/

-s can be specified to enable shadows. Multiple cursors files can be specified on the command line. For example, to convert a directory of cursors with shadows enabled:

win2xcur input/*.{ani,cur} -o output/ 

For more information, run win2xcur --help.

Usage: x2wincur

For example, if you want to convert DMZ-White to Windows:

mkdir dmz-white/
x2wincur /usr/share/icons/DMZ-White/cursors/* -o dmz-white/

Usage: win2xcurtheme

To convert an example Windows cursor theme in example with an INF installer install.inf:

mkdir -p example-linux/cursors
win2xcurtheme example/install.inf -o example-linux/cursors

You can then create example-linux/index.theme as follows:

[Icon Theme]
Name = example
Comment = My example cursor theme.
Example = default

Usage: x2wincurtheme

To convert a whole Xcursor theme to Windows format, run x2wincurtheme on the cursors subdirectory of an Xcursor theme, then specify a name with -n. For example, for DMZ-White:

x2wincurtheme /usr/share/icons/DMZ-White/cursors -n DMZ-White -o dmz-white/

Usage: inspectcur

$ inspectcur /usr/share/icons/DMZ-White/cursors/left_ptr
Cursor file: /usr/share/icons/DMZ-White/cursors/left_ptr
1. nominal size 24, 24x24, hotspot: (7, 4)
2. nominal size 32, 32x32, hotspot: (10, 5)
3. nominal size 48, 48x48, hotspot: (14, 8)
$ inspectcur /usr/share/icons/DMZ-White/cursors/watch 
Cursor file: /usr/share/icons/DMZ-White/cursors/watch
  - Frame 0, delay 30.0 ms
    1. nominal size 24, 24x24, hotspot: (12, 12)
    2. nominal size 32, 32x32, hotspot: (18, 18)
    3. nominal size 48, 48x48, hotspot: (24, 24)
  - Frame 1, delay 30.0 ms
    1. nominal size 24, 24x24, hotspot: (12, 12)
    2. nominal size 32, 32x32, hotspot: (18, 18)
    3. nominal size 48, 48x48, hotspot: (24, 24)
...

Troubleshooting

win2xcur, x2wincur, win2xcurtheme, and x2wincurtheme should work out of the box on most systems. If you are using unconventional distros (e.g. Alpine) and are getting errors related to wand, please see the Wand documentation on installation.

If you are having issues with a particular cursor or cursor theme, feel free to open an issue. However, be sure to include:

1. the problematic cursor as an attachment¹ to the issue;
2. the command you ran; and
3. the full output of the command run.

If I can't reproduce the issue, I will not be able to help you.