=== Ultimate Cursor – Interactive and Animated Cursor and Background Effects Toolkit ===
Contributors: wpxero
Donate link: https://wpxero.com/plugins/ultimate-cursor/pricing
Tags: custom cursor, animated cursor, mouse cursor, cursor effects, background effects
Requires at least: 6.0
Tested up to: 7.0
Stable tag: 2.3.0
Requires PHP: 7.4
License: GPLv3
License URI: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html

Add custom animated mouse cursors with text, icons, images and shapes, plus stunning background effects. Live preview, no code needed.

== Description ==

https://youtu.be/mGOVAyi9ip4

### The custom cursor and background effects toolkit trusted by 3,000+ WordPress websites

Transform your **WordPress website** and captivate your audience with **Ultimate Cursor**, the all-in-one solution for creating **custom cursors** and **stunning background effects**. Replace the default mouse pointer with **animated cursors, dynamic icons, interactive text, engaging images, and geometric shapes** — and pair them with **animated background effects** — all from a live-preview dashboard, with **no coding required**.

Ultimate Cursor works with **every theme** and with **Elementor, Gutenberg, WPBakery, Divi, and other page builders**. Whether you want to strengthen your **brand identity**, guide visitors with interactive feedback, or simply make your site unforgettable, you can style, preview, and publish a custom mouse cursor in minutes.

Unlock every feature with [Ultimate Cursor Pro](https://wpxero.com/plugins/ultimate-cursor/pricing).

### ✨ New in 2.3.0 — Interactive Hover

Your cursor now **reacts to the page**. When visitors hover links, buttons, or form fields, the cursor can:

✅ **Scale up smoothly** with configurable speed and size

✅ **Change color and glow** to highlight the interactive element

✅ **Snap magnetically** toward the element's center (Pro)

✅ **Show contextual labels** — "Open", "Play", "Type" — right inside the cursor (Pro)

✅ **Blend with the page** using CSS blend modes, and target your own CSS selectors (Pro)

Plus **9 brand-new cursor shapes** (Pro): Blob, Squircle, Sparkle, Seal Badge, Octagon, Pin, Play, Asterisk, and Shield — 25 shapes in total.

### 🎯 Key Features of Ultimate Cursor

* **Advanced Animated Cursor Effects:** Transform your website with cutting-edge cursor animations including **bubble effects, snowflake patterns, splash cursors, character cursors, rainbow trails**, and dynamic cursor follow text functionality.

* **Comprehensive Cursor Type Library:** Access an extensive collection of cursor styles including **image cursors, icon cursors, shaped cursors, click spark effects, click particles**, and countless other animated cursor variations.

* **Interactive Visual Feedback:** Enhance user interactions with **interactive hover effects, click spark animations, particle burst effects**, and responsive cursor transformations that react to user movements and clicks.

* **Dynamic Character & Text Integration:** Implement **character cursors** and **cursor follow text** features that create engaging storytelling elements and interactive guidance throughout your website.

* **Stunning Visual Effects:** Deploy **rainbow cursor trails, snowflake animations, bubble cursors**, and splash effects that add magical, eye-catching elements to every mouse movement.

* **Stunning Icon Library:** Replace the standard cursor with **75+ built-in icons**. From custom designs to classic arrows, create an interactive element that grabs your visitors' attention.

* **25 Geometric Shape Cursors:** From a minimal dot-and-ring to hearts, stars, blobs, squircles, pins, and shields — modern shape cursors with customizable colors, sizes, and borders.

* **Seamless Integration with WordPress Page Builders:** Built to work with **Elementor, Gutenberg, WPBakery, Divi**, and other page builders — no template changes needed.

* **Performance-Optimized Animations:** Effects are code-split and loaded only when used, so your site stays fast. Cursor and background animations are GPU-accelerated for smooth 60fps motion.

* **Selective Animation Application:** Apply specific cursor effects to **entire site, specific pages, CSS selectors, or HTML elements** for targeted visual impact (Pro).

* **Accessibility Built In:** Custom cursors are automatically hidden on touch devices, and animations respect the visitor's reduced-motion preference.

* **Translation Ready:** The full dashboard and frontend are translatable — bring Ultimate Cursor to your audience in any language.

### 🌟 Background Effects Features

* **Antigravity Background Effect:** Create mesmerizing floating particle animations that defy gravity, adding depth and movement to your website sections with customizable particle density, speed, and colors.

* **Pillar Background Effect:** Implement stunning vertical light pillar animations that create a dynamic, architectural visual effect perfect for hero sections, landing pages, and feature showcases.

* **Customizable Animation Settings:** Fine-tune background effect parameters including animation speed, particle count, color schemes, opacity levels, and interaction behaviors.

* **Section-Specific Application:** Apply different background effects to specific sections, pages, or elements for targeted visual enhancement without affecting overall site performance (Pro).

* **Responsive Background Animations:** All background effects are fully responsive and optimized for mobile, tablet, and desktop devices ensuring consistent visual experiences across all screen sizes.

### 🆓 Free vs Pro

**Free forever:**

✅ Text, image, icon, shape, and animated cursor types

✅ 5 geometric shape cursors

✅ Splash, bubble, click spark, click particles, character, and rainbow effects with core controls

✅ Antigravity and Light Pillar background effects

✅ Live preview dashboard

**[Ultimate Cursor Pro](https://wpxero.com/plugins/ultimate-cursor/pricing) adds:**

✅ **Interactive Hover** — hover scale, colors, glow, magnetic attraction, cursor labels, blend modes, and custom CSS selector targeting

✅ **Multiple Cursor Configurations** — different cursors for different pages, sections, or elements

✅ **Element-Specific Targeting** — apply cursors to specific pages, CSS selectors, or HTML elements

✅ **20 additional shape cursors** — including the new Blob, Squircle, Sparkle, Pin, and Shield

✅ **Advanced Animation Controls** — fine-tune every effect: trail emojis, snowflake characters, spark colors, particle speed, image hotspots, and more

✅ **Premium Background Controls** — intensity, quality, display position, and multiple background configurations

✅ **Priority Support** — get expert help when you need it most

✅ **14-Day Money-Back Guarantee** — try Pro completely risk-free

[**Upgrade to Ultimate Cursor Pro →**](https://wpxero.com/plugins/ultimate-cursor/pricing)

== Installation ==

1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to **Plugins → Add New** and search for **"Ultimate Cursor"**, then click **Install Now** and **Activate**. (Or upload the `ultimate-cursor` folder to `/wp-content/plugins/` and activate it from the Plugins menu.)
2. Open the new **Ultimate Cursor** menu in your dashboard.
3. Pick a cursor type — Text, Image, Icon, Shapes, or Animated — style it with the live preview, and click **Save**.
4. Optionally enable a **Background Effect** from the Background tab.

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= How do I change the mouse cursor on my WordPress site? =

Install Ultimate Cursor, open the Ultimate Cursor menu in your dashboard, choose a cursor type (text, image, icon, shape, or animated effect), customize it with the live preview, and save. Your custom cursor is live immediately — no code or CSS needed.

= Will Ultimate Cursor slow down my website? =

No. Ultimate Cursor is optimized for performance: scripts load only when an effect is enabled, effects are code-split so visitors download only what your configuration uses, and animations are GPU-accelerated for smooth 60fps motion.

= Does it work with all themes and page builders? =

Yes. Ultimate Cursor is compatible with all properly-coded WordPress themes and page builders including Elementor, Gutenberg, WPBakery, Divi, and more.

= Does the custom cursor show on phones and tablets? =

Touch devices have no mouse cursor, so Ultimate Cursor automatically hides itself there to keep your mobile experience clean. Background effects remain fully responsive on all devices.

= What is Interactive Hover? =

Interactive Hover (Pro) makes your cursor react when visitors point at links, buttons, and form fields: it can scale up, change color, glow, get pulled magnetically toward the element, and even display a contextual label like "Open" or "Play" inside the cursor.

= What's the difference between the free and pro versions? =

The free version includes all five cursor types, five shapes, core effect controls, and both background effects. Pro adds Interactive Hover, multiple cursor configurations, element/page/selector targeting, 20 extra shapes, advanced per-effect customization, premium background controls, and priority support.

= Can I apply different cursors to different parts of my website? =

Yes. With Pro you can create multiple cursor configurations and target them at specific pages, CSS selectors, or HTML elements — for example one cursor site-wide and a different one over your portfolio grid.

= What background effects are available? =

Ultimate Cursor includes Antigravity (floating particles) and Light Pillar (glowing vertical light) effects. Both are customizable and can run site-wide or, with Pro, on specific pages and sections.

= Can I use background effects and cursor effects together? =

Absolutely. Any cursor effect can be combined with any background effect.

= Is there a money-back guarantee? =

Yes. Ultimate Cursor Pro comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee — if you're not completely satisfied, you get a full refund.

== Upgrade Notice ==

= 2.3.0 =
Major update: Interactive Hover (Pro) — hover scale, colors, glow, magnetic attraction and cursor labels — plus 9 new cursor shapes and important shape fixes.

== Screenshots ==
1. **General Settings — Select Cursor Type** 📊 – Choose Text, Image, Icon, Shapes, or Animated cursor from one central dashboard.
2. **Multiple Cursor Configurations** 🎯 – Create and manage different cursor setups for pages, selectors, and elements (Pro).
3. **Text Cursor Settings** ✏️ – Replace the pointer with custom text and preview it live in the settings panel.
4. **Image Cursor Settings** 🖼️ – Upload any image as your cursor with a real-time preview.
5. **Icon Cursor Library** 🎨 – Pick from a built-in icon library and see your selection instantly in the preview.
6. **Shapes Cursor Selection** 🔷 – Choose from geometric shape cursors with dot, circle, star, arrow, and more.
7. **Splash Cursor Settings** 💥 – Configure fluid splash size and force with an interactive live preview.
8. **Bubble Cursor Settings** 🫧 – Add playful bubble animations that follow cursor movement.
9. **Character Cursor Settings** 🔤 – Display custom characters or words that trail behind the cursor (Pro).
10. **Snowflake Cursor Settings** ❄️ – Select emoji characters for animated snowflake-style cursor trails (Pro).
11. **Rainbow Cursor Settings** 🌈 – Customize rainbow trail length and size for a colorful cursor effect (Pro).
12. **Trail Cursor Settings** ✨ – Set a custom emoji for an animated cursor trail with live preview (Pro).
13. **Click Spark Settings** ⚡ – Adjust spark size and count for click-triggered cursor effects.
14. **Click Particles Settings** 🎆 – Fine-tune particle speed for burst effects on click.
15. **Antigravity Particles Background** 🌌 – Customize particle colors, shape, and density with a live animation preview.
16. **Light Pillar Background** 🏛️ – Configure pillar colors and width for a glowing vertical light effect.
17. **Multiple Background Configurations** 🎬 – Manage separate background animations for different areas of your site (Pro).

== Changelog ==

= 2.3.0 [July 17, 2026] =
- Added: Interactive Hover (Pro) — cursors now react to links, buttons, and form fields with smooth scale, color, and glow effects
- Added: Magnetic attraction (Pro) — the cursor is gently pulled toward the center of the hovered element
- Added: Hover labels (Pro) — contextual action hints ("Open", "Play", "Type") appear on hover; shape cursors fill into a labeled disc and text cursors swap their text in place
- Added: Hover customization (Pro) — hover color, text color, glow size and color, blend modes, and custom CSS selector targeting with Basic/Advanced modes
- Added: 9 new cursor shapes (Pro) — Blob, Squircle, Sparkle, Seal Badge, Octagon, Pin, Play, Asterisk, and Shield
- Improved: Redesigned settings dashboard with a refreshed, more consistent visual design
- Improved: All dashboard emojis replaced with crisp SVG icons for consistent rendering on every OS and browser
- Improved: Shape cursors now apply the hover color to filled shapes, not just outlined ones
- Improved: Accessibility — hover animations respect the reduced-motion preference, and label text automatically adjusts for contrast
- Improved: Hardened server-side license gating now covers all per-effect premium fields
- Fixed: Hexagon shape was missing from the shape picker
- Fixed: Shape backgrounds now render correctly with shorthand hex (#abc) and named colors

= 2.2.3 [June 27, 2026] =
- Added: Full translation (i18n) support for the React-based dashboard — every interface string is now translatable, including code-split components and frontend effects
- Added: Translation-ready build pipeline with an updated .pot template and language files
- Improved: Hardened the codebase to pass WordPress Plugin Check — added nonce/capability safeguards, output escaping, and input sanitization
- Fixed: Replaced a direct database call and the deprecated parse_url() with WordPress-native functions for better reliability and cleaner multisite uninstall

= 2.2.2 [June 2, 2026] =
- Added: Image cursor hotspot (Pro) — set which point of the image aligns with the real mouse position, like the tip of an arrow
- Added: Visual hotspot picker with click/drag positioning on the cursor image
- Added: Hotspot presets (center, corners) plus custom X/Y percentage controls and a 3×3 anchor grid
- Improved: Major frontend cursor performance improvements with a modular architecture refactor
- Improved: Image and bubble cursor rendering and movement smoothness

= 2.2.1 [May 15, 2026] =
- Improved: Compatibility with latest WordPress and PHP versions.
- Fixed: Minor issues and stability improvements.

= 2.2.0 [April 16, 2026] =
- Added: Support for animated cursor targeting on specific elements and CSS selectors for enhanced customization flexibility
- Enhanced: Overall plugin performance and stability improvements
- Thanks: Special appreciation to [shelleysimpson](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/target-element-not-showing/) for reporting this feature request

= 2.1.1 [April 11, 2026] =
- Improved: Compatibility with latest WordPress and PHP versions.
- Fixed: Issues with some features not working properly.

= 2.1.0 [April 03, 2026] =
- Added: New Background Animation feature with Antigravity and Pillar effects for enhanced visual website customization
- Added: Background effects customization options including particle density, speed, colors, and opacity
- Added: Section-specific background effect application for targeted visual enhancement
- Added: Responsive background animations optimized for all device types

= 2.0.0 [March 07, 2026] =
- Added: Completely redesigned Dashboard UI for a cleaner, more intuitive experience
- Fixed: Shape cursor sizing issues that caused incorrect display on some configurations
- Fixed: Splash cursor colors not applying correctly from color picker
- Fixed: Trail cursor not updating in real-time when changing settings
- Improved: Significantly enhanced cursor performance and responsiveness
- Improved: Reduced memory usage for smoother animations across all cursor types

= 1.9.2 [February 20, 2026] =
- Improved: Enhanced cursor performance and reduced memory usage

= 1.9.1 [February 4, 2026] =
- Fixed: Resolved compatibility issues with caching plugins to ensure consistent cursor behavior
- Improved: WordPress 6.9.1 compatibility added

= 1.9.0 [January 18, 2026] =
- Fixed: Resolved multiple cursor configurations not applying correctly across different page sections (Thanks to Lisa)
- Fixed: Multiple cursor instances loading simultaneously on frontend causing performance issues
- Enhanced: Improved cursor configuration management for better reliability
- Improved: Optimized frontend asset loading to prevent duplicate cursor initializations

= 1.8.0 [January 16, 2026] =
- Added: New Circular Background styling option for Text Cursor type, enabling enhanced visual customization

= 1.7.12 [January 9, 2026] =
- Improved: All plugin settings are now removed when the plugin is deactivated for a cleaner uninstall experience. (Thanks to [Rocky](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/works-with-limitations-3/))

= 1.7.11 [December 26, 2025] =
- Improved: Assets loading optimization
- Enhanced: Optimized memory usage for smoother cursor animations

= 1.7.10 [December 5, 2025] =
- Improved: WordPress 6.9 compatibility added

= 1.7.9 [November 16, 2025] =
- Improved cursor performance and enhanced compatibility with various WordPress themes.
- Resolved minor issues and made some internal improvements to enhance the overall user experience.
- Tweaked: removed enable transition and hide default cursor from animated cursor

= 1.7.8 [11th November 2025] =
- Resolved: Astra theme compatibility issue

= 1.7.7 [27th October 2025] =
- Resolved: disabled default cursor not working for the link, button input field ect. (thanks to [Daria](https://wordpress.org/support/users/dariatym/))

= 1.7.6 [25th October 2025] =
- Resolved: Disabled admin notice for the Pro version to maintain a professional and uncluttered user experience.

= 1.7.5 [25th October 2025] =
- Enhanced: Offer launched for Ultimate Cursor Pro Halloween and Black Friday promotions, aligned with WordPress's commitment to promotional events during the holiday season.

= 1.7.4 [5th October 2025] =
- Enhanced: The Freemius SDK has been updated to ensure the plugin's reliance on the SDK is maintained in a professional manner.

= 1.7.3 [2nd October 2025] =
- Enhanced: Additional 10+ cursor shapes have been added to the premium version
- Fixed: Minor issues in the settings panel have been resolved to improve overall usability.

= 1.7.2 [17th September 2025] =
- Fixed: Custom cursor now properly displays in all modal overlays and popup elements across all themes by ensuring correct z-index layering
- Thanks: Special appreciation to [logaen](https://wordpress.org/support/users/logaen/) for reporting this issue

= 1.7.1 [15th September 2025] =
- Enhanced: The Freemius SDK has been updated to ensure the plugin's reliance on the SDK is maintained in a professional manner.

= 1.7.0 [14th September 2025] =
- Added: New Cursor Type Click Particles feature added
- Added: New Cursor Type Click Particles customization options added (premium version)
- Improved: Improve license system
- Enhanced: Significant performance optimization for all cursor animations

= 1.6.1 [3rd September 2025] =
- Fixed: Resolved Click Spark cursor effects compatibility issues with default WordPress themes
- Enhanced: Optimized plugin initialization sequence for improved cross-theme compatibility
- Improved: Enhanced cursor rendering performance across various WordPress environments

= 1.6.0 [31st August 2025] =
- Added: Click Spark feature added
- Added: Click Spark customization options added (premium version)
- Added: Compatibility with Elementor latest version
- Enhanced: Significant performance optimization for all cursor animations

= 1.5.2 [16th August 2025] =
- Added: Splash Cursor Size option added
- Added: Compatibility with Elementor latest version
- Improved: Performance optimization for cursor animations
- Updated: Translation files with new strings

= 1.5.1 [9th July 2025] =
- Fixed: Security vulnerabilities in cursor rendering functions
- Fixed: XSS protection for custom cursor text content
- Improved: Code structure and documentation for better maintainability
- Improved: Admin panel responsiveness on mobile devices
- Improved: Compatibility with popular caching plugins

= 1.5.0 [6th July 2025] =
- Added: Comprehensive Pro features customization options integrated into premium version
- Enhanced: Significant performance optimization for all cursor animations
- Enhanced: Reduced JavaScript footprint for faster page loading
- Fixed: Compatibility issues with latest WordPress 6.8.1
- Fixed: Edge cases in cursor positioning on complex layouts

= 1.4.4 [20th June 2025] =
- Added: New Magnetic cursor functionality with smooth attraction effects
- Added: Enhanced cursor trail effects with customizable particle systems
- Added: Advanced cursor scaling options for different interaction states
- Enhanced: Improved performance optimization for all cursor animations
- Fixed: Resolved compatibility issues with latest WordPress 6.9
- Fixed: Optimized memory usage for better overall plugin performance

= 1.4.3 [14th June 2025] =
- Added: New Trail cursor functionality for enhanced user interaction
- Added: Advanced customization options for Shaped Cursor including color and size parameters
- Enhanced: Optimized cursor performance and reduced latency for smoother operation
- Fixed: Refined UI/UX elements in the settings panel for improved usability
- Fixed: Resolved compatibility issues with the latest WordPress version

= 1.4.2 [30th May 2025] =
- Added: New loading cursor animation with smooth transitions
- Added: Option to hide custom cursor on touch devices, mobile, and tablets for better user experience
- Enhanced: Improved cursor performance and reduced lag

= 1.4.1 [26th May 2025] =
- Fixed: Various control-related bugs and UI inconsistencies
- Fixed: Color picker and unit control issues in the settings panel
- Fixed: Border style application for text cursors

= 1.4.0 [15th May 2025] =
- Added: New Shapes cursor feature with 5 modern cursor styles for enhanced visual customization
- Added: Multiple cursor configurations - now you can have different cursor effects on different parts of your website
- Added: Selective cursor application - now you can choose to display the custom cursor on specific pages, CSS selectors, or HTML elements
- Enhanced: User experience with more control over where cursor effects are applied
- Fixed: Minor UI/UX improvements in settings panel

= 1.3.8 [1st May 2025] =
- Added: Animated cursor bubble customization options added.
- Fixed: compatibility issues with Elementor.
- Fixed: compatibility issues with WordPress 6.8.1

= 1.3.7 [20th April 2025] =
- Added: Cursor Type Icon feature with 75+ built-in icons for enhanced customization.
- Enhanced: Redesigned Dashboard UI for improved user experience and suppressed unnecessary notices for a cleaner interface.

= 1.3.6 [15th April 2025] =
- Fixed: Style not applied to the image cursor.

= 1.3.5 [14th April 2025] =
- Added: Cursor Type Image features added
- Fixed: Border Style issue to the cursor type text

= 1.3.4 [11th April 2025] =
- Added: cursor Type text styling options added.
- Enhancement: Improved Dashboard design for better user experience.
- Fixed: some minor issues are fixed.
- Fixed: compatibility issues with Elementor.
- Fixed: compatibility issues with WordPress 6.8

= 1.3.3 [26th March 2025] =
- Fixed: Some minor issues are fixed.
- Fixed compatibility issues with Elementor.

= 1.3.0 [12th March 2025] =
-  Splash Cursor feature added to the global Cursor
-  Bubble Cursor feature added to the global Cursor
-  Cursor Follow Text feature added to the global Cursor

= 1.2.3 [30th January 2025] =
- Compatibility updates for the latest versions of WordPress and Elementor.

= 1.2.2 [21st December 2024] =
- System improvements
- Compatibility updates for the latest versions of WordPress and Elementor.

= 1.2.1 [21st October 2024] =
- Compatibility updates for the latest versions of WordPress and Elementor.

= 1.2.0 [8th October 2023] =
- Fixed compatibility issues with Elementor.
- Minor bug fixes.

= 1.1.0 [15th March 2023] =
- Addressed Elementor compatibility issues.

= 1.0.0 [Initial Release] =
- Initial release of Ultimate Cursor plugin