What do the different mouse pointer shapes mean?
You may have already noticed that sometimes the mouse pointer changes shape automatically as you move it around the screen. The mouse pointer changes shape to indicate different options are available. Here are some examples used in Microsoft® Internet Explorer. Most often, the mouse pointer is in the shape of a left pointing arrow that will allow you to point to an item or a function, then select that item or function by clicking on it. If the mouse pointer changes to a pointing hand, then the item it is pointing to is a link. By clicking on a link, you will move to another webpage or website. Links can be in a variety of formats from pictures to underlined text. When the mouse pointer is moved over text it will change to an I-beam. You can use this to select portions of text that you would like to copy. When the mouse pointer changes to a timer, then the computer is completing an action. You will have to wait for the action to be completed before doing anything else.
