Software training tools that keep trainees on the right button
In a software class, the question is never “what is this feature?” It is “which button?” Trainees watch a shrunken screen and lose a pointer that is a few pixels wide. Enlarge the Windows pointer first, then add SHARA: a cursor halo, a click flash, a laser, a pen and a zoom over any app, free to start.
Free forever for the tools a class needs.
No account, no subscription. Windows 10 and 11.
What are the best free tools for showing your screen in a software training session?
Start with Windows: enlarge the pointer under Settings › Accessibility › Mouse pointer and touch. When trainees still lose the click, add SHARA, free on Windows: a cursor halo that flashes on every click, plus the Laser, Pen and Arrow. Share your entire screen so trainees see them.
“Which button?” costs more class time than any feature
Trainees see your screen in a small meeting window, often next to their own work. The pointer is a few pixels wide there, a menu opens and closes in under a second, and the click leaves no trace. So you narrate: the second item, no, the one under it. Every repeat of that costs the whole room a minute.
Start with the free fix Windows already has. Open Settings › Accessibility › Mouse pointer and touch and raise the pointer Size, or change its colour under Mouse pointer style. Under Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Mouse › Additional mouse settings › Pointer Options, tick Show location of pointer when I press the CTRL key and a press of Ctrl circles the pointer (Microsoft Support, read November 1, 2026).
Trainers do exactly this. A GoTo Community thread titled “Mouse Pointer Size” in the GoToTraining forum discusses pointer size for trainers, and the reply points to the Windows pointer settings. A bigger pointer is worth doing, and for some classes it is enough.
What it can’t do: show the click, mark the field you mean, or enlarge a 12-pixel toolbar icon. A trainer needs a pen and a lens, not only a larger arrow. Teaching shortcuts or demos in a call? The Zoom and Teams presentations page covers the call-app settings, and this page is about your screen, not about controlling anyone else’s.
Make your screen easy to follow in five steps
Do this once before your next class. After that it is a few keys you press when a trainee asks “where?”
- Enlarge the Windows pointer.Go to Settings › Accessibility › Mouse pointer and touch and drag the Size slider up a few notches. It costs nothing and every app obeys it.
- Install SHARA free from the Microsoft Store.No account and no sign-in. The cursor halo is on after install, and Ctrl+Win+H turns it on and off.
- Share your entire screen, not one window.In Teams or Zoom, choose the screen. A single-window share doesn’t capture SHARA’s overlay, and Microsoft Q&A threads report the pointer missing from some single-screen shares too.
Entire screen: SHARA’s overlay is seen Share one window: the overlay is left out - Rehearse once with a colleague.Open the screen share test or run the screen share checklist, and ask your colleague whether they can see the halo and the click flash.
- Try the Wheel once.Hold Ctrl+Space and the SHARA Wheel opens at your cursor. Draw, Magnifier, Colour, Erase, Shape and Screen are all on it, so your hand never leaves the mouse.
Try it in your next class, free. The halo, Laser, Pen, Arrow and Text never expire.
What you press at each moment of a training session
Three of the five moments use free tools. Default keys shown; you can change any of them.
1. Orient
“We start in the Reports tab.”
The cursor halo rings the pointer in a shape, size and colour you choose, so trainees find it in a full screen at once.
Ctrl+Win+HFREE2. Point
“Now this column.”
The Laser leaves a short trail that fades after 2.6 seconds, so there is nothing to clean up before the next step.
Ctrl+Win+XFREE3. Label
“Type the ID in this field.”
A text label goes where you click, and the Arrow or Pen underlines the field. Trainees see the exact spot.
Ctrl+Win+IFREE4. Enlarge
“Look at the small icon.”
The Magnifier offers a lens, a spotlight, Live Zoom up to 8× and a 9:16 window. It is a Pro tool, free for your first 14 days.
Ctrl+Win+GPRO5. Reset
“Next exercise.”
Clear wipes every mark. Ctrl+Z undoes the last stroke if you cleared too soon.
Ctrl+Win+BFREE
The click flash needs no key. Every click flashes white around the halo, and custom left and right click colours are Pro.
What Windows does for a trainer, and where SHARA picks up
Use the free Windows settings first. Add SHARA for what they leave out.
| What trainees struggle with | Built into Windows | With SHARA |
|---|---|---|
| The pointer is too small | Settings › Accessibility › Mouse pointer and touch: Size and Mouse pointer style | Halo around the pointer in Squircle, Circle or Rhombus, five sizes and any colour FREE |
| Trainees lose the pointer | Pointer Options › “Show location of pointer when I press the CTRL key” circles it on a press of Ctrl | The halo stays on and follows the pointer; Ctrl+Win+H toggles it FREE |
| The click leaves no trace | No click cue on screen | The halo flashes on every click FREE |
| Pointing at one field | Nothing outside PowerPoint slides | Laser with a fading trail, Pen, Arrow and Text labels FREE |
| Tiny toolbars and menus | Windows Magnifier (Win + Plus to zoom in) | Lens, Spotlight and Live Zoom up to 8× around the pointer PRO |
| Teaching a shortcut | Say the keys aloud | The Keystroke Pill shows keys as you press them and pauses in password fields PRO |
Free covers the class
$0, no expiry, no account
Everything a trainer uses in moments 1, 2, 3 and 5, in one ink colour.
- Cursor halo with click flash
- SHARA Wheel on Ctrl+Space
- Laser pointer with fading trail
- Pen and Arrow
- Text labels
- Eraser and Clear
- Screenshot
- Master on/off: Ctrl+Win+Z
Pro, if you want more later
- Highlighter
- Whiteboard: white, black or grid board
- Line, Rectangle and Circle
- The four zoom modes
- Colour sets, Alt+1 to Alt+4
- Smart Keystroke Pill
Free forever tier. SHARA Pro is a $19.99 one-time lifetime license with a 14-day money-back guarantee, usable across your personal Windows devices.
Every install starts with a 14-day Pro trial. When it ends, SHARA simply carries on with the free tools. Nothing to cancel.
When SHARA isn’t the right fit for a trainer
If one of these is your main need, look elsewhere first.
- You build software simulations or e-learning courses. SHARA draws over your live screen. It doesn’t record, author interactive simulations or host a class. Authoring tools such as Adobe Captivate exist for that.
- You want the trainee’s pointer or ink to show. SHARA marks your screen. When a trainee shares theirs, their screen shows only what runs on their own PC.
- You need to control the trainee’s computer. This page is about what trainees see on your screen. For control, use your meeting app’s remote-control feature.
- You train on a Mac. SHARA runs on Windows 10 and 11 only.
- Your training PC is locked down. Whether Store apps can be installed is your IT team’s decision. The note below answers what they will ask.
A note you can forward to IT
On a company training laptop or lab PC, installing from the Microsoft Store is IT’s decision. This answers what they’ll ask.
- What it is
- SHARA, a screen annotation overlay (pen, laser, cursor highlight) made by Mashyo, used by trainers to show learners where to click.
- Where it installs from
- Microsoft Store, app ID 9NSBK9J07HS4. Windows 10 and Windows 11.
- Network and data
- Runs on the PC, online or offline. Zero telemetry; the network is used only to buy or restore Pro. It stores no learner data and sends nothing.
- Accounts
- None. No sign-in, no email, no cloud service.
- Cost
- Free tier with no expiry. Optional Pro is a one-time $19.99 licence, not a subscription.
- Support
- info@sharacursor.com
Software training with SHARA, answered
Can trainees see SHARA’s halo and ink in Teams, Zoom or GoTo?
How do I make the mouse pointer bigger for trainees in Windows?
Is SHARA free for trainers?
Does SHARA record my training session?
Does it work on a projector in a classroom?
Will it run on a locked-down training laptop?
More use cases
Teaching VS Code, PowerPoint or CAD
Show tiny buttons, clicks and shortcuts in a software class.
Try it in your next class, free
Install it now, share your entire screen, and ring the first button with the halo. No account, no subscription, nothing sent online.
Disclosure and sources: Mashyo makes SHARA. Class moments describe common training situations, not measured results. Windows setting paths: Microsoft Support, “Change mouse settings”. The pointer-size thread: GoTo Community, GoToTraining Discussions, “Mouse Pointer Size”. Both read November 1, 2026.
