How to show mouse clicks in OBS

Below: what OBS can and can’t do about clicks, the Display Capture setting to check, the SHARA setup, a 10-second test and what to try if the highlight is missing. OBS pages and threads were read on November 1, 2026.

Does OBS show mouse clicks?

No. OBS Studio’s capture sources only record the cursor itself, with a Show Cursor switch. A years-old OBS forum feature request for cursor and click highlighting has replies that suggest workarounds, and none that say OBS records click highlights on its own.

1. In OBS, select + under Sources and choose Display Capture.
2. Name the source, select OK, then pick the monitor you will work on under Display.
3. Keep Show Cursor ticked, then select OK. The cursor now appears in the preview.

Note: OBS’s Display Capture guide lists Show Cursor as on by default, and its Window Capture guide lists Capture Cursor as on by default. Neither adds a click effect.

Display Capture or Window Capture for a click highlight

Use Display Capture. OBS describes Window Capture as showing “only the selected window”, so anything another program draws on top, such as a highlight, is not part of it. In the forum thread, one user reported a highlight tool worked with desktop recording but not with window recording. That is a user report, not an OBS statement, so test your own setup (below). Windows has a small built-in aid too: Show location of pointer when I press the CTRL key in the mouse settings, but a reply in the same thread notes that it marks the pointer’s position, not clicks.

How to show mouse clicks in OBS with SHARA

SHARA is a Windows overlay, not a recorder. It marks the screen and OBS records the screen, so the two work together without a plugin.

• A halo that follows the cursor. The Circle, Squircle or Rhombus halo is free, in five sizes and any colour.
• A flash on every click. The basic click flash is free and white. The ripple and separate left and right click colours are free for 14 days, then part of Pro.
• Nothing to add inside OBS. There is no source to move and no script to run.
• Controls you can keep out of the video. Hide the Wheel from recordings so viewers see the ink but not the menu you picked it from.

1. Install SHARA free from the Microsoft Store. There is no account, and it waits in the background for a hotkey.
2. Press Ctrl+Win+H if the halo is not showing. It is on at first launch.
3. Open SHARA’s Settings and choose a halo shape, size and colour that stand out on your wallpaper and apps.
4. In Settings, set the Wheel to Hidden under Recording, so the Wheel stays out of recordings. Windows decides whether this works for each recorder, so check it in the test below.
5. In OBS, keep your Display Capture source on the monitor you work on, then select Start Recording.

Check it in a 10-second test recording

1. In OBS, select Start Recording, click a few buttons and draw a short Pen line, then select Stop Recording.
2. Play the file back and confirm the halo moves with the cursor and flashes on each click.
3. If the halo or flash is missing, check that the source is Display Capture on the right monitor, not Window Capture, and that Show Cursor is on.

SHARA can also draw while you record: the screen annotation page lists every tool, and SHARA for screen recording covers the capture options. If you are working out which free recorder to use first, the tutorial video guide walks through the whole workflow.

Which way to show clicks in OBS should you use?

When SHARA isn’t the right fit

Stay inside OBS if you want a click marker that is part of the scene and can be edited later, or if you record a single window with Window Capture and cannot switch. SHARA is Windows only, and a click flash that is added in editing software after the recording is a different tool. If the halo shows on screen but not in the file, test it as above before you record anything long.

Showing mouse clicks in OBS: FAQ