CID to CUR Converter

Make custom Windows cursors from CID-keyed font glyphs online

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Custom Cursors

Turn CID-keyed CJK characters into unique cursor designs — personalize your Windows desktop with character-shaped pointer icons.

Instant Creation

CID to CUR conversion takes only seconds on our servers. Get your custom cursor file quickly without complex image editing.

Privacy Protected

Uploaded CID fonts are removed after processing, and CUR outputs are deleted within 24 hours to keep your files secure.

How to convert CID to CUR

1

Select files from Computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, URL or by dragging it on the page.

2

Choose cur or any other format you need as a result (more than 200 formats supported)

3

Let the file convert and you can download your cur file right afterwards

About formats

CID (Character Identifier) is a font architecture developed by Adobe Systems and specified in June 1993 to address the challenges of fonts containing very large glyph sets, particularly for CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) scripts. Traditional PostScript fonts identify glyphs by name, which becomes impractical when a font contains tens of thousands of characters — a typical Japanese font may include over 20,000 glyphs. CID-keyed fonts replace glyph names with numeric identifiers organized by a character collection and ordering (such as Adobe-Japan1 or Adobe-GB1), dramatically reducing overhead for glyph access and subsetting. The architecture defines three PostScript font types: Type 9 (CID-keyed Type 1 outlines), Type 10 (CID-keyed Type 3), and Type 11 (CID-keyed Type 42/TrueType). A primary advantage is efficient handling of massive character sets — the numeric CID approach eliminates the memory and processing cost of maintaining thousands of glyph name strings. CID fonts also support sophisticated CMap resources that map encoding values to CIDs, enabling a single font to serve multiple encoding schemes (Unicode, Shift-JIS, Big5) without duplicating glyph data. The architecture integrates well with PDF subsetting, allowing documents to embed only the glyphs actually used. CID-keyed technology laid the foundation for CJK support in both OpenType and modern PDF workflows, and remains active in print production and document processing systems worldwide.
Developer: Adobe Systems
Initial release: June 11, 1993
CUR is the cursor image format for Microsoft Windows, structurally nearly identical to the ICO (icon) format but with the addition of a hotspot coordinate that identifies the precise pixel position where mouse clicks register. Introduced with early Windows versions, CUR files use the same container structure as ICO: a directory header listing one or more image entries, each specifying dimensions and color depth, followed by the pixel data for each variant. Like ICO, a single CUR file can contain multiple images at different sizes and color depths, allowing Windows to select the most appropriate cursor image for the current display resolution and color settings. Image data within CUR files can be stored as BMP pixel arrays (for legacy compatibility) or as embedded PNG images (supported since Windows Vista) for alpha-blended cursors with smooth edges. The hotspot coordinate — the distinguishing feature separating CUR from ICO — is stored as an X,Y pair in the directory entry header, typically pointing to the tip of an arrow or the center of a crosshair. One advantage is multi-resolution packaging: a single CUR file provides appropriate cursor imagery across display densities from standard DPI to high-DPI screens. Native Windows integration is another strength — CUR files are loaded directly by the operating system for mouse cursor display without any third-party software. CUR files are used by application developers and theme creators to customize the pointing experience across Windows environments.
Developer: Microsoft
Initial release: 1987

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert CID to CUR?

CUR is the Windows cursor format. Converting CID glyphs to CUR lets you create unique character-shaped cursors for custom desktop themes.

How do I apply a CUR cursor?

Open Windows Mouse Properties, go to the Pointers tab, browse for your CUR file, and assign it to a cursor role like Normal Select.

Does CUR include a hotspot?

Yes — CUR files define a hotspot (click point) coordinate. The conversion sets a default hotspot that you can adjust in a cursor editor.

What resolution should cursors be?

Standard Windows cursors are 32x32 or 48x48 pixels. CID glyph renders are scaled to fit these dimensions cleanly.

Is this service free?

Yes — Convertio offers CID to CUR conversion entirely free, with no account or payment needed.