Free CUR test files and sample generator
A Windows cursor: an icon-style container with a hotspot. Generate valid .cur sample files for testing theme tooling, resource editors and uploads.
What is a .cur file?
CUR: Windows Cursor. A .cur file is a Windows cursor, structurally an icon with a hotspot, the pixel that marks the actual pointer position. Theme tooling and resource editors need to read that hotspot correctly.
Why generate a test CUR file?
- Test cursor-theme or resource-editor tooling.
- Verify hotspot parsing, not just the image.
- Check that an upload path distinguishes .cur from .ico.
What you can put inside a .cur file
You get 3 content options for CUR, so the file holds something meaningful rather than random padding: Solid color, Gradient, Checkerboard. For CUR these are alternatives, so choose the one that matches what you need to test.
How a .cur file is identified
Every .cur file begins with 00 00 02 00, the same directory as an icon, but type 2, a cursor, with a hotspot. That is what a validator inspecting content rather than the file name looks for.
How the size lands on the exact byte
Padding trails after the pixel data, beyond the declared length.
Negative testing with broken CUR files
- Invalid. Identifiable, but wrong inside, so it fails during parsing.
- Corrupted. The leading bytes are destroyed, so the
00 00 02 00identifying a .cur is gone. Same length as the valid file. - Incomplete. Truncated part-way, so it is genuinely shorter.
- Empty. Chosen under Content rather than File Condition: valid structure, no data.
Which failure to reach for, and what to assert for each, is covered in how to make a corrupted file for testing. For upload limits and type checks see testing file upload validation.
Sample CUR content
[CUR], CURSORDIR (type 2) + hotspot + 32x32 32-bit BGRA image.
This shows the shape of the file. Your download is generated fresh at the size you choose, so the values will differ.
How to open and verify the file
Preview in Windows Explorer, or set it as a pointer in Mouse Properties.
Media type image/x-icon · extension .cur · category Images
Generate a .cur file → · questions about sizes, privacy or cost are answered on the site FAQ.
Frequently asked questions about CUR files
What identifies a .cur file?
A .cur file begins with the bytes 00 00 02 00, the same directory as an icon, but type 2, a cursor, with a hotspot. Those bytes are what a content-sniffing validator looks for, and what the Corrupted condition destroys.
How can a .cur file be an exact number of bytes?
Padding trails after the pixel data, beyond the declared length.
What can go inside the CUR file?
There are 3 content options for .cur: Solid color, Gradient, Checkerboard. For CUR these are alternatives, so pick the one matching what you need to test.
Can I download several broken CUR files at once?
Yes, select more than one File Condition and you get one ZIP containing a .cur per condition, each named after its condition.
Can the CUR file use UTF-16 or a byte-order mark?
No, and deliberately. A .cur file is a container rather than plain text, so rewriting its bytes as UTF-16 would not produce a UTF-16 document. It would produce a broken file. Use a text format such as CSV, JSON or XML for encoding tests.
How do I open or verify the CUR file?
Preview in Windows Explorer, or set it as a pointer in Mouse Properties.