Bringing Back the macOS Cursor “Shake to Find” on Ubuntu — Meet Wiggle & Jiggle
As part of my never-ending mission to give my Ubuntu-powered MacBook Pro just a little more of that macOS polish without losing the Linux soul underneath I recently realised I was missing something very small but very useful: the “shake to find the cursor” feature.
If you’ve used macOS for any amount of time, you know the one. Lose your cursor across multiple screens? Give the mouse or trackpad a quick wiggle and the pointer grows dramatically, making it unmissable.
It turns out… I use that gesture a lot. And after moving my MacBook Pro fully onto Ubuntu (complete with one or two external monitors), I kept instinctively shaking the cursor — only for nothing to happen. Not very Apple Geek friendly.
But good news: Linux has caught up.
Two GNOME extensions now bring the macOS cursor-jiggle behaviour straight to Ubuntu:
Jiggle → For older Ubuntu releases
Wiggle → For Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and newer
And honestly? They work brilliantly.
Why This Matters (Especially on Multi-Monitor Setups)
Lose your cursor on a dual-monitor desk setup?
Big hi-res display?
Dark wallpapers or themes?
It happens a lot more than you think.
On macOS, shaking the cursor to enlarge it is second nature — you barely think about it. Using Ubuntu daily made me realise how ingrained that small UX delight had become. Re-adding it makes Ubuntu feel instantly more fluid and familiar on Mac hardware.
Wiggle vs Jiggle — Which One Do You Need?
Wiggle
For Ubuntu 24.04 LTS / GNOME 45+
👉 https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/6784/wiggle/
This is the modern, smooth, actively-supported version. It simply magnifies the cursor when you shake it just like macOS.
Jiggle
For Ubuntu 20.04 / 22.04 LTS on older GNOME versions
Offers several effects (cursor scaling, spotlight, even fireworks). Fun, but not as clean.
Installing Wiggle (Ubuntu 24.04 LTS)
Before you install any GNOME extension through the browser, you need the connector package:
sudo apt install chrome-gnome-shellThen:
Open the extension page here:
Wiggle → https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/6784/wiggle/Switch the toggle to ON
Approve the installation
Open Extensions (or GNOME Tweaks) to enable/configure it
Now give your trackpad or mouse a shake… and enjoy that familiar macOS moment.
This tiny tweak genuinely improves daily workflow especially when your MacBook running Ubuntu is hooked up to multiple external displays. It’s one of those micro-interactions you didn’t realise you’d miss until it’s gone.
If you’re aiming to blend the best bits of macOS with the power and flexibility of Linux (like I do here on The Apple Geek), Wiggle is an absolute must-install.
