pop!_os Inconsistent cursor theme on Pop!_OS

[adgo169]

I'm experiencing inconsistent cursor theme behavior on Pop!_OS. While I have set Adwaita as my cursor theme, it only applies correctly to some applications. In GNOME Shell elements (dock, desktop, top bar) and certain apps like Spotify or VS Code, I see a different cursor theme (see screenshots). I've tried numerous solutions but haven't been able to get the Adwaita cursor to apply system-wide.

 

I am not that good with Linux and I've tried to solve this with help from Claude AI. Below is a more detailed description and steps I've tried so far.

 

Issue Description:
- Adwaita cursor theme works correctly in most applications
- Different cursor appears (showing white watch for loading, white hand for grabbing) in:
  - GNOME Shell elements (dock, desktop, top bar)
  - Spotify (Flatpak), VS Code (.deb installation)
- Running X11 session (not Wayland)

 

Current Configuration:
- gsettings shows Adwaita is set as cursor theme
- gtk-3.0/settings.ini has Adwaita configured
- XCURSOR_PATH is set to /usr/share/icons/Adwaita
- /usr/share/icons/default/index.theme points to Adwaita

 

Troubleshooting Steps Attempted:
1. Verified Adwaita installation and cursor files presence
2. Removed Breeze cursor themes
3. Removed conflicting cursor themes from /etc/X11/cursors
4. Reinstalled adwaita-icon-theme package
5. Created symbolic links for system-wide default cursor
6. Checked and set cursor theme in multiple locations:
   - GNOME Settings
   - GTK settings
   - X11 configuration
   - Flatpak/Flatseal settings

 

System Information:
- OS: Pop!_OS (22.04 LTS)
- Desktop Environment: GNOME 42.9
- Session Type: X11

 

All these steps haven't resolved the issue - the cursor theme remains inconsistent between applications and GNOME Shell elements.

 

Cursor I want (in Brave here):

 

Wrong Cursor:

Dock

 

Topbar

 

Spotify

 

VS Code