How to Change EditText Cursor Color in Android

How to Change EditText Cursor Color in Android

6 June 2024 Stephan Petzl Leave a comment Tech-Help

When designing an Android application, you might encounter a situation where the default cursor color in an EditText component doesn’t fit well with your app’s theme. This issue is especially prevalent when using themes like Android’s Holo Light, where the cursor may become nearly invisible against a light background. This article will guide you through several methods to change the cursor color of an EditText in Android.

Method 1: Using android:textCursorDrawable Attribute

One of the simplest ways to change the cursor color is by setting the android:textCursorDrawable attribute to @null. This forces the cursor to use the android:textColor as its color.

<EditText
    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:textCursorDrawable="@null"
    />

Note: This attribute is available in API level 12 and higher.

Method 2: Custom Drawable

If you want more control over the cursor’s appearance, you can create a custom drawable and set it as the cursor.

Step 1: Define the Drawable

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<shape xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" android:shape="rectangle">
    <size android:width="1dp" />
    <solid android:color="#000000"/>
</shape>

Save this drawable XML as res/drawable/black_cursor.xml.

Step 2: Apply the Drawable to EditText

<EditText
    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:textCursorDrawable="@drawable/black_cursor"
/>

Method 3: Using AppCompat Themes

If you are using AppCompat themes, you can change the cursor color by modifying the colorAccent attribute in your app theme.

<style name="AppTheme" parent="Theme.AppCompat.Light.DarkActionBar">
    <item name="colorAccent">#0091BC</item>
</style>

Apply this style to your application or activity.

Method 4: Programmatically Changing the Cursor Color

For dynamic scenarios where you need to change the cursor color programmatically, you can use reflection to modify the cursor drawable.

try {
    Field f = TextView.class.getDeclaredField("mCursorDrawableRes");
    f.setAccessible(true);
    f.set(yourEditText, R.drawable.black_cursor);
} catch (Exception ignored) {
}

Conclusion

Changing the cursor color in an EditText can significantly improve the user experience by making the cursor more visible and enhancing the app’s overall aesthetics. Choose the method that best suits your project’s requirements.

For further guidance on Android development, you may find our other articles helpful:

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Learn more about Repeato and how it can benefit your development process by visiting our documentation.

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