diff --git a/src/backends/x11/windowed/x11_windowed_backend.cpp b/src/backends/x11/windowed/x11_windowed_backend.cpp
index 410562fa0b..90c1987fe7 100644
--- a/src/backends/x11/windowed/x11_windowed_backend.cpp
+++ b/src/backends/x11/windowed/x11_windowed_backend.cpp
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@
 #include "x11_windowed_logging.h"
 #include "x11_windowed_output.h"
 #include "x11_windowed_qpainter_backend.h"
-#include <cursor.h>
 #include <pointer_input.h>
 // KDE
 #include <KLocalizedString>
@@ -171,9 +170,6 @@ X11WindowedBackend::~X11WindowedBackend()
         if (m_keySymbols) {
             xcb_key_symbols_free(m_keySymbols);
         }
-        if (m_cursor) {
-            xcb_free_cursor(m_connection, m_cursor);
-        }
         xcb_disconnect(m_connection);
     }
 }
@@ -203,10 +199,6 @@ bool X11WindowedBackend::initialize()
         XRenderUtils::init(m_connection, m_screen->root);
         createOutputs();
         connect(kwinApp(), &Application::workspaceCreated, this, &X11WindowedBackend::startEventReading);
-        connect(Cursors::self(), &Cursors::currentCursorChanged, this, [this]() {
-            KWin::Cursor *c = KWin::Cursors::self()->currentCursor();
-            createCursor(c->image(), c->hotspot());
-        });
         m_pointerDevice = std::make_unique<X11WindowedInputDevice>();
         m_pointerDevice->setPointer(true);
         m_keyboardDevice = std::make_unique<X11WindowedInputDevice>();
@@ -573,48 +565,6 @@ void X11WindowedBackend::updateSize(xcb_configure_notify_event_t *event)
     Q_EMIT sizeChanged();
 }
 
-void X11WindowedBackend::createCursor(const QImage &srcImage, const QPoint &hotspot)
-{
-    xcb_pixmap_t pix = XCB_PIXMAP_NONE;
-    xcb_gcontext_t gc = XCB_NONE;
-    xcb_cursor_t cid = XCB_CURSOR_NONE;
-
-    if (!srcImage.isNull()) {
-        pix = xcb_generate_id(m_connection);
-        gc = xcb_generate_id(m_connection);
-        cid = xcb_generate_id(m_connection);
-
-        // right now on X we only have one scale between all screens, and we know we will have at least one screen
-        const qreal outputScale = 1;
-        const QSize targetSize = srcImage.size() * outputScale / srcImage.devicePixelRatio();
-        const QImage img = srcImage.scaled(targetSize, Qt::KeepAspectRatio);
-
-        xcb_create_pixmap(m_connection, 32, pix, m_screen->root, img.width(), img.height());
-        xcb_create_gc(m_connection, gc, pix, 0, nullptr);
-
-        xcb_put_image(m_connection, XCB_IMAGE_FORMAT_Z_PIXMAP, pix, gc, img.width(), img.height(), 0, 0, 0, 32, img.sizeInBytes(), img.constBits());
-
-        XRenderPicture pic(pix, 32);
-        xcb_render_create_cursor(m_connection, cid, pic, qRound(hotspot.x() * outputScale), qRound(hotspot.y() * outputScale));
-    }
-
-    for (auto it = m_outputs.constBegin(); it != m_outputs.constEnd(); ++it) {
-        xcb_change_window_attributes(m_connection, (*it)->window(), XCB_CW_CURSOR, &cid);
-    }
-
-    if (pix) {
-        xcb_free_pixmap(m_connection, pix);
-    }
-    if (gc) {
-        xcb_free_gc(m_connection, gc);
-    }
-    if (m_cursor) {
-        xcb_free_cursor(m_connection, m_cursor);
-    }
-    m_cursor = cid;
-    xcb_flush(m_connection);
-}
-
 xcb_window_t X11WindowedBackend::rootWindow() const
 {
     if (!m_screen) {
diff --git a/src/backends/x11/windowed/x11_windowed_backend.h b/src/backends/x11/windowed/x11_windowed_backend.h
index ed1898b751..b4116f63ea 100644
--- a/src/backends/x11/windowed/x11_windowed_backend.h
+++ b/src/backends/x11/windowed/x11_windowed_backend.h
@@ -150,7 +150,6 @@ private:
     void handleButtonPress(xcb_button_press_event_t *event);
     void handleExpose(xcb_expose_event_t *event);
     void updateSize(xcb_configure_notify_event_t *event);
-    void createCursor(const QImage &img, const QPoint &hotspot);
     void initXInput();
     X11WindowedOutput *findOutput(xcb_window_t window) const;
 
@@ -166,7 +165,6 @@ private:
 
     xcb_atom_t m_protocols = XCB_ATOM_NONE;
     xcb_atom_t m_deleteWindowProtocol = XCB_ATOM_NONE;
-    xcb_cursor_t m_cursor = XCB_CURSOR_NONE;
     Display *m_display = nullptr;
     bool m_keyboardGrabbed = false;
     std::unique_ptr<QSocketNotifier> m_eventNotifier;
diff --git a/src/backends/x11/windowed/x11_windowed_output.cpp b/src/backends/x11/windowed/x11_windowed_output.cpp
index 18253e1425..1bf3a34536 100644
--- a/src/backends/x11/windowed/x11_windowed_output.cpp
+++ b/src/backends/x11/windowed/x11_windowed_output.cpp
@@ -7,10 +7,12 @@
     SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
 */
 #include "x11_windowed_output.h"
+#include "../common/kwinxrenderutils.h"
 
 #include <config-kwin.h>
 
 #include "core/renderloop_p.h"
+#include "cursor.h"
 #include "softwarevsyncmonitor.h"
 #include "x11_windowed_backend.h"
 
@@ -25,6 +27,63 @@
 namespace KWin
 {
 
+X11WindowedCursor::X11WindowedCursor(X11WindowedOutput *output)
+    : m_output(output)
+{
+}
+
+X11WindowedCursor::~X11WindowedCursor()
+{
+    if (m_handle != XCB_CURSOR_NONE) {
+        xcb_free_cursor(m_output->backend()->connection(), m_handle);
+        m_handle = XCB_CURSOR_NONE;
+    }
+}
+
+void X11WindowedCursor::update(const QImage &image, const QPoint &hotspot)
+{
+    X11WindowedBackend *backend = m_output->backend();
+
+    xcb_connection_t *connection = backend->connection();
+    xcb_pixmap_t pix = XCB_PIXMAP_NONE;
+    xcb_gcontext_t gc = XCB_NONE;
+    xcb_cursor_t cid = XCB_CURSOR_NONE;
+
+    if (!image.isNull()) {
+        pix = xcb_generate_id(connection);
+        gc = xcb_generate_id(connection);
+        cid = xcb_generate_id(connection);
+
+        // right now on X we only have one scale between all screens, and we know we will have at least one screen
+        const qreal outputScale = 1;
+        const QSize targetSize = image.size() * outputScale / image.devicePixelRatio();
+        const QImage img = image.scaled(targetSize, Qt::KeepAspectRatio);
+
+        xcb_create_pixmap(connection, 32, pix, backend->screen()->root, img.width(), img.height());
+        xcb_create_gc(connection, gc, pix, 0, nullptr);
+
+        xcb_put_image(connection, XCB_IMAGE_FORMAT_Z_PIXMAP, pix, gc, img.width(), img.height(), 0, 0, 0, 32, img.sizeInBytes(), img.constBits());
+
+        XRenderPicture pic(pix, 32);
+        xcb_render_create_cursor(connection, cid, pic, qRound(hotspot.x() * outputScale), qRound(hotspot.y() * outputScale));
+    }
+
+    xcb_change_window_attributes(connection, m_output->window(), XCB_CW_CURSOR, &cid);
+
+    if (pix) {
+        xcb_free_pixmap(connection, pix);
+    }
+    if (gc) {
+        xcb_free_gc(connection, gc);
+    }
+
+    if (m_handle) {
+        xcb_free_cursor(connection, m_handle);
+    }
+    m_handle = cid;
+    xcb_flush(connection);
+}
+
 X11WindowedOutput::X11WindowedOutput(X11WindowedBackend *backend)
     : Output(backend)
     , m_renderLoop(std::make_unique<RenderLoop>())
@@ -138,6 +197,12 @@ void X11WindowedOutput::init(const QSize &pixelSize, qreal scale)
     addIcon(QSize(32, 32));
     addIcon(QSize(48, 48));
 
+    m_cursor = std::make_unique<X11WindowedCursor>(this);
+    connect(Cursors::self(), &Cursors::currentCursorChanged, this, [this]() {
+        KWin::Cursor *c = KWin::Cursors::self()->currentCursor();
+        m_cursor->update(c->image(), c->hotspot());
+    });
+
     xcb_map_window(m_backend->connection(), m_window);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/backends/x11/windowed/x11_windowed_output.h b/src/backends/x11/windowed/x11_windowed_output.h
index 1ad22b8927..72d7c085fb 100644
--- a/src/backends/x11/windowed/x11_windowed_output.h
+++ b/src/backends/x11/windowed/x11_windowed_output.h
@@ -24,6 +24,20 @@ namespace KWin
 
 class SoftwareVsyncMonitor;
 class X11WindowedBackend;
+class X11WindowedOutput;
+
+class X11WindowedCursor
+{
+public:
+    explicit X11WindowedCursor(X11WindowedOutput *output);
+    ~X11WindowedCursor();
+
+    void update(const QImage &image, const QPoint &hotspot);
+
+private:
+    X11WindowedOutput *m_output;
+    xcb_cursor_t m_handle = XCB_CURSOR_NONE;
+};
 
 /**
  * Wayland outputs in a nested X11 setup
@@ -41,6 +55,10 @@ public:
     void init(const QSize &pixelSize, qreal scale);
     void resize(const QSize &pixelSize);
 
+    X11WindowedBackend *backend() const
+    {
+        return m_backend;
+    }
     xcb_window_t window() const
     {
         return m_window;
@@ -76,6 +94,7 @@ private:
     std::unique_ptr<NETWinInfo> m_winInfo;
     std::unique_ptr<RenderLoop> m_renderLoop;
     std::unique_ptr<SoftwareVsyncMonitor> m_vsyncMonitor;
+    std::unique_ptr<X11WindowedCursor> m_cursor;
     QPoint m_hostPosition;
     QRegion m_exposedArea;