Abstract: The system and method of the present invention for detecting screen hotspots provides a graphical user interface environment that enables a user to select screen hotspots that are graphically represented by complex shapes and multiple colors. The use of complex-shaped multi-colored hotspots enables the creation of more realistic graphical representations implementing screen hotspots. Monochrome bitmaps, or masks, are created for each and every hotspot of each and every window view that may be displayed on a screen. Each mask defines valid coordinates for the corresponding hotspots such that, so long as a cursor is located on a valid coordinate, the user can select that hotspot, regardless of the complex shape or multiple colors used to graphically represent the hotspot.