The mouse is one of the main media for interacting with computers so it is natural that people have different preferences when it comes to using a mouse. If you are left-handed, change the main mouse button so that you can use the computer more easily. You can also specify the speed at which the cursor moves and double clicks, the color of the cursor, and other elements. This wikiHow teaches you how to adjust mouse settings on a computer.
Step
Method 1 of 2: On Windows Computer
Step 1. Open the mouse settings menu
Follow these steps to open the mouse settings menu in Windows 10:
- Click the menu " StartWindows in the lower left corner of the screen.
- Click the option " Settings ” or the gear icon.
- Click " Devices ”.
- Click " Mouse ” in the pane to the left of the window.
Step 2. Define the primary mouse button
Use the drop-down menu at the top of the window to select the right or left button as the primary mouse button.
Step 3. Change mouse wheel settings
Follow these steps to change mouse wheel settings:
- Use the drop-down menu next to "Roll mouse wheel to scroll" to determine whether one rotation of the mouse wheel can scroll the screen per line or page (full screen).
- Use the slider under "Choose how many lines to scroll each time" to specify the number of lines that slide as you scroll the mouse wheel in one interval.
Step 4. Click Adjust mouse & cursor size
It's in the lower-right side of the "Related settings" section. Options for adjusting the size and color of the cursor will appear.
Step 5. Resize the cursor
Use the slider under " Change pointer size " to adjust the size of the cursor on the screen.
Step 6. Change the cursor color
To change the cursor color, click the icon with the white or black cursor. You can also click an option to change the cursor color from black to white, depending on the displayed background. Finally, you can specify another cursor color. Follow these steps to choose a different cursor color.
- Click the green mouse cursor icon next to the color wheel.
- Click one of the recommended color options, or select the plus sign (“+”) icon to define your own color.
- Click a color in the color range (if you chose your own color).
- Use the slider bar below the color range to adjust the hue.
- Click " Done ”.
Step 7. Change the thickness of the text cursor
Use the slider bar under " Change cursor thickness " to change the text cursor thickness in certain applications (eg Notepad).
This option does not always apply to all text applications
Step 8. Click
in the upper left corner of the screen.
When you're done adjusting the cursor color and size, click the left arrow icon in the upper-left corner of the screen to return to the previous page.
Step 9. Click Additional Mouse Options
It's in the lower-right side of the "Related settings" section. The “Mouse Properties” window will open afterwards.
Step 10. Change the double click speed
Use the slider bar under " Double-click speed " to set how fast you need to double-click an object for the mechanism to count as a double click.
Step 11. Change the cursor
Click the tab " Pointers ” to change the appearance and style of the cursor. You can use the " Scheme " drop-down menu to select the cursors that are available by default. You can also download the cursor yourself and load it by clicking “ Browse ” under the window. However, make sure you always download cursors from safe websites. All cursors on the cursor pack are displayed under the "Customize" segment.
Additionally, you can click the checkbox next to "Enable pointer shadow" to add a shadow under the cursor
Step 12. Adjust the cursor movement
Click the tab Pointer Options ” to change the cursor movement on the screen. Use the following options to customize cursor movement:
- Use the slider under "Select a pointer speed" to adjust how fast the cursor moves on the screen. You can test the effect right away after adjusting the position of the slider.
- Check the " Enhance pointer precision " box to enable cursor acceleration. With this option, the cursor can move more naturally. However, if you play video games, this option needs to be disabled. This is because cursor acceleration makes it difficult for you to aim at objects with greater precision.
- Check the " Snap To " box to move the cursor to the main button in the window that is automatically displayed. When surfing the internet, this option is not recommended as it risks triggering you to accidentally click a malicious button.
- Check the "Display pointer trail" box to add a trail effect as you move the mouse.
- Check the " Hide pointer while typing " box to hide the cursor as you type. Again, this option does not always apply to all text applications.
- Check the box next to " Show location of pointer when I press CTRL key " to mark the cursor when you click the button “ Ctrl ”.
Step 13. Change the scrolling speed of the mouse wheel
Settings on the tab “ Wheel ” affects how fast you can scroll through pages of documents and websites.
- "Vertical Scrolling" speed is determined on a row per click basis. You can also set the computer to scroll a full page at a time on the scroll wheel. This aspect is similar to the settings in the “Mouse Settings” menu.
- "Horizontal Scrolling" speed is determined by characters per scroll. Not all mice support horizontal scrolling.
Step 14. Check for corrupt mouse drivers
Tabs Hardware ” displays the installed mice and their status. You can view more details, as well as update or downgrade the driver by selecting the mouse and clicking the “ Properties… ”.
Step 15. Click Apply
When finished changing mouse settings, click “ Apply ” in the lower right corner of the window to apply the changes made.
Method 2 of 2: On Mac Computer
Step 1. Open the mouse settings menu (“Mouse”) from System Preferences
The mouse settings menu will look different depending on the peripheral device you're using (e.g. a regular mouse, Apple's Magic Mouse, or a trackpad). Follow these steps to access the mouse settings menu:
- Click the Apple icon in the top-left corner of the screen.
- Click " System Preferences ”.
- Click " Mouse ”.
Step 2. Adjust the regular mouse settings
If you connect a standard mouse to your computer, there are several options that you change. The options are:
- Check the box next to "Scroll direction: Natural" to reverse the rotation direction of the mouse wheel.
- Use the slider under " Tracking Speed " to adjust the speed at which the cursor moves on the screen.
- Use the slider under "Scrolling speed" to adjust the rotation speed of the mouse wheel.
- Use the slider under " Double-Click speed " to set how fast you need to double-click the mouse button for the mechanism to count as a double click.
- Click the radio button next to " Left " or " Right " to select the button to use as the primary button.
Step 3. Adjust Magic Mouse settings
If you're using a Magic Mouse, you have two menus to choose from when opening the “Mouse” menu in the System Preferences window: “Point & Click “and “More Gestures “. Follow these steps to adjust Magic Mouse settings:
- Click the tab " Point & Click ” to access the “Point & Click” menu.
- Check the box next to "Scroll direction: Natural" to reverse the rotation direction of the mouse wheel.
- Check the box next to “Secondary Click” to change the primary and secondary buttons from right to left.
- Check the box next to "Smart Zoom" to enable screen zoom by double-tapping the mouse using one finger.
- Use the slider under " Tracking Speed " to adjust the speed at which the cursor moves on the screen.
- Click " More Gestures ” to access the “More Gestures” menu.
- Check the box next to " Swipe between pages " to switch from one page to another by swiping one finger left or right on the mouse.
- Check the box next to "Swipe between full-screen apps" to switch from one app to another by swiping two fingers left or right on the mouse.
- Check the box next to "Mission Control" to open the Mission Control window by tapping the mouse with two fingers.
Step 4. Adjust trackpad settings
As with the “Magic Mouse” setting, you can see the “Point & Click” and “More Gestures” segments. In addition, there is also a "Scroll & Zoom" segment which adjusts finger movements on the trackpad to scroll pages and zoom in on content. Use the following options to change trackpad settings:
- Click the tab " Point & Click ” to access the “Point & Click” menu.
- Check the box next to " Look up & data detectors " to enable and specify which gestures to use to quickly look up words or take actions.
- Check the box next to " Secondary click " to enable and specify a gesture that acts as a second click (right click).
- Check the box next to " Tap to click " to click on objects by tapping just one finger on the trackpad.
- Check the box next to " Look up " so you can look up words in the dictionary by triple-tapping the trackpad with three fingers.
- Use the slider under " Click " to change the force required when pressing the trackpad when you want to click an object or take an action.
- Use the slider under " Tracking Speed " to adjust the speed at which the cursor moves on the screen.
- Check the box next to " Silent click " to turn off the clicking sound that the computer makes when you click on the trackpad.
- Click the box next to "Force Click and haptic feedback" to activate the touchpad's hard press mechanism when you need to take a specific action.
- Click the tab " Scroll & Zoom ” to access the “Scroll & Zoom” menu.
- Check the box next to "Scroll direction: Natural" to reverse the trackpad's rotation/scroll direction.
- Check the box next to "Zoom in or out" to pinch the trackpad when you want to zoom in or out on objects on the screen.
- Check the box next to " Smart zoom " to zoom in or out on the screen by double-tapping the trackpad using two fingers.
- Check the box next to " Rotate " to rotate objects on the screen in a circular motion on the trackpad with two fingers.
- Click " More Gestures ” to access other gesture options.
- Check the box next to " Swipe between pages " to enable and select the gesture used to switch from one page to another.
- Check the box next to "Swipe between full-screen apps" to enable and select the gestures you need to use to switch from one app to another.
- Check the box next to " Notification Center " to enable and select the gesture that needs to be used to open the notification center window (“Notification Center”).
- Check the box next to "Mission Control" to enable and select the gesture that needs to be used to open the Mission Control window.
- Check the box next to " App Exposé " to enable and select the gestures you need to use to open Exposé.
- Check the box next to " Launchpad " so you can pinch the trackpad with your thumb and another three fingers to open Launchpad.
- Check the box next to "Show Desktop" to show the desktop by placing your thumb and other three fingers on the trackpad and spreading them apart.
