Mouse keys allow you to mimic mouse movements and clicks with your keyboard, including the mouse wheel and all the different buttons.
These keys can reduce the number of times you have to reach for your mouse throughout the day or even let you create a setup where you control your computer solely with your keyboard.
How to set up a mouse key
To set up a mouse key, follow these steps:
- Go to the layout editor
- Select the key you want
- Go to the Mouse submenu
- Select the mouse function you want
Mouse key preferences
Mouse keys need to be well-tuned for them to be helpful. That's why we strongly suggest you adjust the settings and the response of the mouse keys in terms of acceleration, speed, and maximum speed.
You can do so under Preferences > Typing and Keys.
- Cursor Speed determines the initial cursor speed. The higher the value, the faster the cursor will move.
- Cursor Acceleration determines how fast the cursor speed increases as you hold the mouse key. If set to zero, the cursor will always move at the initial cursor speed.
- Maximum Cursor Speed determines the speed at which the cursor will stop accelerating.
- Wheel Speed determines the speed of the mouse wheel.
If you want to quit using the mouse completely, you must test the different settings to find the ones that better suit you. The community's advice will be priceless in those cases, so don't hesitate to ask them.
What to do if your mouse keys preferences keep resetting
There's currently a bug in the mouse settings. They will be reset to default when you change any settings in the Typing and Keys menu of the preferences, but the sliders won't move to reflect that.
The workaround if to manually change all the settings of the mouse keys (even if just by 1) every time you adjust any other setting of the Typing and Keys menu of the preferences.