Guides
Using a Mac one-handed
One hand can run a Mac comfortably with the right split of jobs. The mistake is trying to do a two-handed layout with one hand. This guide gives three setups that were each designed for one hand from the start: a single Joy-Con, a keyboard where one half is remapped onto the other, and a mouse whose extra buttons carry the keys the other hand used to press.
A single Joy-Con
Held sideways, a Joy-Con has a stick, four face buttons, two shoulder buttons on the rail, and a system button, all under one hand. Pair it on its own (how) and use the Joy-Con One Hand preset: stick for the pointer, the four face buttons as click, right click, Return, and Escape, the two rail buttons as scroll up and down with a hold for Page Up and Page Down, and the small system button for Start Dictation. Because a Joy-Con is so small, it can be held in the hand that is also resting on a chair arm or a lap, for hours.
Half a keyboard
The Half Keyboard preset mirrors the right half of the keyboard onto the left with a hold: tap F and it types F, hold F for a third of a second and it types J, the key in the same position under the other hand. Every left-hand letter key has its mirror on its hold (D and K, S and L, E and I, R and U, and so on), so a left hand types the whole alphabet without leaving home position. It is the idea of the old Half-QWERTY keyboards, done in software with the Mac's own keyboard as the input, using InputConfig's hold actions rather than a held modifier, because keyboard rows do not take chords. Letters appear on release rather than on press, which feels odd for a day and then does not. A right-hand version is the same file with the sides swapped, and both are on this page.
A mouse with jobs
Any mouse with side buttons can carry the keys the other hand would have pressed. Bind the two side buttons to Command and Shift in Toggle mode, and the middle button to Return. Now a one-handed mouse user can Command-click, Shift-select, and confirm without a keyboard. Scroll-wheel tilt, on mice that have it, makes a good back and forward. These are Mouse inputs in InputConfig, captured per device, so a second mouse can have a different layout from the first.
Dictation does the writing
With one hand on a Joy-Con or a mouse, dictation carries the writing. Bind Start Dictation somewhere easy and use Type Text for the ten phrases you type most. The keyboard-free guide goes deeper on both.
Games
Most games can be played one-handed with a Joy-Con plus chords: hold the rail button and the face buttons become four more commands. For driving games, one-stick driving is a one-handed scheme by design. For shooters, the Smart Preset Maker layouts can be trimmed to a Joy-Con: movement on the stick, fire and aim on the rail buttons, and the rest on chords.
Download
- Joy-Con One Hand presetPointer, click, Return, Escape, scroll with page holds, and dictation on a single sideways Joy-Con. 7 KB
- Half Keyboard (left hand) presetTap a left-hand key for its letter, hold it for the mirrored right-hand letter. 11 KB
- Half Keyboard (right hand) presetThe same, for a right hand. 11 KB
Open a downloaded preset with InputConfig, or drag it onto the app icon. It lands in the sidebar, ready to activate or edit. Any launch target inside a preset file is cleared on import; add one yourself in the editor if you want it.
Questions
Will the half keyboard interfere with normal typing?
Only while the preset runs. Stop it and the keyboard is untouched. While it runs, the mirrored half of the keyboard still types normally; only the hold behaviour on the active half changes.
Can the Joy-Con be used with the mouse at the same time?
Yes, all inputs work together. Many people use the Joy-Con for keys and the mouse for pointing.
Related
