How to click with head pointer on a Mac
InputConfig is completely free on the Mac App Store. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon.
Head pointer moves the Mac's pointer when you turn or move your head, using the camera, but it does not click on its own. To click, you add one of these: a facial expression, Dwell, Voice Control, a keyboard key or assistive switch, or a button through a free app, InputConfig. I cover each one below, and how to turn head pointer off.
On this page
Turn head pointer on
- Open System Settings and click Accessibility in the sidebar.
- Click Pointer Control, in the Motor group.
- Turn on Head pointer.
- Click the info button next to it to choose how the pointer follows you, and set Pointer speed.
Two ways to follow:
- When facing screen edges. Moves the pointer toward where your face turns, like a joystick.
- Relative to head. Moves it as your head moves, like a mouse.
Click with a facial expression
- You: In the same Pointer Control settings, click the info button next to Alternate pointer actions. Add a facial expression, such as a smile, an open mouth or sticking out your tongue, and give it Left Click, Right Click, Double Click or Drag and Drop.
- macOS: Clicks at the pointer when it sees the expression at the level you chose: Slight, Default or Exaggerated.
- Check: Aim at a button and make the expression. If it fires by accident, raise the level. If it never fires, lower it.
A drag takes the expression twice: once to pick up, once to drop.
Click with Dwell
Dwell clicks when the pointer rests in one place for a moment, so holding your head still is the click. Search for Dwell in System Settings to turn it on and set the delay. It pairs well with head pointer for people who cannot use a switch or make a reliable expression.
Click with Voice Control
Voice Control has spoken commands for clicking, so you can aim with your head and say the click. It suits people who can speak clearly and work in a quiet room.
Click with a key or a switch
Alternate pointer actions also accept keyboard keys and assistive switches. A switch interface that presents as a keyboard, a foot pedal or a large button can be given Left Click there, with no other software.
Click with a controller button, an adaptive switch, or a knock
InputConfig clicks wherever the pointer is, whatever moved it, so it pairs naturally with head pointer: your head aims, a button clicks. It is useful when the thing you can press is a game controller or an adaptive controller rather than a key.
- Any controller button or switch. Any button on a game controller, or a switch plugged into a PlayStation Access Controller or Xbox Adaptive Controller, can be Left click. On an Access Controller with Sony's base profile, the center button already clicks in the built-in Access Controller preset.
- Three jobs on one button. Press to click, hold to right click, double press to double click. See hold and double tap.
- Drag with two presses. A click set to Toggle makes a drag one press to pick up and one press to drop.
- A knock. Tap the Mac turns a knock on a MacBook into a click. It was tested on M4 MacBooks; it did not work on an M1 Pro in our testing, and desktop and Intel Macs have no sensor. The calibrator's status chip shows whether yours listens. See Tap the Mac.
Since version 1.6, these clicks keep working at the lock screen of a logged-in Mac, while keys from InputConfig are blocked there.
Fire commands without clicking
A screen region in InputConfig fires a command when the pointer enters it, and head pointer moves the real pointer, so turning your head into a corner can open Mission Control, start dictation or press Return. The built-in Cursor Regions preset is set up this way. Keep regions small and at the very edges so ordinary pointing does not set them off. Screen regions explains how to draw them.
If head pointer does not work
Climb this ladder, smallest step first:
- Fix the light. Low light, or a bright window behind you, can make tracking unreliable.
- Recalibrate. Head pointer's options include a way to recalibrate, which helps if the pointer has drifted from where you are facing.
- Use an external camera. Head pointer needs a camera that can see your face, and it cannot use a MacBook's built-in camera with the lid closed.
Turn head pointer off
Turn off Head pointer in System Settings, Accessibility, Pointer Control. If you only want a break, head pointer's options can pause and resume it with a switch or a facial expression, so you do not have to go back into settings.
The short version
- No hardware. Use a facial expression or Dwell.
- Speech. Use Voice Control.
- Something to press. Use a key or switch in Alternate pointer actions, or a controller button or adaptive switch through InputConfig.
Your head does the aiming, so pick the click your body does most reliably.
Questions
What is head pointer on a Mac?
A macOS accessibility feature, in System Settings, Accessibility, Pointer Control, that moves the pointer by following your head or face through the Mac's camera.
Does InputConfig track my head?
No. InputConfig has no head or eye tracking. It adds clicks and commands to the pointer that head pointer moves.
Can a game controller click for head pointer?
Yes, with InputConfig. Any button becomes a click at the pointer, and one button can also carry a right click and a double click.
Is there a free head mouse for Mac?
Head pointer is built into macOS and free. It uses the Mac's camera, so no extra hardware is needed.
Related
This page in other languages: 繁體中文
Updated