How to use a Mac without a mouse
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.
Turn on Mouse Keys and the keyboard moves the pointer and clicks. Press Option Command F5, or press Touch ID three times quickly, to open the Accessibility Shortcuts panel, or find it in System Settings, Accessibility, Pointer Control. That gets you through today. For longer than a day, a game controller makes a much better mouse than a keyboard does, and that is what I built InputConfig for. Both are below, with the keyboard shortcuts that make the pointer unnecessary most of the time.
On this page
Move, click and drag with Mouse Keys
Turn it on in System Settings, Accessibility, Pointer Control, Mouse Keys. Then, from Apple's own table:
| To | Keyboard | Number pad |
|---|---|---|
| Move the pointer | 7, 8, 9, U, O, J, K, L | 7, 8, 9, 4, 6, 1, 2, 3 |
| Click | I | 5 |
| Press and hold (start a drag) | M | 0 |
| Release the hold | . (period) | . (period) |
- Right click. It is Control-click on a Mac, so hold Control and press the click key.
- Typing. On a keyboard with no number pad, those letters move the pointer instead of typing while Mouse Keys is on, so switch it off before you type.
Scroll without a mouse
- Space and Shift Space. Scroll down a page and back up, in Safari, Chrome, and most documents.
- The arrow keys. Scroll a line at a time once the page has focus.
- fn with the arrows. On a MacBook keyboard, fn with Up Arrow and fn with Down Arrow are Page Up and Page Down. fn with Left Arrow and fn with Right Arrow jump to the top and the bottom.
Skip the pointer with shortcuts
- Command Space. Opens Spotlight: type the first letters of an app, file, or setting and press Return.
- Command Tab. Switches apps. Command ` (the key above Tab) switches windows of the same app.
- Control F2. Control fn F2 on most laptops. Puts the focus in the menu bar. Then use the arrow keys and Return.
- Full Keyboard Access. In System Settings, Accessibility, Keyboard. Lets Tab reach every button and checkbox, and Space presses it.
Between these and Mouse Keys, a Mac is usable with a keyboard alone for a day or two. It is slow for anything that needs a lot of pointing: photos, maps, web pages full of links.
Use a game controller as the mouse
If there is a PlayStation, Xbox, Switch Pro, or 8BitDo controller in the house, it can be the Mac's mouse. InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store, and its built-in Desktop Navigation preset sets it up in one click:
- Left stick. Moves the pointer: a small push is slow and precise, a full push crosses the screen.
- Right stick. Scrolls, up, down, left, and right.
- Triggers. Right trigger is left click. Left trigger is right click.
- D-pad and bumpers. The D-pad is the arrow keys. The bumpers are Command Tab and Command Shift Tab.
For a pointer and nothing else, Mouse + Scroll keeps the sticks and the clicks, adds middle click, and puts slow pointer nudges on the D-pad. InputConfig needs the Accessibility permission once, which is one click in System Settings: with no mouse, make it with Mouse Keys or Full Keyboard Access. More detail for your controller: PS5, Xbox, or any controller.
The short version
Pick by how long you will be without one:
- The mouse died this afternoon. Mouse Keys and the shortcuts above will get you through.
- A week without one, or a mouse hurts your hand. I would use a controller with Desktop Navigation.
- No mouse and no keyboard, for good. Using a Mac without a mouse or keyboard builds the full setup, with dictation and saved phrases.
- No reliable hand movement. Using a Mac hands-free.
Mouse Keys gets you through today, and a controller gets you through the week.
Questions
How do I right click on a Mac without a mouse?
Hold Control and click. With Mouse Keys the click key is I, or 5 on a number pad. With a controller running InputConfig's Desktop Navigation preset, the left trigger is right click.
How do I double click without a mouse?
Press the Mouse Keys click key twice quickly. With a controller, press the click trigger twice, or give one button a double click in InputConfig so a single press sends both clicks.
How do I scroll on a MacBook without a trackpad?
Space and Shift Space page down and up, the arrow keys scroll by lines, and fn with the Up or Down Arrow is Page Up and Page Down. A controller's right stick scrolls in all four directions with InputConfig.
How do I restart a Mac without a mouse?
Press Control F2, or Fn Control F2, to move focus to the menu bar, use the arrow keys to open the Apple menu, and choose Restart with Return. Apple's shortcut list also has Control and the power button, which opens a restart, sleep or shut down dialog on built-in keyboards without Touch ID.
How do I navigate a Mac without a mouse?
Use the keyboard's focus shortcuts: Control F2 for the menu bar and Control F3 for the Dock, then the arrow keys and Return. Full Keyboard Access, in System Settings, Accessibility, Keyboard, extends the Tab key to every control, and Mouse Keys moves the pointer itself from the keyboard.
Can I use an iMac or Mac mini without a mouse?
Yes. Mouse Keys works with any keyboard, and a game controller with InputConfig is a full mouse once its permission is allowed. With no keyboard either, see the guide to using a Mac without a mouse or keyboard.
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