Questions

Is there a SteadyMouse for Mac?

No. SteadyMouse, the anti-tremor app that filters shaky mouse movement and accidental clicks, is Windows software, and macOS has no tremor filter of its own. There are still good options on a Mac: settings macOS already has, hardware that smooths a mouse before the Mac sees it, and a game controller stick set up as the mouse, which is where my app, InputConfig, comes in. This page is the short answer; the tremor guide is the long one.

What macOS already has

• Tracking speed in System Settings, Mouse or Trackpad. Slower means a shake moves the pointer less.
• Slow Keys in Accessibility, Keyboard. A key has to be held a moment before it counts, which stops bounced keys.
• Dwell in Accessibility, Keyboard: turn on the Accessibility Keyboard, then its Dwell options. Resting the pointer clicks for you, so a press cannot knock it off target.
• Mouse Keys in Accessibility, Pointer Control. The pointer moves from the keyboard.
• Voice Control in Accessibility. Click, choose menus, and type by voice.

Hardware that filters the mouse

Tremor-filter adapters sit between a mouse and the computer and smooth the movement before the Mac sees it, so no software is involved; AMAneo USB is one well-known example. Check that the maker lists macOS before buying. Heavier mice, trackballs, and joystick mice that present as a normal mouse are the other hardware routes, and an occupational therapist can help choose.

A controller stick instead of the mouse

InputConfig cannot filter a normal mouse. It listens alongside macOS, so a mouse's shake reaches the pointer before any app can touch it. What it does is turn a game controller into the mouse, and a stick has settings a mouse does not:

• An inner deadzone sized to the shake, so a resting thumb does not move the pointer at all.
• The Smooth curve and a lower speed, so the first part of a push is slow and precise.
• Hold-to-click: the click fires after the button has been held still for a moment, not on the jolt of the press.
• Toggle drag: press once to pick up, again to drop, with nothing held in between.
• Longer hold and double-tap windows for slower movement.
• The D-pad as the pointer, at a fixed speed, for a hand that shakes too much for any stick.

The Steady Pointer preset in the tremor guide has most of this set as a starting point, and the deadzone tool shows what the numbers mean.

InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later, no account, no tracking, open source.

Which is closest to SteadyMouse

SteadyMouse keeps the mouse you already have and cleans up its signal. On a Mac only a hardware filter does that. If a different input is acceptable, a controller stick with a wide deadzone and hold-to-click solves the same two problems, jitter and stray clicks, another way. It is free, so it costs nothing to find out whether it suits your hand.

Questions

Related

• A mouse alternative for tremor and short reach on a Mac
• Deadzones and calibration
• Hold and double-tap
• A precise pointer from a game controller
• Stick drift tester and deadzone visualizer

Free. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.