Is there a SteadyMouse for 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.
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.
Use 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.
Filter the mouse in hardware
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.
Use 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:
- A Deadzone. Sized to the shake, so a resting thumb does not move the pointer at all.
- The Smooth curve and a lower speed. 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.
- You: Open a pointer row's Options, press Adjust live, and rest a thumb on the stick without pushing.
- InputConfig: Draws how far the resting shake moves the stick.
- Check: Drag the Deadzone ring just past the shake, and the pointer stays still while the thumb rests.
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.
The short version
SteadyMouse keeps the mouse you already have and cleans up its signal. On a Mac only a hardware filter does that.
- Keep the mouse. A hardware tremor filter that lists macOS.
- Change the input. A controller stick with a wide deadzone and hold-to-click solves the same two problems, jitter and stray clicks, another way.
- Start free. Slower tracking, Slow Keys and Dwell are already in macOS.
The controller route is free, so it costs nothing to find out whether it suits your hand.
Questions
Does SteadyMouse run on a Mac?
Its maker lists Windows only, and there is no Mac version on its site.
Which tremors are these settings for?
The settings do not depend on a diagnosis. Whatever the cause, essential tremor, Parkinson's, MS, or medication, you set them from what the Live Visualizer shows: how far a resting thumb shakes the stick, and how far the hand can push it.
Is InputConfig free?
Yes. It is free and open source on the Mac App Store, with no account and no network access. A tip jar is optional and adds no features.
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