Is there an alternative to Logi Options+ on a Mac?
For the buttons, yes. If what you use Logi Options+ for is making the side buttons do things, different things in different apps, with a macro here and there, a general mapper does that without Logitech's app running. InputConfig, the free Mac app I make, is one. For pointer speed and scrolling, macOS has its own settings. For the parts that talk to the mouse itself, such as Flow, Easy-Switch status, haptics and firmware, there is no alternative, because only Logitech's software speaks to the device.
The list of what Logi Options+ does is from Logitech's own page for it, read on October 7, 2026, which gives macOS 14 or later as the requirement. InputConfig also needs macOS 14 or later.
On this page: 10 sections
Steps
- Decide which Logi Options+ features you use: buttons, scrolling, Flow.
- For buttons, open InputConfig, add a row, press Scan, and press a mouse button.
- Choose what the button sends, and give it a different job per app if you want.
- Set pointer speed and scroll direction in System Settings, Mouse.
Match each feature to its replacement
| In Logi Options+ | Without it, on a Mac |
|---|---|
| Buttons to shortcuts | InputConfig, or another mapper |
| App-specific settings | InputConfig switches layouts by the app in front |
| Smart Actions | Macros in InputConfig, or the Shortcuts app run from a button |
| Gestures on a held button | Press, hold and double press on one button in InputConfig |
| Pointer speed, scroll speed and direction | System Settings, Mouse, or a mouse feel app |
| Flow between computers | No stand-in |
| Actions Ring, haptics, firmware, battery | Logitech's app only |
In short, the buttons can move to a mapper, the pointer feel can move to macOS, and the device features have to stay with Logitech.
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.
Move your buttons to a mapper
- You: Open InputConfig, add a row, press Scan, and press a button on the mouse.
- InputConfig: Shows the row as that button, Button 4 or Button 5 for the two side buttons.
- Check: Choose what it sends: Back, Forward, Mission Control, a keyboard shortcut, a macro, dictation.
Each button can have three jobs, on a press, a hold and a double press, and a row can hold back the button's own action so nothing happens twice. Any button the Mac can see can be given a job without Logitech's app. Mouse side buttons on a Mac has the full setup.
Find out which buttons the Mac can see
Not every Logitech button reaches the Mac as a button. Side buttons do. A DPI or mode switch is handled inside the mouse, and some thumb or gesture buttons talk only to Logitech's software. Press Scan and press the button: if the row fills in, it can be bound. If Logi Options+ is still installed and has given that button a job, the press may never reach macOS, so quit or remove it before testing. Scan is the test I would use: if a button fills in a row, you can use it. The mouse tester shows the same thing in a browser.
Set a different job in each app
Logitech calls this app-specific customization. In InputConfig a preset can be tied to an app and switches on when that app comes to the front: the thumb button is Back in Safari, Undo in Photoshop and Mute in Zoom. Per-app buttons come down to one preset for each app and one switch that turns the feature on. Per-app switching sets it up.
Replace Smart Actions with macros
A Smart Action runs several steps from one press. An InputConfig macro does the same with keys, clicks, typed text and waits, and a row can also run a Siri Shortcut, which reaches anything the Shortcuts app can do. One button that runs several steps is just a macro, and a Mac can do that without Logitech. Macros, turbo and toggle has the details, and running a Shortcut from a button covers that route.
Set speed and scrolling in macOS
System Settings, Mouse has tracking speed and natural scrolling. That covers most of what the pointer and scroll page in Logi Options+ is used for. What it does not cover is a scroll wheel's ratchet and free-spin switch, which belongs to the mouse, and a separate scroll direction for the mouse and the trackpad. Apps such as LinearMouse, Mac Mouse Fix and SteerMouse handle scrolling and pointer feel, and they run alongside InputConfig. macOS handles speed, and a small mouse feel app handles the scrolling details. How to change scroll direction on a Mac and mouse acceleration on a Mac go further.
Know what has no alternative
- Flow. Moving the pointer and the clipboard between computers is Logitech's own feature.
- Actions Ring, Marketplace and haptics. Logitech lists these for its MX devices, and haptics for the MX Master 4.
- Firmware, battery and pairing status. These come from the device, through Logitech's app.
- Buttons the Mac cannot see. A button that only speaks to Logitech's software stays there.
If you depend on Flow, keep Logi Options+, and use a mapper only for what it does better. The two can run together, as long as one button is not given a job in both.
The short version
- Buttons, per app, macros. A mapper such as InputConfig covers these.
- Speed and scroll. Use System Settings, or a mouse feel app.
- Flow and device features. These only come from Logitech.
You can leave Logi Options+ behind for the buttons, but not if you rely on Flow.
Questions
Can I use a Logitech mouse on a Mac without Logi Options+?
Yes. The pointer, clicks and scrolling work with nothing installed, and macOS sets tracking speed and scroll direction. The side buttons need an app to give them a job, and it does not have to be Logitech's.
What is a free alternative to Logi Options+ on a Mac?
For buttons, per-app shortcuts and macros, a free mapper such as InputConfig. Nothing replaces Flow or the features that talk to the mouse itself.
Does InputConfig replace Logi Options+?
For button assignments, per-app layouts and macros, yes. It does not change DPI, scroll wheel modes, Flow, haptics or firmware, which only Logitech's software can reach.
Which macOS does Logi Options+ need?
Logitech's download page gives macOS 14 or later.
Can I run Logi Options+ and a mapper together?
Yes, as long as a button is not assigned in both. If Logi Options+ has given a button its own job, the press may not reach other apps.
Related
Completely free. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon. Open source on GitHub.
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