Questions

How do I set up a Logitech MX Vertical on a Mac?

Download InputConfig on the Mac App StoreInputConfig 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.

Pair it over Bluetooth, or use the Unifying receiver, and it works on a Mac with the pointer, clicks and wheel. Logitech's support page says to add it in System Preferences, Bluetooth, as MX Vertical, and recommends Logi Options+ for customizing it. For giving the extra buttons Mac jobs like Mission Control or Start Dictation, InputConfig is the free Mac app I make, and it works with any button the Mac can see.

I read Logitech's Getting Started page for the MX Vertical on October 21, 2026. It says Logitech Options is no longer maintained and points to Logi Options+. It lists an Easy-Switch button on the bottom, a cursor speed switch, customizable shortcut buttons and island keys, but it did not describe the thumb buttons by name. The Lift is a smaller, cheaper vertical mouse, and it has its own page.

On this page: 11 sections
  1. Steps
  2. Know what works with nothing installed
  3. Find out what each button sends
  4. Bind the thumb buttons
  5. Macros and double click help
  6. Hold, double tap and per-app layouts
  7. Ideas for MX Vertical users
  8. If something is off
  9. What it cannot do
  10. The short version
  11. Questions

Steps

  1. Turn the mouse on and pair it in System Settings, Bluetooth, or use the USB cable or Unifying receiver.
  2. Install Logi Options+ if you want Logitech's own speed and button settings.
  3. Open InputConfig, add a row, press Scan and press the thumb button.
  4. Pick an output, then use Block the button's own action if the button also goes back.
  5. Save and Activate, then try it.

Know what works with nothing installed

The MX Vertical is a 57 degree vertical mouse, so you hold it like a handshake. A Mac treats it like any mouse. Logitech's page says it connects over Bluetooth, the Unifying receiver or a cable, and that Easy-Switch picks a channel. A full charge lasts about four months, per Logitech, and one minute of charging gives about three hours of use.

  • Pointer and clicks. Work right away. System Settings, Mouse sets tracking speed.
  • Cursor speed switch. One press toggles between 1000 and 1600 DPI. Hold it and move the mouse left or right to set a custom speed in an overlay.
  • Wheel. Scrolls like any wheel, and it has a middle click built in.
  • Thumb and side buttons. Usually back and forward. Many Mac apps treat Button 4 and Button 5 that way, but not all.

The speed switch and the Easy-Switch button belong to the mouse, so plan your bindings around the others.

Find out what each button sends

Press Scan in InputConfig and press each button, with Logi Options+ quit.

ButtonHow it reportsWhat to do
Left and right clickStandard clicksInputConfig cannot change these
Wheel clickMiddle clickBind it
Back and forwardProbably Button 4 and Button 5Bind them
Cursor speed switchHandled by the mouse and Options+If Scan stays empty, leave it to Logitech
Easy-SwitchHandled inside the mouseNot an input for Mac apps

I have not tested an MX Vertical myself, so I will not say which of its buttons scan. Scan each one and trust the row.

The Live Visualizer's Mouse map in InputConfig with both side buttons lit.
Figure 1. The Mouse map lights each button the Mac receives. On an MX Vertical, watch which thumb buttons light.

Bind the thumb buttons

  • You: Add a row, set the device to This Mac's mouse or trackpad, press Scan and press the thumb button.
  • InputConfig: Names it, probably Button 4, and lets you pick an output.
  • Check: Choose Mission Control, Save, Activate and press the button. Mission Control opens.

A vertical mouse keeps your hand still, so the thumb buttons are easy to hit and good for the jobs you repeat. Back and forward are natural defaults. A second pair for Mission Control and Start Dictation helps on long days. Mouse side buttons on a Mac has the full steps.

A row in InputConfig for a mouse side button sending a back shortcut.
Figure 2. A thumb button row. On an MX Vertical it suits back and forward.

Macros and double click help

A Mouse row of the kind Double click fires on the second click of a pair, which can save a double click when clicking twice is painful. A macro adds more: in the row's Options, tick Run a sequence of steps (macro) and add key, shortcut and click steps, each with a wait and a hold time. A row can also run a Siri Shortcut. Mouse macros on a Mac shows the timing.

For a comfort mouse, fewer motions is the goal. Put two or three repeated jobs on the thumb buttons and leave the finger buttons for plain clicking. Move the jobs that hurt to buttons that do not.

Hold, double tap and per-app layouts

Each row can have a hold action and a double tap action. The thumb button goes back on a tap, closes the tab on a double tap and shows Mission Control on a hold. Turn on Block the button's own action for the side and middle buttons, so apps stop seeing the original press while the preset runs. For per-app layouts, list an app under Automation & Gaming Utilities and turn on Switch presets when the front app changes in Settings, Advanced. Only one preset runs at a time, and Control Option Command period stops it.

The Options of a mouse row in InputConfig with Block the button's own action turned on.
Figure 3. The block option. Use it on the MX Vertical's back and forward buttons so a browser does not go back twice.

Ideas for MX Vertical users

  • Wrist comfort. Move double click and right click to buttons your thumb already rests on. The carpal tunnel page covers more.
  • Office days. Copy and Paste on the thumb buttons.
  • Meetings. Mute and camera in a preset that runs only in Zoom or Meet.
  • Multiple Macs. The mouse remembers three devices. InputConfig runs on each Mac you install it on.

If something is off

Climb this ladder, smallest step first:

  1. Check the channel. Press Easy-Switch and make sure the mouse points at your Mac.
  2. Pair it again. Remove it in System Settings, Bluetooth and add it fresh, with the LED blinking fast.
  3. Quit Options+ and scan. It may own a button.
  4. Charge it. Logitech's LED turns red below 10 percent.
  5. Activate the preset. Rows only fire while it runs.
  6. Check Accessibility. InputConfig needs it.

What it cannot do

  • Change the angle or pointer feel. The angle is the shape, and speed is in System Settings or Options+.
  • Read buttons that stay in the mouse. Easy-Switch and any speed switch are inside it.
  • Tell two mice apart. Every mouse counts as one.

The short version

  • Pair and go. Bluetooth or Unifying, no software for the basics.
  • Buttons. Scan, bind, and add hold and double tap.
  • Options+. Only for what the Mac cannot see.

A vertical mouse is about comfort, so use the buttons to save your wrist motions.

Questions

Does the Logitech MX Vertical work on a Mac?

Yes. Logitech's page covers Bluetooth pairing on macOS and recommends Logi Options+.

How do I change the DPI on the MX Vertical?

The cursor speed switch toggles 1000 and 1600 DPI. Hold it to set a custom speed.

Do I need Logi Options+ for the MX Vertical on Mac?

Not for basics. Logitech says the older Options is no longer maintained and points to Options+.

Can I remap the MX Vertical thumb buttons without Logitech software?

For buttons the Mac can see, yes. InputConfig reads them and gives each a press, hold and double tap job.

How long does the MX Vertical battery last?

Logitech says about four months on a full charge.

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Download InputConfig on the Mac App StoreCompletely 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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