How to control the mouse with a MIDI controller on a Mac
InputConfig, a free Mac app, turns MIDI into mouse input. A pad or a pedal clicks. A held pad holds the button down, for dragging. A knob scrolls, faster the further it is turned. The pitch wheel or a knob can move the pointer. Each is one row: press Scan, play the control, and choose the mouse action.
I make InputConfig. It works with any MIDI device that shows up in Audio MIDI Setup, and it needs the Accessibility permission to send clicks.
On this page: 9 sections
Steps
- Connect the MIDI device and open InputConfig.
- Add a row, press Scan, and play the pad, pedal, knob or wheel.
- Choose a mouse output: a click, mouse motion or scroll.
- Activate the preset.
Set it up
- You: Add a row, press Scan, and play the control. Choose Left click, Right click, a scroll direction or a mouse motion as the output.
- InputConfig: Works out whether you played a note, a knob, a pedal or the pitch wheel, and binds the row to it.
- Check: With the preset active, the pad clicks wherever the pointer is.
The click lands in whichever app is in front, because it is a real mouse click. MIDI to keystroke on a Mac lists every output a MIDI row can have.
InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later, no account, no tracking, open source.
Match the MIDI control to the mouse action
| MIDI control | Mouse action | How it behaves |
|---|---|---|
| Pad or key | Left, right or middle click | The button stays down while the note is held, so a held pad drags |
| Sustain pedal | Click | On past the halfway point, off below it: a hands-free click |
| Knob in Dial mode | Scroll | The center is rest, and the further you turn the faster it scrolls |
| Knob in Turn mode | Scroll, one step at a time | A nudge every few steps of rotation, in the direction you turn |
| Pitch wheel | Mouse motion left and right | It rests at the center and reads in both directions |
Notes are buttons, and anything that turns is a wheel or an axis.
Click with a foot
A sustain pedal plugged into a MIDI keyboard sends CC 64. Scan it, choose Left click, and the pedal clicks while both hands stay where they are. A second pedal, or a pad, can be the right click. Add a hold action to the same row and a long press does something else, such as a right click. A pedal click takes the most repeated motion of the day off the hand. The MIDI sustain pedal explains what the pedal sends, and foot pedal shortcuts on a Mac covers pedals that are not MIDI.
Scroll with a knob
- Dial mode. The middle of the knob is rest. Turn one way to scroll down and the other to scroll up, faster the further you go. Good for long pages and timelines.
- Turn mode. Each few steps of rotation send one scroll step, clockwise for one direction and counterclockwise for the other. Good for exact, line by line movement.
- Endless encoders. Set the encoder to absolute mode. A relative mode, sending 65 and 63 or 1 and 127, is not decoded.
Dial for speed, Turn for precision.
Move the pointer
The pitch wheel reads in two directions, so it can carry one axis of the pointer: mouse motion left on minus and mouse motion right on plus. A knob in Dial mode does the same, and two knobs cover both axes. Turn on Variable Sensitivity in each row so the speed follows how far the control is from its center. A control that rests at its center is what makes a usable pointer. A fader or a knob in the middle of its travel keeps the pointer still, and the row's deadzone widens that still spot.
Know the limits
- The music app still hears it. InputConfig reads a copy of the MIDI, so an armed track records the pads you click with. Use a channel or pads the music app ignores.
- Permission. Sending clicks needs Accessibility, in System Settings, Privacy & Security.
- A pointer from knobs is slow work. It suits small adjustments and hands-free nudges, not drawing.
Clicks and scrolling are where MIDI is as good as a mouse.
The short version
- Click. A pad, a key or a pedal.
- Scroll. A knob in Dial or Turn mode.
- Point. The pitch wheel or a Dial knob, with Variable Sensitivity.
Any MIDI control can be a mouse button, a scroll wheel or a pointer axis.
Questions
Can a MIDI controller control the mouse on a Mac?
Yes. InputConfig, a free Mac app, maps MIDI pads and pedals to clicks, knobs to scrolling, and the pitch wheel or a knob to pointer movement.
Can a MIDI pedal be a mouse click?
Yes. A sustain pedal sends CC 64. Scan it and choose Left click, and pressing the pedal clicks.
Can a MIDI knob scroll?
Yes. In Dial mode the knob scrolls faster the further it is turned from its center. In Turn mode it scrolls one step for every few steps of rotation.
Can I move the mouse pointer with MIDI?
Yes. Bind the pitch wheel, or a knob in Dial mode, to mouse motion with Variable Sensitivity on. One control carries one axis.
Can a held pad drag?
Yes. The mouse button stays down for as long as the note is held, so hold the pad, move the pointer, and release.
Is it free?
Yes. InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store, with no account and no purchases inside it.
Related
Free. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.
Updated