Working with the mouse

Computers are getting more and more compact. Just look at the laptop. This always contains a touchpad, also called a trackpad: a surface that responds to touch. Or think of tablets and smartphones, which have a touch screen.

Nevertheless, it remains possible for most computers to connect a separate mouse. Handy for those who prefer to operate the device with slightly larger movements or for those who spend a long time in front of the computer. Moreover, anyone who works with a PC case and a monitor can hardly do anything other than work with a mouse. Read below how to use an average mouse.

You operate the computer with the mouse. A computer mouse is usually oval-shaped with two buttons on the front and a wheel in between. The mouse is connected to the computer via a USB cable or works wirelessly via Bluetooth technology. There are also special ergonomic mice for people who have problems with their hand or arm. All models have one thing in common: they only work on a flat surface.

The mouse and touchpad do roughly the same two things:

1. Move the mouse pointer over the screen. The mouse pointer is the arrow that sometimes changes into a hand or cursor.
2. Give commands to the computer by clicking the left and right mouse buttons or by scrolling. For scrolling, the mouse has a wheel in the middle. On the touchpad, it can often be done by moving two fingers up and down.

In a mouse there is a clear distinction between the left and right mouse buttons. The left mouse button is most commonly used. Click the left mouse button and:

• place the cursor at the designated place in a text document;
• select a menu item in a program;
• open links on sites.

Double-click (twice in quick succession) to open a program, folder, or document on your computer.

Right-click and open a menu with additional options. For example, to copy a selected text, to save an image or to have a text read aloud.

The mouse wheel, the wheel between the left and right mouse buttons, is also called the scroll wheel. Scrolling is the English word for scrolling. And that’s what we do with the wheel. Roll the middle finger on the wheel and the page on the screen will scroll up or down. This can be an internet page, but also a document.

The mouse wheel has another hidden trick: it allows people to zoom in or out on a web page. Hold down the Ctrl key and rotate the mouse wheel away from you to zoom in and toward you to zoom out.

Magic mouse from Apple

The magic mouse from Apple does not have a physical wheel, but swiping over the mouse gives the same result.

Sometimes the mouse seems to have a life of its own. Does the mouse pointer react very quickly or slowly to the movement of the hand? Or is double clicking not working properly? Then adjust the mouse settings. We have several articles about this:

• Mouse Settings in Windows
• Mouse Settings (Mac)