How to Use a Computer Without a Mouse: The Complete Guide

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Use shortcuts or Mouse Keys to use your keyboard like a mouse
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This wikiHow teaches you how to navigate your computer without using a mouse. You can easily move the cursor, click, and more by using the "Mouse Keys" feature on most Windows computers and all Macs. Alternatively, you can use a combination of keyboard shortcuts and the arrow keys to get around. Whether your mouse isn't working or you'd just prefer to use the keyboard, this wikiHow guide will walk you through setting up Mouse Keys on your computer.

Operating a Computer Without a Mouse

  • Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to navigate the active window, and press ↵ Enter or ⏎ Return to select items.
  • On Windows, you can use the Mouse Keys feature to use your 10-key numeric keypad as a mouse.
  • On a Mac, you can use [[#Using-Mac-Mouse-Keys|Mouse Keys}} on any keyboard.
Section 1 of 4:

Using Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

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  1. If your mouse isn't working, use the arrow keys to move around the currently open window. Then, use the ↵ Enter key to "click" or select an item. When doing this, you can press a letter key when on the desktop or in a Windows app (e.g., File Explorer) to cause the selection to jump to the first item starting with that letter. There are many other keyboard shortcuts you can use: [1]
    • ↵ Enter — Left click.
    • Alt + Spacebar — Right-click (context menu).
    • Arrow keys — Move in any direction.
    • Ctrl + Esc — Opens the Start menu .
    • Windows key + D — Minimize all open windows to show the desktop.
    • Tab ↹ — Switch from icon to icon, or menu to menu.
    • Alt + Tab ↹ — Switch between open windows.
    • Ctrl + Tab ↹ — Move through tabs in a dialog window or web browser.
    • Alt + F4 — Close the currently open app or window.
    • F10 — Activate the menu bar in the active windows.
    • Alt + A — Change the focus to the first item in the current menu.
    • Alt + Esc — Cycle through all open windows in order.
    • Alt + ← Left — Goes back one menu level.
    • Alt + → Right — Go forward one menu level.
    • Alt + underlined letter — If there is an underlined letter in a menu item, this option performs the action in that menu item.
    • Ctrl + Alt + Tab ↹ — Show thumbnails of all open programs.
    • Esc — Stop the current task or close a dialog box.
    • Ctrl + C — Copy.
    • Ctrl + V — Paste.
  2. 2
    Open Windows settings, utilities, and features. These keyboard shortcuts make it easy to access Windows features (including your settings) without a mouse:
    • Windows key + E — Open the File Explorer .
      • Use Alt + D to select the address bar at the top of File Explorer, and Alt + ↵ Enter to display properties for the selected item.
    • Windows key + + X — Open the Power User menu.
    • Windows key + i — Open Windows Settings.
    • Windows key + A — Open the Action Center.
    • Windows key + ⎙ Print Screen — This will take a screenshot of the entire screen and save it to your Screenshots folder.
    • Alt + ⎙ Print Screen — Takes a screenshot and saves it to your clipboard, which makes it so you can paste the screenshot anywhere.
    • Ctrl + ⇧ Shift + Esc — Open Task Manager.
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Section 2 of 4:

Using Windows Mouse Keys

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  1. Mouse Keys is a feature that makes it possible to use the arrow keys on your 10-key numeric keypad to move the mouse cursor around the screen when you don't have a mouse. If you don't have a grid of number keys on the right side of your computer's keyboard (in addition to the standard row of number keys at the top of the keyboard), you won't be able to use this method.
  2. 2
    Press Windows key + U . Pressing these two keys at the same time opens your computer's accessibility settings. [2]
  3. 3
    Open the Mouse settings. There are a couple of ways to do this:
    • As soon as you open the window, type the word mouse . This should instantly display a menu with matching search results. From there, use the ↓ Down Arrow key to select Mouse Settings , and press Enter to select it.
    • Another option:
      • Press Tab ↹ to activate the cursor in the left menu.
      • Press Tab ↹ again and again until the first item in the right panel ("Text size") is highlighted.
      • Press the down arrow key until Mouse is selected, then press ↵ Enter .
  4. 4
    Press Tab ↹ until the switch next to "Mouse Keys" is selected. Each time you press tab, the selection will move. Once it moves to the switch next to "Mouse Keys," stop pressing the Tab key.
  5. 5
    Press the Spacebar to turn on Mouse Keys. This toggles the Mouse Keys switch to the On position.
    • Give Mouse Keys a try before you continue. Press and hold the 8 key on the 10-key numeric keypad to move the cursor upward. If the cursor doesn't move after you've held the key down for a few seconds, press the Number Lock (NumLk or similar) key to activate Mouse Keys.
    • If the cursor is moving too fast or too slow for you, continue to the next step to learn how to change your settings.
  6. 6
    Adjust the pointer speed. Press the Tab ↹ key until you've selected the "Top speed" slider next to "Mouse keys speed." You can then use the arrow keys to make the cursor move faster or slower. "Pointer speed" section. Once you adjust one value, you can press the Tab ↹ key to move to the next one:
    • Mouse keys speed — Determines how fast your pointer moves at its quickest. Press the → key to raise the mouse's top speed, or press ← to lower it. This setting should be fairly high (e.g., 75 percent or higher).
    • Mouse keys acceleration — Determines how quickly your pointer reaches its maximum speed. Press the → key to raise the acceleration, or press ← to lower it. This setting should be at around 50 percent.
  7. You can now use the numeric keyboard to move your mouse cursor around the screen like a mouse:
    • 4 : Move left
    • 6 : Move right
    • 8 : Move up
    • 2 : Move down
    • 7 : Move up diagonally to the left
    • 9 : Move up diagonally to the right
    • 1 : Move down diagonally to the left
    • 3 : Move down diagonally to the right
    • If your mouse doesn't start moving, press Num (or Fn + Num on some computers), then try moving your mouse again.
  8. You'll find this key in the middle of the number pad.
    • If pressing 5 brings up a drop-down menu, press / in the number pad to disable this feature. You should be able to click using 5 after doing so.
  9. Every Windows computer has a "context menu" key that looks like a "hamburger menu" ☰ surrounded by a box. With an item (e.g., an icon) selected, pressing this key will prompt the right-click menu to appear.
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Section 3 of 4:

Using Mac Keyboard Shortcuts

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  1. You can use your Mac's arrow keys and the ⏎ Return key to move the cursor's selection around the currently open window, and you can also use the following shortcuts to perform a few more complex tasks: [3]
    • ⌘ Command + Q — Quit an app (or currently open window).
    • ⏎ Return — Click/select.
    • Ctrl + Arrow keys — Move to a control adjacent to a text field.
    • Tab ↹ — Move to the next control.
      • Use ⇧ Shift + Tab ↹ to go back to the previous control.
    • Ctrl + Tab ↹ — Move to the next control when a text field is selected.
    • Fn + N — Show/hide notifications.
    • Fn + C — Show/hide Control Center.
    • Fn + A — Show/hide the Dock.
    • Fn + ⇧ Shift + A — Show/hide the Launchpad.
    • ⌘ Command + Tab ↹ — Switch to the next window.
      • Use ⌘ Command + ⇧ Shift + Tab ↹ to go back to the previous
    • ⌘ Command + N — Opens a new Finder window if you're on the desktop.
    • Ctrl + F2 — Move the focus to the Menu bar. You can then use the arrow keys to navigate the menu items, and press ⏎ Return to open a menu item.
    • Ctrl + F3 — Move the focus to the Dock.
    • Ctrl + F4 — Move the focus to the active or next window
    • Ctrl + F5 — Move focus to the toolbar of the current window.
    • Ctrl + F6 — Move focus to the floating window.
    • Ctrl + ⇧ Shift + F6 — Move focus to the previous panel.
    • ⌘ Command + T — Open a new tab.
    • ⌘ Command + ` — Go to the next open window in the frontmost app.
    • ⌘ Command + C — Copy.
    • ⌘ Command + V — Paste.
  2. 2
    Open Mac settings, utilities, and features. These keyboard shortcuts make it easy to access and use other features of your Mac without a mouse:
    • ⌘ Command + Space — Open the Spotlight search bar, which you can use to search for and launch apps.
    • Alt + F2 , then ⌘ Command + L — Opens System Settings.
    • ⌥ Option + ⌘ Command + F5 — Open Accessibility settings.
    • ⌘ Command twice — Open/close Type to Siri.
      • You can also ask Siri to open apps for you.
    • Fn + D — Stop/Start Dictation.
    • ⌥ Option + Volume Up — Open Sound settings.
    • Ctrl + ↑ Up Arrow — Open Mission Control.
    • ⌥ Option + ⌘ Command + Power button — Put your Mac to sleep.
      • If you just want to put your display to sleep, use Ctrl + ⇧ Shift + Power button.
    • Ctrl + ⌘ Command + Q — Lock your Mac's screen.
    • ⇧ Shift + ⌘ Command + 5 — Take a screenshot or do a screen recording.
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Section 4 of 4:

Using Mac Mouse Keys

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  1. 1
    Open the Accessibility Shortcuts window. To do so without a mouse, press ⌥ Option + ⌘ Command + F5 on your keyboard. If you're using a MacBook or Magic Keyboard that has a Touchbar, you can also open Accessibility options by pressing Touch ID three times. [4] [Image:Use Your Computer Without a Mouse Step 16 Version 2.jpg|center]]
    • On some newer Macs, you may need to press Fn + ⌥ Option + ⌘ Command + F5 instead.
  2. Press the ↓ Down Arrow key until Mouse Keys is highlighted, then use the Spacebar to turn the feature on. [5]
    • If you don't see Mouse Keys here, you'll need to navigate your System Settings to turn it on. Here's how:
      • Press ⌘ Command + Spacebar to open Spotlight search.
      • Type Accessiblity and press ⏎ Return .
      • Use the arrow keys and/or the Tab ↹ key to move to "Pointer Control."
      • Press ⏎ Return to open the menu.
      • Use Tab ↹ to highlight "Enable Mouse Keys."
      • Press Spacebar to turn Mouse Keys on.
    • You can also toggle Mouse Keys on and off quickly by pressing ⌥ Option 5 times.
  3. This will allow you to disable Mouse Keys by using the keyboard shortcut that you used to enable Mouse Keys.
    • Unfortunately, you can't type with Mouse Keys enabled.
  4. Using the U , 8 , O , and K keys, you can move the cursor left, up, right, or down, respectively. [6]
    • Pressing the J , 7 , 9 , or L keys will move the cursor at a 45° angle down to the left, up to the left, up to the right, or down to the right, respectively.
    • If your keyboard has a 10-key numeric keypad, you can also use 7 , 8 , 9 , 4 , 6 , 1 , 2 , and 3 to move the cursor.
  5. The 5 key on the numeric keypad, and the I key on the main keyboard are essentially the left-click buttons when using Mouse Keys. [7]
    • You can also hold down Control while tapping 5 to simulate a right-click.
  6. If you need to press and hold (long-press) an option, use 0 if using the numeric keypad, or M if using the main keyboard. This will simulate a "hold" action, allowing you to drag the icon beneath your mouse pointer by using the movement keys.
    • This is also helpful when attempting to activate hold-sensitive menus, such as the Trash menu.
    • You can press . to release the hold.
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  • Question
    How can I be a faster typist on the computer?
    Community Answer
    You need to practice more. The more you type on the computer, the faster you will become. You can also take some online classes or use a pro that teaches you how to type faster.
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    Can I use f11 to enter full screen mode?
    Community Answer
    Yes, and you can turn it back on the normal screen if you press f11 again.
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  • Question
    How can I create a shortcut without a mouse?
    Community Answer
    Select the file with CTRL SPACE, CTRL C (copy file), Press CTRL SPACE to deselect file, Press SHIFT F10 and then Press P.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/keyboard-shortcuts-in-windows-dcc61a57-8ff0-cffe-9796-cb9706c75eec
      2. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/make-your-mouse-keyboard-and-other-input-devices-easier-to-use-10733da7-fa82-88be-0672-f123d4b3dcfe#windowsversion=windows_11
      3. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/102650
      4. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-tj/guide/mac-help/mchlp2975/mac
      5. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-your-keyboard-like-a-mouse-mh27469/mac
      6. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-your-keyboard-like-a-mouse-mh27469/mac
      7. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-your-keyboard-like-a-mouse-mh27469/mac

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Make sure your keyboard has the ten-key numeric keypad.
      2. Open the Ease of Access Center.
      3. Click Make the keyboard easier to use .
      4. Enable Mouse Keys and increase the pointer speed.
      5. Use the numeric keypad to move the pointer.

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