Teach an old mouse new tricks

Yesterday we started our look at the options for customizing your mouse experience in Windows 11. (You can click here to read that first part of that article.)

Today we’ll explore even more options. Let’s start by typing Mouse settings into the search box and clicking on the results.

Scroll down to Related Settings and click on Additional Mouse Settings.

The Mouse properties menu will open.

Let’s start by clicking on the Buttons tab at the top. Your first option is to change the primary button from left to right.  The next handy option is to adjust the double-click speed. If you find your are accidentally selecting things or not clicking fast enough, you can slow down or speed up the double-click process. Practice by clicking the folder icon.  Another handy feature is to turn on ClickLock. That means you can click and drag wit a quick press of the button instead of holding it down.

Next, click the tab for the Pointers. Try clicking the drop-down arrow under Scheme.

There are multiple options for different looks for pointers and icons.

You also have the ability to customize individual icons and elements and save new schemes.

Next, click the Pointer options tab. From here you can control the speed of the pointer by sliding the speed bar.

Ticking the box next to Snap to will automatically move the pointer to buttons that you can tick. This can make it much easier to locate a small button if you have visual or mobility issues.

Under visibility, you can also choose to show pointer trails to get a better idea of where you’re moving. There’s also the option to hide the pointer while typing. One very handy feature is to show the location of the pointer when the CTRL key is pressed. This can keep a pointer from getting lost on a busy page.

A circle will appear where the mouse pointer or cursor is located.

Finally, the Wheel tab offers options for controlling scrolling by moving your mouse wheel.

For vertical scrolling, you can choose between scrolling a few lines or one screen at a time. You can adjust the number of lines between 1 and 100.

You can scroll horizontally by tilting the scroll wheel. Choose how many characters the cursor moves by adjusting the number between 3 and 100.

Don’t forget to hit Apply to keep your changes.