There's nothing wrong with a trackpad, per se, but let's be honest - even if they're getting better every year, there's still nothing quite like using an actual mouse for your computer - especially if you work from home.
Mouse For Mac And Pc
If you're finally tired of living that trackpad life, you might be on the lookout for a new mouse that doesn't necessarily assume you're a hardcore gamer whose biggest priority is stacks of function keys and flashing lights. In fact, most of us just want something compact that we can use on the move, or something accurate but simple for use at a desk.
We've taken a detailed look at the market and here's our roundup of mice to help you consider what mouse is perfect for you, and have tested all of these options to ascertain which are the most comfortable and reliable.
Logitech only released the MX Master 3S recently, but it's quickly rocketed up to the top of our list - this is an absolutely superb mouse used by at least two of the Pocket-lint team. It's weighty in the right way, while still retaining a gliding feeling of control that's hard to beat.
It's also wireless, which isn't completely essential, as this list will demonstrate, but does help with the feeling that you can use it in whatever way you like. The ergonomic design is easy to hold, the clicks of its buttons are satisfying but incredibly quiet; it's the whole package. The only hesitation is that it won't work for left-handers, an all-too-common malaise in the world of the computer mouse.
If you want a more compact mouse that still has a lot of the brilliant touches that make the MX Master 3 so good, the Anywhere 3 could be perfect. It's great for smaller hands or a workplace that moves around a lot.
That's right, your eyes don't deceive you. Chances are you remember the above design from somewhere, whether it's a school IT lab, an office, or a front desk. Well, wherever that place was, their bosses haven't scrimped on equipment, because despite its austere looks, the Intellimouse is a seriously great mouse.
The Pebble is nice and tiny, but still really comfortable to use, and has Bluetooth for easy pairing. It's got a great clicking action for such a small mouse, and is really silent, which we have a lot of time for. If you're in the need for a mouse that travels, Logitech has got you covered here, and at a really impressive price, too.
Back in the good old days every mouse had a cable attached to actually connect it to a device, but wireless options are on top now. Most people will probably want a wireless mouse ideally, to free them up as much as possible, but think about whether that applies to you!
Another big variable between the options we've highlighted here is the shape of the mouse - some are bigger, others are smaller, and some like our top pick have an ergonomic ridge to them that takes some getting used to. While we think they'll all suit most people, if you've used a shape of mouse that you've either particularly liked or disliked previously, that'll be well worth remembering.
One big thing to consider (and you probably already have done) is what hand you use dominantly. While most mouse options, in particular those from Logitech, let you swap button mapping around, they're not all built for left-handers and right-handers both, which means that a more symmetrical mouse might work out.
Of course, there are some big gaps in the prices of some of the mice we've highlighted, and while we believe the more expensive options are worth it in the long run, it's a good idea to know how much you're planning to spend so that you don't find yourself going into debt just for the sake of a nicer mouse.
Another question that will determine what sort of mouse you want is around whether you'll be using to work on the move - if you're sticking to one desk, life's easy, but for anyone who moves around a bunch, having a wireless mouse that doesn't weigh a ton and isn't too delicate might make sense.
Originally I started out with two sets of Keyboards and Mouse. But it turns out there's actually a very nice way to use a single keyboard and mouse combo to control both machines using some interesting LogiTech devices and software.
At the same time that I bought the monitor I also picked up a new Logitech Ergo K860 Keyboard which unfortunately had been out of stock in most places so it took a while to get here, so I was stuck with the dual keyboard/mouse setup which takes up a ton of desk space.
What's cool about these two devices is that you can use them on multiple machines easily. Both support Logitech software that lets you share a single unified USB adapter (or bluetooth) for both the keyboard and mouse. You can use a unifying adapter on both the PC and Mac and hook up to the same keyboard.
But Logitech does one better: Using it's Flow software that you can use on Windows and Mac you can configure each device with an 'id' that you can use to switch the keyboard to work on each id. There are physical buttons on the keyboard, and buttons on the bottom of the mouse that let you switch Ids manually. I can basically set up each computer with its own numeric Id and then press the appropriate button to switch.
But even better, Logitech provides Easy Flow software that allows you use mouse drag operations to move the cursor across multiple monitors or machines that are connected and running the software. You can have up to 3 devices connected and move between them. This basically replaces the manual operation described earlier with more natural mouse gestures. The software effectively switches the keyboard and mouse Id button states as the cursor is moved between machines.
I set mine up so it requires Ctrl-Drag rather than just dragging, because plain dragging caused to many false moves to the wrong machine when I didn't intend to. So now when I switch I simple drag the mouse with Ctrl-Drag onto the other screen to switch the keyboard and moust inputs.
The flow software has a few other cool tricks: It can also copy the clipboard from one machine to another. So I can paste something onto the Clipboard on Windows, drag my mouse cursor to the Mac and then pick up that same clipboard content on the Mac.
There are other solutions for the multi-device keyboard and mouse usage. There are physical KVM switches as well as software solutions. I've used physical KVM switches in the past, and one advantage they can have is that you can also use a single monitor - if you get one that works with the resolution you use. My experience with KVM switches in the past has been dismal and it looks if you want to use it for 4k screens in particular the choices are both very limited and expensive.
But otherwise I think this keyboard is pretty much perfect for me, and especially Flow software or even just the ability to manually switch between connected machines is awesome. Even without the flow across functionality on Linux - manually pressing the device buttons on the keyboard and mouse is easy enough.
Note: while the keyboard and mouse works on Ubuntu, the Logitech Flow software doesn't exist there, so on Linux you have to manually switch using the hardware Id buttons on the keyboard and mouse. While not as smooth as Ctrl-Moving to across screens it's not too intensive to manually switch the keyboard and mouse. Sure would be nice if Logitech could at least sync the mouse to the keyboard for manual switching but alas the software is not smart enough for that without Flow. If Linux is one of your machines in a dual machine setup you'll want to do some more research and certainly not buy these if only for the Flow features. But both the keyboard and mouse are great devices on their own and I love the feel of the keyboard and the precision of the mouse - especially for a wireless mouse.
You shouldn't have any problems finding a mouse for your Mac; nearly all the options will work straight out of the box, whether they're wired, use a wireless receiver or connect over Bluetooth. Generally, when choosing the best mouse for MacBook for you, you'll want a USB-C mouse. Otherwise, you may need a USB-A to USB-C adapter if your Mac only has USB-C ports and your mouse requires a USB-A slot. We also have a guide to the best USB-C mouse.
One thing to watch out for, however, is how fully compatible a mouse is with your Mac. Some mice that are advertised as Mac compatible actually feature buttons that only work on Windows. There's no point getting stuck with a bunch of buttons that you can't actually use, so always check in the specifications whether the buttons will work, or can be configured to work, on a Mac.
Size and ergonomics are important and your preferences will be much the same irrespective of what computer or laptop you want to pair your mouse with. You will want something that's comfortable to hold, especially if you use it for long periods. Compact mice might seem convenient and portable, but if they are too small, you could find yourself in pain when using them for long periods of time.
An ergonomically designed mouse is the best choice to protect your wrists from repetitive strain injury over long sessions on your Mac. Consider how you hold your mouse in use. Different mice are suited for different grips, for example, resting just the fingertips on the mouse or covering it with your whole palm. Vertical mice might seem odd, and they do take a bit of getting used to, but many people eventually find them more comfortable. Once you know what's comfortable for you, you'll know what to look for in a mouse.
if you have a MacBook and you're looking for a mouse, you may well be tempted to stick with Apple and go for the Magic Mouse. That has its benefits since you know from the off that it's going to integrate perfectly with MacOS. We find the gesture pad on the top surface works well, and it's easy to adapt to if you're used to the MacBook's trackpad. You also have a choice of two colours now.
So why's it not at the top of our list as the best mouse for MacBook? Well, the main downside for us, and it is quite a downside, is that the charging point is on the bottom of the mouse, which means you can't use it while it's charging. So the battery should last you around a month, so it's not like you're mouse will be out of action for a couple of hours every week, but it's still frustrating if you run out of power in the middle of work. 2ff7e9595c
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