Make the Mouse and Trackpad Easier to Use on a Mac (Pointer Control)

Double-clicking, dragging and landing the pointer on small targets all need steady, precise movement. If that's difficult, whether through a tremor, arthritis, dyspraxia or an injury, your Mac has settings that make pointing far more forgiving.

Most of them are under Apple menu > System Settings > Accessibility > Pointer Control.

If double-clicks often register as two single clicks:

1. Open Accessibility > Pointer Control.
2. Drag Double-click speed towards Slow.

Your Mac now allows a longer gap between the two clicks.

Normally you press and hold the trackpad while moving your finger. Three-finger drag removes the pressing.

1. In Pointer Control, click Trackpad Options….
2. Turn on Use trackpad for dragging.
3. Set Dragging style to Three-Finger Drag.
4. Click OK.

Now rest three fingers on the trackpad and move them to drag a window, select text or move a file. Lift your fingers to drop.

The other dragging styles:

• Without Drag Lock. Double-tap and keep your finger down on the second tap, then drag.
• With Drag Lock. The same, but the drag continues until you tap again. Useful for long drags.

If pressing the trackpad down is hard work:

1. Go to System Settings > Trackpad.
2. On Point & Click, turn on Tap to click.

A light tap now counts as a click. You can also lower the Click pressure to Light.

In System Settings > Trackpad (or Mouse), drag Tracking speed towards Slow for finer control. Move it towards Fast if moving your hand far is difficult.

Go to System Settings > Accessibility > Display and scroll to Pointer:

• Increase Pointer size.
• Change the outline and fill colours to something bold.
• Keep Shake mouse pointer to locate on.

If you use a mouse and your palm keeps nudging the MacBook trackpad, turn on Ignore built-in trackpad when mouse or wireless trackpad is present in Pointer Control.

With Mouse Keys, you steer the pointer from the keyboard.

1. In Pointer Control, turn on Mouse Keys.
2. Click the ⓘ to set the delay and maximum speed. You can also turn on Press the Option key five times to toggle Mouse Keys.

On a keyboard without a number pad, these keys move the pointer:

Keys | Action
7 8 9 | Up-left, up, up-right
U O | Left, right
J K L | Down-left, down, down-right
I | Click
M | Press and hold (start a drag)
. (full stop) | Release (end a drag)

While Mouse Keys is on, those keys don't type letters. Use the Option-key toggle to switch it off when you want to type.

In Pointer Control you'll also find:

• Alternate pointer actions. Trigger a click, double-click or drag with a keyboard key, a switch or a facial expression.
• Head pointer. Move the pointer by moving your head, using the Mac's camera.
• Spring-loading. Controls how quickly a folder opens when you hold a dragged file over it. Turn it off or slow it down if folders pop open unexpectedly.

For shaky hands or difficulty with fine movements, try:

1. Double-click speed set slower
2. Three-Finger Drag on
3. Tap to click on
4. A larger pointer

Small changes in Pointer Control make a big difference. Start with double-click speed and three-finger drag, as they fix the two most common frustrations.