There’s no doubt that the gaming mouse is a must-have product right now. There are so many options, and almost every one of them offers new functions. Those who are new gamers or new gaming mouse users might become overwhelmed by the number of choices.
To understand a gaming mouse, you need to learn about its buttons. These buttons are versatile and multipurpose. They can be quite challenging to navigate for a novice since we are used to two-button mice.
If you ever wondered how to use gaming mouse buttons, don’t feel lost. We have created the accessible button commands and reprogramming techniques just for you. Read ahead to know more.
How to Use Gaming Mouse Buttons?
The buttons of the gaming mouse are designed for performing fast and precise actions. They are reprogrammable, so you can assign them any command you wish. You need to consider the button number, function, programming style, DPI switch, response time, and weight before buying a gaming mouse.
Gaming mice are made for computers and serve more purposes than a standard desktop mouse. There are extra features, such as adjustable sensitivity, higher DPI, precision, etc., that help with gaming. All gaming mice have a right and left button. Some gaming mice have buttons specifically for gaming, such as Razer Mamba.
They are fantastic for high programming. Many programmers use gaming mice just for programming only. In fact, you can buy gaming mice that are specialized for your needs rather than all-purpose. Gaming mice offer choices and versatility. They come in both wireless and wired design.
How Many Buttons do Gaming Mice Have?
A gaming mouse should have at least 6 buttons. The must-have buttons are the usual left side button (M1) and right-side button (M2) on top. There should be a minimum of two buttons on the left side where your thumb will be placed. The scroll wheel (M3) and the DPI button on top are an absolute must to have.
The other buttons depend on your personal choice. Considering a gaming mouse button is essential because it is through these buttons that you will complete the tasks. So, don’t buy a gaming mouse that fits your personal aesthetic but isn’t suited to your purposes and comfort.
The gaming market has blown up, and there are more options than ever before. The gaming mouse has more variety than any of us can choose from. There are gaming mice with buttons for specific tasks, mice that fit certain types of games, and mice that serve many purposes.
If you like playing faster action games like MMO and MOBA, mouses with more than 6 buttons will help you. You can access different actions and commands easily with more controls. On the other hand, slower games can be played correctly with only 6 buttons. A game’s keybind number helps to understand the number of mouse buttons.
What are the Functions of Gaming Mice Buttons?
While everyone knows the use of a mouse’s right and left buttons, most people don’t understand what the side buttons actually do. Gaming mouse side buttons are called programmable buttons. These buttons can be programmed to perform whichever task you assign it.
In gaming, when you need to carry out in-game commands, you use these buttons. This way, you don’t have to memorize the command sequence. For example, in games like World of Warcraft, you can program the side keys to open maps or cast spells with a click. In games like Call of Duty, they can be used for scoping and firing.
Most gamers assign a specific task to their side buttons. It makes the whole gaming experience much more manageable and comfortable. Some of the most popular programmed tasks are reloading, weapon switching, jumping, sliding, health boost, adjusting the camera, throwing, peeking, hiding, casting spells, running, opening voice messages, and much more.
Another vital button of the gaming mouse is the DPI (Dots Per Inch) button. It is also known as the switchable DPI button. You can use this to adjust your DPI as you need. Faster games require a high DPI range, while actions like shooting require precision or low DPI.
An essential use of gaming mouse side buttons is macros. Macros help you execute complex and repetitive tasks with only a mouse click. For example, if you use a combination of attacks in games, you can create a sequence of those actions and assign them to a button. After that, you only have to press that specific button for the entire attack.
Macros can be used to make your attacks much faster. This is a handy trick if you’re a competitive gamer. However, not all games allow it, so you need to know the rules beforehand. Games like fortnight have declared macros as cheating. We will discuss how to create macros below.
Can You Use Gaming Mouse Buttons for Non-gaming Tasks?
If you’re not a gamer, don’t think that side buttons are useless for you. Instead of assigning a gaming action, you can program tasks like copy, paste, volume adjustment, undo, zooming, scrolling, next-previous, and more to your side buttons.
You can program any tasks to these buttons. You can choose the commands you need to use the most for your work. These buttons are not just for gaming. You can also assign a sequence of actions or macros.
How to Reprogram gaming Mouse Buttons?
You can reprogram the gaming mouse buttons to your choice of command. Moreover, you can disable specific commands that you don’t want to use or those that cause your work issues. You need to have the Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center software installed.
If you want to reprogram a gaming mouse button across all available apps, you can take these steps. First, use the mouse that you want to navigate and open Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center. Then go to ‘basic settings’ and choose the button that you want to reprogram. A list of commands will show up, and you need to select the one you want to assign.
You need to choose either the left or top right button to be in charge of the ‘Click’ command. You can give this to other controls as well if you’d like. For disabling a command, follow the above-mentioned procedure and click on ‘disable this button’ instead of a command. However, not all apps and games may support those commands, especially if they are customized.
How to Reprogram gaming Mouse Buttons for An App?
If you want to reassign your gaming for a specific app only, you can do that as well. For example, a button that works as ‘voice diction’ in Microsoft Word works as a macro in a game. Follow the first step of the above process and open Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center.
Go to ‘app-specific setting’ and click on ‘Add New’ to choose the program you want. For programs that are not on the list, select ‘Manually Add a Program’ and select the one you want. Then from the ‘button command list’, choose the command you want to assign.
To put that button to use, open the program and click on the reallocated button. However, programs that are opened through the ‘Run As Administrator’ command will not use the reassigned specific buttons. Those mouse buttons will do the default task.
How to Assign Macro
As we discussed above, macros mean one button being reassigned to complete a series of actions. Long and repetitive tasks are generally completed by macros. IntelliPoint macro has a “.mhm” extension. These macros are saved as separate files in Microsoft hardware. Don’t save sensitive information like passwords in macros.
Open IntelliPoint and look for the ‘buttons’ page. Remember to check if the mouse you want to use can be seen under ‘Connected Device’. From the ‘buttons’ list, select your button of choice and choose the Macro selection under the button. It will lead you to the ‘Macro Editor’ window.
From there, select ‘New’, which will create an empty macro on the macro list. Write the name of the new macro on the ‘File Name’. Select the ‘Editor’ option and type your macro commands. Recording keystrokes, delay time, mouse clicks are allowed to use in this box.
After finishing, make sure to save. Then in the ‘Available Macros’ catalog and choose the new command that you just made. Select ‘OK’ and press the newly assigned macro button to check. If you want the macro command to halt while performing, just click on that button again, and it will stop.
Conclusion
Gaming mouse may seem challenging to use at first, but once you get the hang of it, you will realize how fantastic and convenient it is. Having buttons which you reassign your preferred commands to sounds like an absolute dream. This mouse is not just for gamers. You can reprogram any command you like, and it is easy to do it as well.
Hopefully, now you are more comfortable using gaming mouse buttons. Changing the commands to your choice adds a personal touch to the whole setup. The buttons of the gaming mouse are designed for our comfort.
Hello Good People! This is Pavel and Welcome to PC Delight!
I’m an Electronics Engineer by profession with a passion for Gaming & PC builds. When I came up with the idea for PC Delight, it was my goal to share & offer the very best PC building ideas to tech-loving people like myself.
Since my school days, I’ve been just addicted to gaming & PCs. That leads me to experiment with various ways around the very niche, resulting in great productivity. And I’m here to share those practical experiences. So that next time you start some experiment with your PC builds or struggle to cope with a certain game, I’m here with the solutions. With these philosophies, I started my journey in 2017 and just kept going.
