Top 7PC Mouse Tips You Should Know
While most PC users do not pay much attention to the mouse, there are a number of things about it you likely know very little about.
Those of you who were born in the 90s may be surprised to learn that the mouse wasn’t always optical. In the past they used a ball in order to track movement. Those who are old enough may also remember that the mouse, initially didn’t come with a scroll wheel, only a left and right button.
Whatever the case was, back then, the computer mouse was able to provide the end user with a sufficient level of comfort, making daily tasks that much easier.
Below are some excellent tips that you can and should use to get the most out of your mouse. Boosting productivity and hopefully comfort, in the process.
1. Use the Scroll Wheel
Today, literally everyone is familiar with the scroll wheel that is able to move a page, both up and down. However, the scroll wheel is also capable of a number of different tasks. These include the following:
• The mouse scroll wheel, despite being a wheel for scrolling, can also be used as a mouse.
• The scroll wheel acts as a third button (depending on how many buttons your mouse actually has). Simply push down on it, to execute. To open a web page in a new tab, the end user need only push down on a link, using the scroll wheel.
• You can zoom in and out of a word document, web page or excel spreadsheet, by simply holding down the Ctrl key, while using the scroll wheel.
• Some scroll wheel can also be pushed from left to right, which you can use in web browsers to move back to a previous page.
2. Shift Key and Mouse Click
When using a word processor program, such as Microsoft Word and even while surfing a website, it’s possible for you to highlight portions of text, by pressing the shift key and clicking down on the mouse. Simply, place the mouse cursor at the beginning of a piece of text you wish to copy, then hold down the shift key. Then click at the end of the text line or paragraph, and it should highlight everything, depending on how much text you wish to copy.
Note: When you hold down the Alt key, while highlighting a piece of text, in a word processor program, it should allow you to highlight the text. This is most useful when attempting to copy text in a column.
3. Use Your Mouse Side Buttons
A large number of the mouse devices that you can buy today, come with side buttons. These buttons are usually programmable. However, when you first get the mouse up and running, the left button, will usually take you back, in your web browser. This makes your web browsing experience more efficient, because you can quickly shift between pages, without having to point and click so much.
4. Right-Click
When you want to view the properties of an object or highlight some text, the right-click is available for you to do that. For example, if you were to highlight a piece of text, by right-clicking on it, you can copy and paste that content to where you wish.
Note: It’s possible for you to right-click a piece of text, and then drag it, while holding down the mouse button. However, when you eventually let go of the button, you will be given the option to either copy or move a piece of text. This makes the process of pasting text much simpler.
5. Customize Your Mouse
If your mouse came with more than your standard two buttons, then you must install the software that came with it, as this will grant you the ability to customize the mouse. For example, if the side buttons serve no real function for you, as you have a more preferable way of moving back, while browsing, then you should definitely consider changing that buttons function.
6. Use Snap to Feature
Microsoft Windows comes with its own snap to feature, that automatically moves your mouse to buttons that appear in dialog boxes. Such as the _ and X keys. When you use the snap to feature, the mouse will move to the OK button automatically, so you need only agree. In order to enable this feature, the end user must enter mouse properties, which is visible under Control Panel, then check the corresponding box and click on Save.
7. Hold Your Mouse Properly
There is no reason why you should clutch your mouse so hard. As you can move your mouse with just a slight touch. This in turn could possibly affect your wrist. This tip is especially useful for those end users who are on their computers for hours per day. This is because bad posture, while using your keyboard and mouse, is very important, as it could potentially lead to pain and eventually injuries.
