Summary
- Programming copy and paste functions to my mouse let me perform the tasks with quick swipes and no wrist movement required.
- I can change my computer’s volume without having to search for buttons on my keyboard.
- Playing and pausing media is simpler than ever without having to reach for my keyboard.
While you might think keyboard shortcuts are just for keyboards, what if I told you that programming them to your mouse could be even more convenient? Here are five ways I use keyboard shortcuts on my mouse, and why I do it.
Copy and Paste with Just a Swipe
While there are keyboard shortcuts to copy and paste, and, of course, you can right-click to access the functions, I went a step further. Given that I have the MX Master 3, which supports gestures, I programmed my mouse to copy when I hold the gesture pad and swipe left, and paste if I hold the gesture pad and swipe right.
This allows me to very quickly and easily copy and paste without even using my keyboard. I already have shortcuts set up to do that on my keyboard with a single keypress, but having copy and paste on my mouse allows me to be even more effortless when it comes to the frequently-accessed commands.
Control Volume Effortlessly Using Mouse Gestures
Volume control is something that’s always annoyed me with my current keyboard. While I do have keyboard shortcuts set up for volume up and down, it requires both hands to be on the keyboard so I can shift to a secondary layer and then hit the keys.
However, once I programmed volume control to my mouse, that headache went away. Sticking to the gestures, I can hold the gesture pad and move my mouse up to turn the volume up, and down to pull it down.
This is a simple and easy-to-use gesture that’s intuitive at the same time. If I move the mouse slowly, it goes up in increments of two (thanks Windows 11), and if I swipe fast, it’ll jump up or down quickly. The fine-grained control allows me to dial in what I want for volume without having to think about it much.
The MX Master 3 doesn’t just use the gesture pad for gestures. It’ll also function as its own button. And, while I also have a keyboard shortcut for play and pause, I now have it on my mouse.
This is actually really handy. Instead of having to reach up to hit a key on my keyboard, I can just click the gesture pad to play or pause my media. I use this whenever my hand is resting on my mouse, which is simply more convenient than having to lift it to hit my keyboard.
It might not seem like that big of a deal to move my hand from the mouse to the keyboard. But, if I can program a quicker, simpler way to do something that requires less movement, then I will. I already spend hours a day at my desk, so the more convenient I can make it, the better.
Related
I Park My Mouse In the Middle of My Keyboard, Here’s Why
It looks weird, but that’s never stopped me before!
One-Click Access: New Tabs and Instant ChatGPT
There are two top buttons on the MX Master 3. One is the scroll wheel itself, and one lives behind the scroll wheel. By default, the scroll wheel is middle click and the button behind the scroll wheel is for changing the scroll mode from smooth to click, but I never use that.
As such, I reprogrammed the button behind the scroll wheel to be the middle click. I simply like that better. I use middle click to open new tabs dozens (hundreds?) of times a day—literally. I’m always opening new tabs.
The scroll wheel itself I have programmed to launch ChatGPT through Logi Options+. When I click it, it launches Logi AI Prompt Builder, though it defaults to bringing me right into the ChatGPT interface. It uses a webview, which I’ve logged into my OpenAI account through so I can have access to my chat history.
Logitech MX Master 3S
The Logitech MX Master 3S takes a great mouse and makes it even better. Keeping the comfortable form factor that will fit the needs of every user, as long as they’re not left-handed.
While I don’t use this shortcut all that often, I’m trying to lean into it more. The more I use ChatGPT, the more I realize I should use it more. It’s an endless cycle, and hopefully being able to access the insanely helpful chatbot with a single click will help me use it more.
Looking to program some functional keyboard macros too? Check out my post where I go over the macros I use daily, and why keyboard macros aren’t just for programmers.
