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How to Use a Mouse With an iPad
Yes, you can get a mouse for your iPad
By Sam Costello Sam Costello Writer Ithaca College Sam Costello has been writing about tech since 2000. His writing has appeared in publications such as CNN.com, PC World, InfoWord, and many others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on April 11, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email In This Article
Expand Jump to a Section Requirements Step-by-Step: Use a Bluetooth Mouse Using a Wired Mouse Changing Mouse Buttons Changing the Size and Color of the Mouse Cursor Changing Mouse Speed For years, people who wanted to use their iPads as laptop replacements have wished for a way to use a mouse with iPad. Well, that time has come. With the right software on your iPad, you can now connect and use Bluetooth and wired mice. Read on to learn how. This article was written using an iPad running iPadOS 14. You can use a mouse with an iPad running iPadOS 13.4 and up. Requirements for Using a Mouse With iPad
In order to use a mouse with your iPad, you must have the following things: An iPad. iPadOS 13.4 or higher. A Bluetooth or wired mouse or trackpad. To use a wired mouse, a USB or Lightning to USB-C adapter cable. How to Use a Bluetooth Mouse With iPad
Using a Bluetooth wireless mouse with the iPad is pretty easy. Just follow these steps: On the iPad, tap the Settings app to open it. Tap Bluetooth. Put your Bluetooth mouse into pairing mode. For Apple mice and trackpads, just turn them on. For third-party devices, check the instructions that came with your mouse. When the name of your mouse appears onscreen, tap it and follow the onscreen pairing instructions to connect to your iPad. In the pop-up menu confirming the pairing step, tap Pair. When your mouse is connected to your iPad, a round cursor appears onscreen. Move the mouse to move the cursor and click onscreen items like with a normal mouse. Somewhat strangely, Apple's Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Trackpad were not currently originally supported for wireless use with the iPad. Support was added for them in recent versions of the iPadOS, though the 1st generation version of each still doesn't support scrolling gestures. How to Use a Wired Mouse With iPad
You can also use a wired, USB mouse with the iPad. Doing that is even simpler than connecting a Bluetooth mouse. Here's what to do: Plug your mouse into the USB-C port on the bottom of the iPad. Unless your mouse has a USB-C connector, you'll need an adapter cable to do this. For example, if you have a standard USB mouse, you'll need a USB-A to USB-C adapter. For an Apple mouse with a Lightning port, you'll need a Lightning to USB-C adapter. Control the round cursor that appears onscreen with mouse like you would on a desktop or laptop computer. How to Change What Each Mouse Button Does on iPad
Just like you can control what the buttons on your mouse do on a computer, you can do the same thing on the iPad. The process is a little tricky, so just follow these steps: After pairing your mouse to your iPad, tap Settings > Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch (make sure it's toggled to on/green) > Devices. Tap Devices > the name of your mouse. Next, click Customize Additional Buttons. When the pop-up window appears, ignore it and click the button whose action you want to customizer On the next screen, tap the action you want assigned to the button you just clicked. Once you select this setting, every time you click that button, this action will occur. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you've customized the action for each button on your mouse. How to Change the Size and Color of the Mouse Cursor on iPad
Don't like the default size or color of the mouse cursor on the iPad? Change them by following these steps: Tap Settings > Accessibility > Pointer Control. Move the Pointer Size slider to make the cursor larger or smaller. To change the color of the cursor, tap Color and choose one of the options. To make the mouse cursor automatically disappear when you're not moving the mouse, move the Automatically Hide Pointer slider to on/green. When the cursor is hidden, just move the mouse to have it re-appear. How to Change Mouse Speed on iPad
Want to change the speed at which the mouse cursor moves on the screen? Do this: Go to Settings > General > Trackpad & Mouse. Move the slider under Tracking Speed to increase or decrease speed. The 9 Best Mice for iPads, Tested by Experts Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Connect a Mouse and Keyboard to Steam Deck How to Connect USB Devices to an iPad 8 Things to Consider Before Buying a Computer Mouse How to Fix Windows 10 Mouse Lag Should You Buy an iPad Keyboard? 3 Reasons Why You Might Want To How to Turn on Bluetooth on a Mac How to Fix It When the Cursor Disappears in Windows 10 The 9 Best Mice for iPads, Tested by Experts How to Change an iPad's Sidecar Position How to Pair a Logitech Mouse How to Use Universal Control for Apple Devices How to Use Apple Stage Manager How to Connect an iPad to a TV How to Use the iPad Control Panel How to Right-Click on a Mac How to Use Hot Corners on a Mac Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies