Mac users know Apple doesn’t mess around when producing a high-quality productivity-centric device. An Apple device is at the absolute top of its competition in the industry.
Apple has extreme control over the market regarding quality products like iPhones, iPad, MacBooks, and even accessories like the Apple Magic Mouse.
Continue reading to learn how you can connect a mouse to a MacBook.
1. Options Available
The mouse options available for a MacBook are Bluetooth/wireless mice, which utilize Bluetooth to connect with the MacBook, or the other alternative will make you connect a mouse to a MacBook through a USB C port.
These two are the most prominent options to connect a mouse to a MacBook, along with the renowned Magic trackpad.
2. Apple Magic Mouse and Family
If you own a MacBook and decide to get an Apple Magic Mouse or something from Apple, then you are in luck.
Apple has a very good integration among Apple devices, and connecting Apple’s Magic Mouse to your Mac will be smooth as butter.
2.1 For Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, or Magic trackpad 2:
- Get hold of a Lightning to USB cable.
- Using the Lightning cable, connect your Apple mouse to your Mac.
- If your MacBook is of an older generation, you may need an adapter to do this.
- You can use your accessory while connected; however, do know that Magic Mouse 2 won’t work while it’s connected.
- Turn on Bluetooth, and the accessory will automatically connect to your Mac.
- You can now remove the cable.
- A notification will be sent to you notifying you of the connection between your Mac and the Apple wireless mouse.
2.2 For Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse, or Magic Trackpad:
2.2(i) If your software is older than macOS Ventura:
- Hover your mouse on the top left of your screen and click the Apple logo.
- Open System Preferences.
- Please navigate to the Bluetooth icon and select it. Turn it “ON.”
- Choose the Bluetooth mouse, keyboard, or trackpad from the list of available devices and click “Connect.”
2.2(ii) If your software is macOS Ventura:
- Hover your mouse on the top left of your screen and click the Apple logo.
- Open System Settings.
- Open the Bluetooth menu and enable Bluetooth.
- Choose the Bluetooth mouse, keyboard, or trackpad from the list of available devices and click “Connect.”
3. Mouse Preferences Pane
With the Apple mouse, you can customize various mouse settings like tracking or Scrolling speed, gestures, or clicks after you connect a mouse to a MacBook.
Here’s how to do it:
- Connect the mouse to your Mac using the steps mentioned above.
- Open System Settings (for software older than macOS Ventura, open System Preferences).
- Navigate to Mouse settings.
- You can make minor tweaks to your Apple Magic Mouse from these settings.
- There is also an option to “Set up Bluetooth mouse,” which will be yet another way to set up a Bluetooth mouse on your Mac.
- You can also navigate to Accessibility from the System Settings/System Preferences menu and then select “Pointer Control.”
- This option will give you some more settings to play around with.
Changing other mouse settings involves using third-party software, which will be discussed later.
4. USB Overdrive
If the mouse settings offered by Apple are not enough, you can change various settings on an Apple mouse using third-party software called USB Overdrive.
It does cost USD 20. However, you can use it for free for a lifetime if you are willing to hang up with a 10-second window that will appear whenever you want to tweak your mouse.
- In the top left corner of the app, you will see a list of actions you can perform using USB Overdrive.
- Add more actions by clicking the + symbol.
- The right side will carry many modifiers to help manage your tweaks.
- There is also a bottom-left section. It involves speed, acceleration, wheel button settings, and so on.
Refer to this video to learn more about USB Overdrive.
5. BetterTouchTool
After you connect a mouse to a MacBook, if neither the default mouse settings on a Mac nor USB Overdrive can satisfy your needs, you can try another third-party software called BetterTouchTool. It costs USD 9 for the standard license and USD 45 for a lifetime license and comes with a 45-day free trial period.
One of the best features of BetterTouchTool is that it can bind mouse buttons with system-level actions. System-level actions are basic functions that would normally require user input to be executed, like opening an app/folder or taking a screenshot.
BetterTouchTool has an arsenal of such actions that can be attributed to certain gestures or click patterns on the mouse. BetterTouchTool also has better precision when setting tracking/scrolling speed and provides the option to change these settings when you hold a certain key on your keyboard, like the Cmd ⌘ key.
The drawback is that most of these tweaks are only for Apple mice, and there are few options for a third-party mouse. Nonetheless, BetterTouchTool is one of the best mouse companion software on a MacBook.
6. Third-Party Mouse Options
You can opt for a third-party mouse if an Apple Mouse is not your gig. Various options are available on the market, with some specially made to rival an Apple mouse on MacBooks.
Modern MacBooks, like the MacBook Pro, support almost all third-party wireless/Bluetooth mice. However, the catch is that you might not be able to use all of their features, especially if they were intended for Windows.
For example, many mice offer extra buttons on the mouse to change DPI settings, switch between windows, or other functions the user sets. There is a chance that this won’t work on a Mac because such a mouse usually requires special drivers, available only on a Windows computer, so you should evaluate your choices when you wish to connect a mouse to a MacBook.
7. Set up a third-party wireless mouse/Bluetooth mouse
- Open Bluetooth settings on your Mac by navigating to System Settings or System Preferences, as mentioned above.
- Depending on the mouse, you may need to switch Bluetooth on it to keep it in pairing mode.
- Find your mouse in the list of devices that appears in the Bluetooth menu.
- Select your mouse and click “Connect.”
- Your mouse will be connected to your Mac.
8. Battery life
Almost all Apple mouse accessories have a battery that can be charged using the lightning port (which is used to connect them to the Mac) as the charging port.
However, Apple offers some of the best mice on the market, claiming that they can run for about a month on a full charge, which takes two hours.
As for a third-party mouse, there are both rechargeable options and ones that use AAA batteries. The batteries can be replaced when they run out, and the battery life of such a mouse depends from company to company.
9. Third-Party Options to Connect a Mouse to a MacBook
Below are some of the best options to connect a mouse to a MacBook.
9.1 Options from Apple
If you buy a new mouse for your Mac, the best option will always be one from Apple, as the integration feels out of this world, and the experience is very wholesome.
9.2 Logitech Pebble M350
This mouse from Logitech is one of the best third-party options for a MacBook. It is specially built to be used with a Mac, and its shape also resembles that of a Magic mouse (and also a pebble, if that’s what you are into).
The pebble shape makes it easy to hold and gives quite a pleasant experience while keeping wrist sores at a distance, and the reasonable price tag does not burn a hole in your pocket.
Get it at:
9.3 Logitech MX Master 3S
Logitech MS Master Series involves a lineup of premium mice for Mac, and you cannot go wrong with either of them. That being said, the newer version, MX Master 3S, boasts quieter buttons and an improved sensor.
The good thing is that it comes with a Mac variant, with a USB C – USB C charging, since many MacBooks are deficient in USB A ports these days.
Get it at:
There are other good options from Logitech, too, like the Logitech M720 Triathlon, Logitech G604 Lightspeed, and Logitech Lift, which come in all price ranges.
Outside Logitech, some options include Steelseries Aerox 3 and Satechi M1 Bluetooth Wireless Mouse. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with any of them.
10. Your Call
When you connect a mouse to a MacBook, you take one of the most crucial steps to start your productive work, as honestly, though a Mac has one of the best trackpads, it simply cannot compete with the experience that a mouse provides.
The third-party software also makes it a wholesome experience to use a mouse on a Mac, along with all the possible settings that can be tweaked.
Did you like our guide on connecting a mouse to a MacBook? Mind suggesting some better mice than the ones we have mentioned? Do comment to let us know. Click here to learn how to record on a Mac.
Last Updated on December 5, 2022 by tanmay_04
