How to Turn On and Off Mouse Keys in Windows 10


Mouse Keys lets you control the mouse pointer by using the numeric keypad on your keyboard.
How to Turn On and Off Mouse Keys in Windows 10-mouse_keys.png

Moving the pointer using Mouse Keys

After you turn on Mouse Keys, you can use the numeric keypad to move the mouse.

To move the mouse pointer Press
Up and to the left 7
Up 8
Up and to the right 9
Left 4
Right 6
Down and to the left 1
Down 2
Down and to the right 3

Selecting a mouse button

Before you use Mouse Keys to click items on your screen, you must first select which mouse button you want to be the active button: the left button, the right one, or both.

If you choose to make the left mouse button the active button, it will remain the active button until you choose another button. After you select a mouse button, you don't need to select a mouse button again until you want to change buttons.


To Press
Select the left mouse button The forward slash (/)
Select both buttons The asterisk (✲)
Select the right mouse button The minus sign (-)

Clicking items using Mouse Keys

After you choose a button, you can click items on your screen.

To Do this
Click an item With the left button selected as your active button, point to the item, and then press 5
Right-click an item With the right button selected as your active button, point to the item and then press 5
Double-click an item With the left button selected as your active button, point to the item and press the plus sign (+)

Dragging items using Mouse Keys

You can use the numeric keypad to press and hold the active mouse button and to release it. This is helpful if you want to drag an item.

You can use the numeric keypad to press and hold the active mouse button and to release it. This is helpful if you want to drag an item.

To change options like how quickly the mouse pointer moves and whether your computer makes a sound when you turn on Mouse Keys, in the Ease of Access Center, under Control the mouse with the keyboard, click Set up Mouse Keys.


To Do this
Drag an item Point to the item and then press zero (0)
Drop an item Point to the location where you want to move the item and then press the decimal point (.)

This tutorial will show you different ways to turn on and off Mouse Keys for your account in Windows 10.


For a Windows 11 version of this tutorial, see:

Turn On or Off Mouse Keys in Windows 11



Contents




EXAMPLE: Mouse Keys icon on taskbar
How to Turn On and Off Mouse Keys in Windows 10-mouse_keys_icon_on_taskbar-1.png How to Turn On and Off Mouse Keys in Windows 10-mouse_keys_icon_on_taskbar-2.png
How to Turn On and Off Mouse Keys in Windows 10-mouse_keys_icon_on_taskbar-3.png How to Turn On and Off Mouse Keys in Windows 10-mouse_keys_icon_on_taskbar-4.png






OPTION ONE

Turn On and Off Mouse Keys using Keyboard Shortcut


1 Press the Alt + Left Shift + Num Lock keys to toggle Mouse Keys on or off.

You will be prompted to click/tap on Yes to confirm if you want to turn on Mouse Keys.
How to Turn On and Off Mouse Keys in Windows 10-mouse_keys_keyboard_shortcut.png







OPTION TWO

Turn On and Off Mouse Keys in Settings


1 Open Settings, and click/tap on the Ease of Access icon.

Starting with Windows 10 build 21359, the Ease of Access category in Settings has been renamed to Accessibility.


2 Click/tap on Mouse on the left side, and turn On or Off (default) Turn on Mouse Keys to use the numeric keypad to move the mouse pointer on the right side for what you want. (see screenshots below)

When Mouse Keys is turned on, you will be able to change the other Mouse Keys settings to what you want.


3 You can now close Settings if you like.

How to Turn On and Off Mouse Keys in Windows 10-mouse_keys_settings-1.jpgHow to Turn On and Off Mouse Keys in Windows 10-mouse_keys_settings-2.jpg






OPTION THREE

Turn On and Off Mouse Keys in Control Panel


1 Open the Control Panel (icons view), and click/tap on the Ease of Access Center icon.

2 Click/tap on the Make the mouse easier to use link in the Ease of Access Center. (see screenshot below)

How to Turn On and Off Mouse Keys in Windows 10-mouse_keys_control_panel-1.jpg

3 Check (on) or uncheck (off - default) Turn on Mouse Keys for what you want, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshots below)

You can click/tap on the Set up Mouse Keys link to change the other Mouse Keys settings to what you want.

How to Turn On and Off Mouse Keys in Windows 10-mouse_keys_control_panel-2.jpg How to Turn On and Off Mouse Keys in Windows 10-mouse_keys_control_panel-3.jpg






OPTION FOUR

Turn On and Off Mouse Keys using a REG file


The downloadable .reg files below will modify the string value in the registry key below.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Accessibility\MouseKeys

Flags string value (REG_SZ)

186 = Off
63 = On


1 Do step 2 (on) or step 3 (off) below for what you want.


2 To Turn On Mouse Keys

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

Turn_ON_Mouse_Keys.reg

Download


3 To Turn Off Mouse Keys

This is the default setting.

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

Turn_OFF_Mouse_Keys.reg

Download


4 Save the .reg file to your desktop.

5 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

6 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

7 Sign out and sign in, or restart the computer to apply.

8 You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.


That's it,
Shawn Brink