GlideMouse

GLIDEMOUSE · 0.4.2

Make your mouse work your way.

Start with one button. Choose what it does, try it, then add more when you need them.

Read the full guide ↗
01

Install and allow permissions

  1. Open the DMG and drag GlideMouse into Applications. Quit the older copy before opening the installed app.
  2. Open Mouse setup. Allow Accessibility and Input Monitoring in macOS System Settings.
  3. Return to GlideMouse and refresh. If the permissions have not taken effect, quit and reopen the app.

Accessibility lets GlideMouse perform your chosen action. Input Monitoring lets it recognize buttons and wheel input.

Mouse setup and permission controls
02

Choose a button and its action

The left side shows how you press the button. The right side shows what GlideMouse will do.

  1. Open Buttons and keep All apps selected.
  2. Click Add button action. Press your button inside the capture box, or choose an identified button from the list.
  3. Choose Click once, Double click or Hold, then choose an action.
  4. Ordinary actions save as soon as you choose them. Turn GlideMouse on and try the button outside the capture box.

For example: lower side button → Space left; upper side button → Space right; lower side button held → Mission Control. Capture your own buttons: numbers 4 and 5 can be in different positions on different mice.

Buttons 1 and 2 also support double click and hold. A double-click action adds a short wait to distinguish one click from two.

Button rows with separate click and hold actions
Choose what a button press should do
03

Use different actions in one app

All apps provides your defaults. Add an app only when you want something different in it.

  1. Click Add app and choose the application.
  2. Check its name at the top of Buttons, then change the row you need.
  3. Bring that app to the front to use its custom action. Other apps still use the All apps defaults.
  4. To remove that setup, select the app and click Remove app. This removes its mouse settings, not the application.

From All apps means the default is still in use. A custom action changes only that input; the rest keep their defaults.

Safari custom action and inherited defaults
04

Adjust the wheel

Start with speed and direction. Open finer adjustments only when you need them.

  1. Open Scrolling and try Standard or Smooth.
  2. Adjust Speed for how far the page moves with each wheel step. Change Direction if scrolling feels reversed.
  3. For just one app, select it at the top and enable Use different scrolling in this app before adjusting.

Smoothness spreads the movement out; momentum continues briefly after the wheel stops; acceleration moves farther when you turn the wheel quickly.

Scrolling speed and direction
05

Shortcuts, changes and deletion

  1. To change an action, click anywhere in its action selector. Search by name and select another action.
  2. For Keyboard shortcut, click the recording field, press the key combination, then click Save. Test the shortcut from your keyboard in the target app first.
  3. The trash button removes that row only. Click, double click and hold are separate. Use Undo if you delete the wrong one.
  4. The … menu contains action details and advanced mapping. In an app profile it also lets you reset a custom action to the All apps default.
  5. Open Settings to change language, appearance, updates or backups. Suggested button actions are optional; viewing them does not apply them.

Need to stop quickly? Pause from the menu bar, or press Control + Option + Command + Escape.

Settings and optional suggestions