Click a Computer Mouse
It's part of the everyday computer use. You use it to select and open something on a computer. Here's how to click a computer mouse.
Contents
Steps
- Put your hand on the mouse. Use your right hand, unless you have a specialized mouse designed for the left hand. Your palm should be on the top of the mouse; your index finger should be on the innermost button located on the top of the mouse; your middle finger should be on the outermost button located on the top of the mouse.
- To left-click, gently push down your index finger until you hear a clicking sound. Do the same with your middle finger to right-click.
Tips
- Some mice are quiet, and the clicking sound might not be apparent. Should this happen, do not be frustrated. Simply test the mouse until you have figured out if it indeed clicks or not. An example would be to move the cursor to over an icon on the desktop. If you left-click it, it should be come highlighted. If you right-click it, the menu will appear.
- If a double click action was intended, but there was too much movement between the first click and the second click, the computer might not have registered it as a double click although the timing of the two clicks were correct. Just try again, but this time with less movement of the mouse between the two clicks. Every computer has a 'threshold' to how much movement is allowed between two clicks of a double click and this 'threshold' can be adjusted to fit an individual's needs.
- If you suffer from arthritis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, or just a sore wrist after using a mouse, try the following:
- Use a wrist stabilizer while operating a mouse. This will take a while to get used to, as the brace will require slightly longer finger movements to click.
- Purchase a "vertical" mouse, or a mouse with an attached wrist support. These also have a learning curve, but will relieve stress on your wrist. A "vertical" style mouse such as the Evoluent vertical mouse will also aid in improving blood flow to your wrists.
- Using a mouse pad in conjunction with a mouse can help a lot.
- Some navigation requires double clicking of a mouse button, every computer has a 'timing' associated to this function. So in some cases you might press the button too fast or too slowly to activate the double click. If you wanted to double click and the action is not performed, try clicking twice a bit faster.
Warnings
- Make sure your hand and arm are comfortable when placed on the mouse. Otherwise, circulation and arthritis problems may develop over time.
- Clicking the mouse too quickly or too hard may break the mouse.
- Remember that double-clicking has a different function for different things than clicking once.
- Some mice are equipped with a button on the inner side of the mouse. By default, this goes back one page in internet explorer, so be careful.
