How to Use a Mouse With an iPad

For years, people wanting to use their iPads as replacement laptops 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.

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 or higher installed on the iPad.
• 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:

1. On the iPad, tap the Settings app to open it.

   

2. Tap Accessibility.

   

3. In the Physical and Motor section, tap Touch.

   

4. Tap AssistiveTouch.

   

5. Move the AssistiveTouch slider to on/green.

   

6. In the Pointer Devices section, tap Devices.

   

7. Tap Bluetooth Devices.

   

8. Put your Bluetooth mouse into pairing mode.

9. When the name of your mouse appears onscreen, tap it and follow the onscreen pairing instructions to connect to your iPad.

   

10. 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 normal.

How to Use a Wired Mouse with iPad

You can also use a wired, USB mouse with the iPad. Here's what to do:

1. Follow steps 1-5 from the last section.

2. 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.

3. 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 each button on your mouse does when you click it on a computer, you can do the same on the iPad. To make your mouse buttons do exactly what you want, follow these steps:

1. After pairing your mouse to your iPad, tap the name of the mouse on the Devices screen in Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch > Pointer Devices.

   

2. Some mouse buttons may have actions assigned to them by default. To change those actions, tap the button you want to change and skip to step 5 below.

   

3. To assign actions to buttons that aren't preconfigured, tap Customize Additional Buttons.

   

4. Click the first mouse button you'd like to assign an action to.

5. The set of actions you can assign to the button appears on the screen. Tap the one you want.

   

6. Repeat that process for all of the buttons 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:

1. Tap Settings > Accessibility > Physical and Motor > Touch > AssistiveTouch. In the Pointer Devices section, tap Pointer Style.

2. Move the Size slider to make the cursor larger or smaller.

   

3. To change the color of the cursor, tap Color and choose one of the options.

   

4. To control when the mouse cursor automatically disappears, tap Auto-Hide and make a selection. After auto-hiding, the mouse cursor re-appears when you move the mouse.

   

How to Change Mouse Speed on iPad

Want to change the speed at which the mouse cursor moves on the screen? Do this:

1. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch.

   

2. Move the slider under Tracking Speed to increase or decrease speed.