Tip of the Week: 5 Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Mouse Wheel

That little scrolly wheel on your mouse packs a lot of functionality that you might not have realized. Today, we want to break down some of the neat tricks you can pull off through the use of the mouse wheel. You might be surprised by how much the mouse wheel helps you navigate pages, view content, and so much more.

The Mouse Wheel Is a Button

On most mice, you can click on the mouse wheel and use it as a button. If you click on a link using the mouse wheel button, it will open the link in a new tab—pretty helpful for clicking on links without navigating away from the one you’re currently viewing.

Turn On Auto-Scroll

Some programs support auto-scroll, which lets you navigate the screen by simply moving the mouse up or down. You can activate this feature by pressing on the mouse wheel anywhere other than a link.

Zoom In or Out

Sometimes you might want a quick way to zoom in or out on a page, whether it’s on the Internet, in an application or program, or otherwise. In compatible programs, you can hold down the Ctrl key and use the mouse wheel to quickly zoom in or out.

Returning to Previously Viewed Web Pages

What if you make a mistake and want to return to a previously viewed page? You can hold down the Shift key and scroll down to return to the right page—handy if you aren’t too familiar with your keyboard shortcuts.

Navigating Web Pages

You can take the above feature one step further if your mouse wheel can be pushed left or right. On mouses with this functionality, you can move backward and forward through web pages. 

What do you think? How will these tips change the way you use your mouse? For more great tricks, be sure to keep your eyes on this blog.