Mouse middle button: 7 Hidden Middle-Click Tricks to Use When Browsing the Web

Nov 15, 2020 alexxlab

7 Hidden Middle-Click Tricks to Use When Browsing the Web

Saikat Basu

Published Sep 1, 2017

The middle mouse button is basically used to open and close tabs, but it can do so much more.

Image Credit: Pressmaster via Shutterstock.com

The middle mouse button (which is the scroll wheel on most mice today) is basically used for two purposes on the web: first, open links in new tabs, and second, close open tabs. But the middle mouse button can be used for so much more.

Try these seven shortcuts in Chrome and Firefox:

Middle-click on the back button: Open the previous page in a new tab.
Middle-click on the forward button: Open any subsequent page in a new tab.
Middle-click on the refresh button: Open a refreshed version of this page in a new tab.
Middle-click on the home button: Open homepage in a new tab.
Middle-click on an auto-suggest entry while typing in the location bar: Open this search/result in a new tab.
Middle-click on a bookmark: Open bookmark in a new tab.
Middle-click on a bookmark group: Open entire group of bookmarks in new tabs.

From the above, clicking on an auto-suggest entry with the middle button or the scroll wheel could be a valuable time saver for you if you are a heavy web searcher.

Web searchers can also use the button to open a refreshed version of a webpage in another tab while keeping the older version in one.

There is no universal agreement on the behavior of the middle mouse button across all apps. But they do seem to work in a similar fashion on browser tabs.

Middle Clicking on a Laptop Touchpad

Here again, there is a lot of variation. Windows and Mac touchpads behave differently while some laptop touchpads do not have this feature enabled by default. It boils down to the respective drivers.

On a Mac Touchpad: The easiest way to use the middle click function on a Mac is to press the Command key when you left-click with one finger on the touchpad.

On a Windows Touchpad: If your Windows trackpad driver does not have it as a default, then try the suggestions mentioned in this Superuser forum thread.

I hope this post leaves you clicking away on the middle button or the scroll wheel which doubles up as a clickable button. By the way, have you set up your mouse or laptop touchpad for browsing productivity?

Do you have a habit of using the middle mouse button? Tell us about any other middle button trick that makes your browsing slightly easier.

Image Credit: Pressmaster via Shutterstock.com

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What are the default buttons and wheel assignments for my mouse?

Microsoft accessories More…Less

The following table specifies the default button assignments for Microsoft mouse products.

Note: Some of the features listed are not available on all mouse models.

Button

Action

How to use it

Left

Click

Move the pointer over an item on the screen, and then quickly press and release the left button.

Double-click

Move the pointer over an item on the screen, and then quickly press and release the left button twice.

Drag an object

Move the pointer over an item on the screen, press and hold the left button, move the pointer to move the object to a new location, and then release the left button.

Right

Right-click

Move the pointer over the appropriate screen location, and then press the right button to display a shortcut menu or other program-specific feature.

Wheel

Vertical scrolling

In a scrollable window, rotate the wheel toward you to move down, away from you to move up.

Horizontal scrolling (some models only)

In a scrollable window, tilt the wheel to the left to move left, and to the right to move right.

Touch strip (some models only)

For devices with a touch strip, slide your finger up and down or forward and backward to scroll.

Zooming

In some programs (such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel), you can increase or decrease the screen magnification by holding down the CTRL key while you are scrolling.

Wheel

Middle-click

You can press the wheel like a button to access more features. In some programs, you can use middle-click for program-specific features. For example, in Internet Explorer 7, you can middle-click a link to open the link in a new tab.

Flip, Flip 3D or Instant Viewer Task View

Select how you want to view all your open programs: Flip lets you preview thumbnail images of all running programs. Flip 3D lets you flip through all open windows at the same time. If Flip or Flip 3D is not available, this key opens the Instant Viewer /Task View and displays all open items in a grid of thumbnail images.

Other assignable buttons

Other buttons may be unassigned by default, or have a default assignment, such as: Back and Forward Move back and forward in programs that support the Back and Forward commands, such as a Web browser. Magnify Enlarge text and images in a part of the screen.

Dedicated buttons

Some mouse models have buttons with dedicated features, such as presenter buttons or gaming buttons that cannot be reassigned.

Click here for a table lists and describes the button assignments that you can set on your mouse.

Assignments

Description

Click

Selects the object that you are pointing at, positions the cursor, and drags text or objects from one location to another.

Right-click

Displays shortcut menus.

Next window

Makes the next window the active window.

Previous window

Makes the previous window the active window.

Browser Back

In a browser window, displays the last page that you visited.

Browser Forward (browser)

In a browser window, displays the last page that you visited before you clicked the Back button.

Middle-click

In some programs, middle-click lets you use program-specific features. For example, in Internet Explorer 7, you can middle-click a link to open the link in a new tab.

Disable this button

Turns off the mouse button.

Alt

Functions the same as pressing ALT on the keyboard.

ClickLock On/Off

Toggles between enabling and disabling ClickLock. This has the same effect as enabling or disabling ClickLock on the Activities tab.

Closes the active document or window.

Copy (CTRL+C)

Copies the selected text or item to the Clipboard.

CTRL

Functions the same as pressing CTRL on the keyboard.

Cut (CTRL+X)

Cuts the selected text or item to the Clipboard.

Shift

Functions the same as pressing Shift on the keyboard.

Delete

Deletes the selected text, item, or other object.

Digital Ink On/Off

Enables you to annotate slides in a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation (in full-screen mode).

Double-click

Lets you use a single-click to represent a double-click.

Enter

Lets you initiate a command or control, or perform an action for the selected item.

Exit program

Closes the selected program.

Flip /Flip 3D

Flip lets you preview thumbnail images of all running programs. Flip 3D displays all open programs as a three-dimensional set of tiles that you can quickly page or scroll through. If Flip or Flip 3D are not available, this key opens the Instant Viewer and displays all open items in a grid of thumbnail images.

Gaming toggle

Lets you record and play back up to two favorite key sequences while in a game.

Instant Viewer

Displays all open items in a grid of thumbnail images.

Macro

Opens the Macro editor so that you can create a new macro and assign or modify an existing macro.

Magnify

Lets you enlarge text and images on any section of your screen.

Maximize

Lets you maximize the selected window.

Minimize

Lets you minimize the selected window.

New

Lets you create a new document or file.

Open

Lets you open an existing document or file.

Paste (CTRL+V)

Pastes the text or item in the Clipboard.

Quick Turn

Lets you spin a gaming character to face in the opposite direction.

Redo

Repeats the last action.

Shift

Functions the same as pressing SHIFT on the keyboard.

Show/Hide desktop

Minimizes/maximizes all open windows.

Undo (CTRL+Z)

Undo the previous action.

Zoom in

Lets you increase the screen magnification.

Zoom out

Lets you decrease the screen magnification.

Key Combination

Lets you assign a keyboard shortcut to a mouse button.

Precision booster

Lets you adjust your pointer speed for precision tasks, such as in-game targeting or photo editing.

Open a program, webpage or file(custom)

Lets you start a program or game that you specify.

Task View

Lets you open a new task view interface that stays open.

Open Action Center

Lets you open the Action Center.

Open Cortana

Lets you open Cortana in listening mode.

Open OneNote

Lets you open OneNote.

Add new desktop

Lets you add a new virtual desktop.

Previous desktop

Switch to the virtual desktops you’ve created on the left.

Next desktop

Switch to the virtual desktops you’ve created on the right.

Close desktop

Closes the current virtual desktop.

Take Screen Clipping

Take a screenshot of current window and copy it to your clipboard.

Snap window left

Snaps current window to left of screen.

Snap windows right

Snaps current window to right of screen.

Snap windows up

Snaps current window up the screen.

Snap windows down

Snaps current window down the screen.

Switch Between Recent Apps

Switches between recent apps on Windows 8/8.1.

Open Recent Apps

Opens latest active apps on Windows 8/8.1.

Show/Hide App commands

Shows/Hides Apps bar in Windows 8/8.1.

Open the charms

Opens the charm bar on Windows 8/8. 1.

Opens Search on your computer.

Open Share on Windows 8/8.1/10.

Devices

Opens Devices in charm bar on Windows 8/8.1. Opens Connect on Windows 10.

Settings

Opens Settings on Windows 8/8.1/10.

Go to Windows Start

Opens Windows Start.

Page Up

Scrolls up by one page.

Page Down

Scrolls down by one page.

Print Screen

Prints the screen.

Gadget

Displays the gadgets on your desktop in Windows 7.

What are the default actions assigned to buttons and mouse wheel?

The following table shows the standard mouse button assignments from Microsoft.

Note: Some of the features listed are not available on all mouse models.

Button	“Action”	Use of
Left	Click	Move the pointer over an item on the screen, and then quickly press and release the left button.
	Double click	Move the pointer over an item on the screen, and then quickly press and release the left button twice.
	Drag object	Move the pointer over an item on the screen, press and hold the left button, move the pointer to move the item to a new location, and then release the left button.
Right	Right mouse click	Move the pointer to a suitable location on the screen, and then press the right button to open the context menu or other program-specific function.
Wheel	Vertical scroll	In a scrollable window, turn the wheel toward you to scroll down, or away from you to scroll up.
	Horizontal scroll (select models only)	In a scrollable window, tilt the wheel left or right to move left or right, respectively.
	Sensor strip (select models only)	On a touch strip device, swipe up or down or forward or backward to scroll.
	Rescaling	In some programs (such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel), you can zoom in and out of the screen by holding down the CTRL key while scrolling.
Wheel	Middle mouse click	You can press the wheel like a button to use additional functions. In some programs, the middle mouse button invokes special functions. For example, in Internet Explorer 7, clicking the middle mouse button opens a link in a new tab.
	Flipping, Ergo Flicking, and Instant View Task View	Select how you want to view all open programs. Flicking allows you to view thumbnails of all running programs. Ergonomic swipe allows you to scroll through all open windows at the same time. If normal and ergonomic swipe are not available, pressing this key opens the Instant View task view, which displays all open items in a thumbnail grid.
Other buttons that support assignment		Other buttons may not be assigned actions by default, or may be assigned commands such as back or forward in programs that support these features (such as web browsers). Magnifier magnifies text and images in a specific part of the screen.
Dedicated buttons		Some mouse models may have buttons with special functions (for example, for presentations and games) that cannot be remapped.

Click here to open a table that lists and describes the actions that can be assigned to mouse buttons.

Appointments	Description
Click	Selecting the object that is hovered over, moving the cursor, or dragging text or objects to another location.
Right mouse click	Display context menus.
Next window	Makes the next window active.
Previous window	Makes the previous window active.
Browser: Back	Opens the last visited page in a browser window.
Browser: Forward	Opens the browser window to the last page visited before the back button was pressed.
Middle mouse click	In some programs, the middle mouse button invokes special functions. For example, in Internet Explorer 7, clicking the middle mouse button opens a link in a new tab.
Disable this button	Disables the mouse button.
ALT	Works the same as pressing the ALT key on a keyboard.
Turn sticking on and off	Turn sticky mouse buttons on and off. This is the same as enabling or disabling sticky mouse buttons on tab Action .
Close	Closes the active document or window.
Copy (CTRL+C)	Copies the selected text or element to the clipboard.
CTRL	Works the same as pressing the CTRL key on a keyboard.
Cut (CTRL+X)	Cuts the selected text or element to the clipboard.
SHIFT	Works the same as pressing the SHIFT key on a keyboard.
DELETE	Deletes the selected text, element, or other object.
Handwriting on/off	Allows you to add comments to Microsoft PowerPoint presentations (in full screen mode).
Double click	A single mouse click will represent a double click.
ENTER	Allows you to invoke a command or control, or perform an action on the selected element.
Program exit	Closes the selected program.
Flipping and ergonomic flipping	Scrolling allows you to view thumbnails of all running programs. With ergonomic swiping, all open programs are displayed as a 3D set of tiles that can be quickly swiped or scrolled. If normal and ergonomic swipe are not available, pressing this key opens the Instant View window, which displays all open items in a thumbnail grid.
Game Switch	Allows you to record and play back up to two favorite key sequences while playing.
Instant View	Displays all open items in the thumbnail grid.
Macro	Opens the macro editor so you can create a new macro or assign or modify an existing one.
Increase	Allows you to magnify text and images anywhere on the screen.
Expand	Maximizes the selected window.
Collapse	Minimizes the selected window.
New	Allows you to create a document or file.
Open	Allows you to open an existing document or file.
Paste (CTRL+V)	Paste text or element to the clipboard.
Quick turn	Allows you to turn the game character in the opposite direction.
Repeat	Re-execute the last action.
SHIFT	Works the same as pressing the SHIFT key on a keyboard.
Show/hide desktop	Minimizes or maximizes all open windows.
Cancel (CTRL+Z)	Cancel previous action.
Zoom in	Allows you to zoom in on the screen.
Zoom out	Allows you to zoom out the screen.
Key combination	Allows you to assign a keyboard shortcut to a mouse button.
Fine acceleration	Allows you to adjust the pointer speed for tasks that require high precision, such as aiming in games or editing photos.
Open a program, web page or file (optional)	Allows you to launch the selected program or game.
Task view	Allows you to open a new task view interface that remains open.
Open notification center	Opens the notification center.
Opening Cortana	Allows you to open Cortana in listening mode.
Open OneNote	Allows you to open OneNote.
Add new desktop	Allows you to add a new virtual desktop.
Previous desktop	Switch between created virtual desktops from right to left.
Next desktop	Switch between created virtual desktops from left to right.
Close desktop	Closing the current virtual desktop.
Create screen cutout	Take a screenshot of the current window and copy it to the clipboard.
Attach window to the left	Pins the current window to the left side of the screen.
Attach windows to the right	Pins the current window to the right side of the screen.
Fix windows on top	Pins the current window to the top of the screen.
Attach windows from below	Pins the current window to the bottom of the screen.
Switching between recent applications	Switch between recent apps in Windows 8/8.1.
Open latest apps	Opening recent active applications in Windows 8/8.1.
Show/hide application commands	Show or hide the app drawer in Windows 8/8. 1.
Calling charms	Opens the Charms bar in Windows 8/8.1.
Search	Opens the Search section on the computer.
General access	Opens the Sharing section in Windows 8/8.1/10.
Devices	Opens the Devices section of the Charms bar in Windows 8/8.1. Opens the Connection section in Windows 10.
Parameters	Opens Settings in Windows 8/8. 1/10.
Go to the Windows Start screen	Opens the Windows Start screen.
PAGE UP	Scroll up one page.
PAGE DOWN	Scroll down one page.
Print Screen	Screen printing.
Gadget	Show gadgets on the desktop in Windows 7.

How to press the middle mouse button on a laptop touchpad

Guide in the Windows section How to press the middle mouse button on a laptop touchpad contains information, tips and tricks that will help you learn the most important points and subtleties of the issue….

Most laptop touchpads allow you to middle-click, but not all. In some situations, you may need to enable this option in the mouse driver control panel or install the appropriate drivers first.

Basics

To left-click on a touchpad, you click the pad with one finger. To right-click, click the bar with two fingers. To middle-click, click the bar with three fingers. In any case, this is the ideal situation.

In practice, this feature is enabled by default on some touchpads, disabled by default on others, and not available for some touchpads.

And, depending on your touchpad, you may just need to tap the pad with the correct number of fingers rather than physically pressing it.

The following instructions are for Windows. On a Mac, you can use the MiddleClick app to enable middle click on your MacBook’s Touch Bar.

How to enable three-finger click

If this does not work, you may need to enable it. This can be done in two main ways. This is a custom touchpad driver control panel that Synaptics often makes. This should always be available on Windows 7, as well as on Windows 10 PCs that don’t have a precise touchpad.

For Windows 7 PCs and Windows 10 PCs without Precision Touchpad

To find this option, look in Control Panel & gt, Hardware and Sound & gt, Mouse. Find the tab called “Touchpad” here to get access to touchpad settings.

For example, in the screenshot below, we need to click on the “ClickPad Settings” tab and then click on the “ClickPad Settings” button below it.

The exact next steps here will vary on different computers. You’ll need to find the setting that controls what three fingers do on the touchpad, make sure it’s enabled, and set it to middle button click.

For example, in the screenshot below, we first need to make sure that the “Click” checkbox is checked. Next, we need to click the gear icon to the right of Click to customize what different clicks do.

Here we find the “Three Finger Click Action” option. It should be set to “Middle Click” so that we can perform a middle click with three fingers.

If the touchpad has buttons and you press them instead of the touchpad itself, look for the setting that controls what the buttons do. For example, you can set the touchpad to perform a middle click when the left and right mouse buttons are pressed at the same time.

For Windows 10 PC with precision touchpad

If you can’t see this control panel and you have Windows 10 installed, your laptop is most likely accurate. touchpad, so you will have to use the built-in settings of Windows 10 to enable this feature.

To do this, go to Settings & gt, Devices & gt, Touchpad. Scroll down and find the “Three Finger Gestures” section. Click the Retract box and select Middle Mouse Button. By default, this gesture is set to open Cortana in Windows 10.

If you don’t see any additional options added by the mouse drivers in the Mouse window and you’re using Windows 7, or if you don’t see any options available in the Touchpad screen in Windows 10, you need to install the mouse drivers for your laptop. Go to your laptop manufacturer’s website, find the drivers for your laptop’s touchpad and install them. After that, you should see additional options in the mouse control panel and you should be able to follow the steps above.

Help, I can’t enable 3-finger click!

If you can’t enable three-finger click in the touchpad settings, there is no easy way to do it. You might be able to tweak something along with AutoHotKey, but there’s a good chance it won’t be as reliable.

If you frequently use the middle click in Windows, you may want to consider alternative gestures. For example, the middle click is commonly used to open links in a new web browser tab.