# Side button on mouse **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 13, 2009, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/side-button-on-mouse/489366 "2009-03-13T21:23:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/side-button-on-mouse/489366/1 "2009-03-13T21:23:23Z")
What does the button on the left side of my new Microsoft Comfort Optical Mouse 3000 do? ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/side-button-on-mouse/489366/2 "2009-03-13T21:36:00Z")
They’re configurable to do many things, but generally the default is forward and backward for browsers. Look in your driver software to see how you can configure them to your liking. I’m personally so use to them that, much like a scroll wheel, it’s a pain when I use a mouse that doesn’t have them. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/side-button-on-mouse/489366/3 "2009-03-13T21:40:44Z")
[The online instructions are worth reading](http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/productdetails.aspx?pid=041). ---
**Author:** ![Elyanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5ac83/32.png) [@Elyanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elyanna)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/side-button-on-mouse/489366/4 "2009-03-13T21:42:05Z")
The ones on computers I’ve used go backwards on browsers. And I hate them. My thumb bumps them all the time. It’s almost as bad as the havoc a touchboard on a laptop keyboard can wreak while typing… ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/side-button-on-mouse/489366/5 "2009-03-13T21:45:09Z")
> [@Elyanna](#): > > The ones on computers I’ve used go backwards on browsers. And I hate them. My thumb bumps them all the time. It’s almost as bad as the havoc a touchboard on a laptop keyboard can wreak while typing.. They take a little getting used to and some are designed better than others. My current mouse has two buttons on each side in addition to the two on top and the scroll wheel (which can also be clicked as a seventh button). Ultimately, what I want is a 10-key pad with a mouse built into the bottom. That would give me just about enough buttons to work with. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/side-button-on-mouse/489366/6 "2009-03-13T23:54:10Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > [The online instructions are worth reading](http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/productdetails.aspx?pid=041). Hey thanks for the link. Unfortunately, mine doesn’t magnify the page when I click that side button, nor does the page move from side to side when I tilt the scroll wheel. I guess I need some sort of driver that I didn’t get when I bought the thing. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/side-button-on-mouse/489366/7 "2009-03-14T05:19:29Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > Ultimately, what I want is a 10-key pad with a mouse built into the bottom. That would give me just about enough buttons to work with. They exist; I’ve seen 'em before but can’t remember the brand right now. Google around a bit and you might find one. They’re designed for laptops and act as a numpad + mouse. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/side-button-on-mouse/489366/8 "2009-03-14T05:22:58Z")
> [@Elyanna](#): > > The ones on computers I’ve used go backwards on browsers. And I hate them. My thumb bumps them all the time. It’s almost as bad as the havoc a touchboard on a laptop keyboard can wreak while typing.. I loooove my backwards and forwards mouse buttons. But I agree with you on the touchpad. My thinkpad had a touch pad AND an eraserhead mouse thingy. I disabled the touchpad. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/side-button-on-mouse/489366/9 "2009-03-14T07:09:49Z")
> [@Elyanna](#): > > The ones on computers I’ve used go backwards on browsers. And I hate them. My thumb bumps them all the time. It’s almost as bad as the havoc a touchboard on a laptop keyboard can wreak while typing.. Infidel! Using the side buttons for back and forth within an internet browser is so damn handy. I can’t imagine going back to the dark ages when I didn’t have these. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/side-button-on-mouse/489366/10 "2009-03-14T07:28:08Z")
> [@randwill](#): > > Hey thanks for the link. > > Unfortunately, mine doesn’t magnify the page when I click that side button, nor does the page move from side to side when I tilt the scroll wheel. I guess I need some sort of driver that I didn’t get when I bought the thing. Download the driver from Microsoft [here](http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=a1525476-a28b-40e4-88c9-97db00d6a75a). ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/side-button-on-mouse/489366/11 "2009-03-14T16:42:09Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > They exist; I’ve seen 'em before but can’t remember the brand right now. Google around a bit and you might find one. They’re designed for laptops and act as a numpad + mouse. I was able to find two, a Sanwa NT-MA2 and an EZKey, but I don’t seem to be having any luck finding someone who would sell them. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/side-button-on-mouse/489366/12 "2009-03-14T18:53:56Z")
Logitech 610 user here – and you can have it from my cold, dead … well, I’m a bit of a sissy so you can have it if you make me mildly uncomfortable. But I’ll glare at you something fierce. Anyway, it has made a _huge_ difference. Since tabbed browsing, I tend to open tabs (middle click) more so than navigate in the Z, but even then with mouse gestures a quick twitch or left-right/right-left clicking does the job. I have: volume up/down mute copy paste find undo save macro (in Word, it highlights the selected section and splits the screen) All buttons are programmable, not only for a host of built-in features but also custom keystrokes (e.g., ctl-alt-s for the Word macro). Much of my work is editorial in nature, so this particular setup took mousing to a new level. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/side-button-on-mouse/489366/13 "2009-03-14T19:08:08Z")
The one I bump accidently all the time is the one underneath the scroll wheel on my [Logitech MX Revolution](http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/mice_pointers/mice/devices/130&cl=US,EN) - the “touch to search” button, which opens a browser tab with the currently selected text in the search engine. That’s actually a useful feature, but you can inadvertently google something in a new tab while scrolling. ---
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/side-button-on-mouse/489366/14 "2009-03-14T19:10:03Z")
I just got the Comfort Optical Mouse 3000 a couple of weeks ago. You should install the drivers before you connect the mouse. I think I had a problem with the CD that came with the mouse and I had to go to the Microsoft website to download the driver. By default, the side button opens the magnifier window. If you hold the button for a few seconds, you can use the scroll wheel to increase the magnification and move the mouse around to make the window larger. What a lot of people may not know is the middle click (press down on the scroll wheel) on Microsoft mice makes a link open in a new tab in Firefox. The problem I’m having with this new mouse is that the middle click has a sweet spot that’s hard to find sometimes…probably because of the multifunction scroll wheel (with the side-to-side motion and the non-clicking scroll). If you don’t hit the middle click exactly right, it doesn’t send the signal. I use this feature a lot on the SDMB…I go down the list and middle click on the threads I want to read and then just go through the tabs. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/side-button-on-mouse/489366/15 "2009-03-14T19:57:30Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > Ultimately, what I want is a 10-key pad with a mouse built into the bottom. That would give me just about enough buttons to work with. I think you mean with a trackball built into the bottom. Like this: > **[TrackballWorld TBK9301R Trackball Keypad, Right Hand Layout](https://www.trackballworld.com/40-520.html)** > > TrackballWorld TBK9301R Trackball Keypad. Full 19 key keypad with built in trackball. Two mouse buttons. Great with laptops. Excellent for presentations. Installs using USB interface port. Dark gray/Black case, Blue ball. Right hand keypad layout. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/side-button-on-mouse/489366/16 "2009-03-14T22:27:35Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I think you mean with a trackball built into the bottom. Like this: > > [TrackballWorld TBK9301R Trackball Keypad, Right Hand Layout](http://www.trackballworld.com/40-520.html) No, not so much - I’ve never been able to get used to trackballs. Besides, the tilt on the one you show would cause wrist problems in no time flat. I’m just thinking you could literally put a mouse’s optical sensor right into the bottom of an otherwise standard 10-key pad. I already mouse with only my thumb and pinkie actually holding the mouse so the keys wouldn’t get in the way of movement. I spend almost all day everyday on my computer for work and I’m something of a connoisseur when it comes to input devices. I’ve tried just about everything, including trying to train myself for a Dvorak layout and left-handed mousing, though neither of those worked for me. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/side-button-on-mouse/489366/17 "2009-03-14T22:48:53Z")
Gotcha. I’ve noted before here that I adore trackballs, but you can’t buy good ones anymore. Our own **GusNSpot** was nice enough to send me one, which I use at work. I’ve got an MS wireless optical mouse at home which is about to die (scroll wheel is stopped up with gunk). ---
**Author:** ![Apocalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Apocalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apocalypso)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2009, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/side-button-on-mouse/489366/18 "2009-03-15T04:44:24Z")
> [@Elyanna](#): > > The ones on computers I’ve used go backwards on browsers. And I hate them. My thumb bumps them all the time. It’s almost as bad as the havoc a touchboard on a laptop keyboard can wreak while typing.. Heh, I love these, and when I use a mouse without side buttons, I find myself constantly pressing the non-existent button when I want to go back (or forth, I have TWO side buttons. Bwwahahhaa!) ---
**Author:** ![Apocalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Apocalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apocalypso)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2009, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/side-button-on-mouse/489366/19 "2009-03-15T04:50:39Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Gotcha. > > I’ve noted before here that I adore trackballs, but you can’t buy good ones anymore. Our own **GusNSpot** was nice enough to send me one, which I use at work. I’ve got an MS wireless optical mouse at home which is about to die (scroll wheel is stopped up with gunk). [Keyboard with trackball built in](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823131088) [Logitech trackball](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104249) [A different Logitech trackball](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104125) [Another trackball](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826125017) [Trackball mouse](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826125073) Or are these not good ones? ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2009, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/side-button-on-mouse/489366/20 "2009-03-15T05:25:31Z")
Everyone knows that the side buttons on a mouse are for strafing left and right in World of Warcraft. Sheesh. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/side-button-on-mouse/489366.md?page=2)