# What do you use your extra mouse buttons for? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 9, 2003, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-your-extra-mouse-buttons-for/147523 "2003-01-09T15:10:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-your-extra-mouse-buttons-for/147523/1 "2003-01-09T15:10:26Z")
I am curious to hear what others have thier extra mouse buttons set to do, meaning buttons other than the 2 main buttons. I bet most have at least one button set to internet back command, but what about the rest? Thumb1: Internet back Thumb 2: Internet forward Scroll Wheel push: Close app/Window ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-your-extra-mouse-buttons-for/147523/2 "2003-01-09T15:28:35Z")
Wheel: double click ---
**Author:** ![Skelji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Skelji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skelji)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-your-extra-mouse-buttons-for/147523/3 "2003-01-09T15:51:08Z")
I use them to piss off my mouse. I know just how to push its buttons. Actually, I don’t have mine programmed to do anything beyond their basic functions. I shall now demonstrate the left button functionality as I click “Submit Reply”… ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-your-extra-mouse-buttons-for/147523/4 "2003-01-09T17:41:53Z")
I have MS Trackball Explorer (I think that’s the name), I use the wheel for double-clicking, the extra buttons for back and forward in the browser. The only problem is I get really frustrated when I use other mice (or trackballs) that don’t have back/forward browser buttons on them, or are programmed differently. ---
**Author:** ![LordVor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90ced4/32.png) [@LordVor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LordVor)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-your-extra-mouse-buttons-for/147523/5 "2003-01-09T18:22:03Z")
Middle-button paste, as god intended it to be. -lv ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-your-extra-mouse-buttons-for/147523/6 "2003-01-09T19:08:50Z")
“Extra”, I don’t get it. What do you mean by “extra”? I’ve always used 3 button mice, going back to Xerox Altos, and none of them have ever been extra. _All_ the buttons on my mice have been used for _multiple_ purposes, depending on application. And let’s not forget the various shift keys: e.g., using shift-middle to change the font size in an Xterm. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-your-extra-mouse-buttons-for/147523/7 "2003-01-09T19:54:53Z")
Gauntlet, and plasmagun 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Washte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Washte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washte)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-your-extra-mouse-buttons-for/147523/8 "2003-01-09T20:05:11Z")
left for normal clicking right to access options centre button to scroll Both of our browsers also allow _mouse gestures_. Quick swipe and left click opens a link in another window. Quick swipe and right click takes you back to previous page viewed. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-your-extra-mouse-buttons-for/147523/9 "2003-01-09T20:10:24Z")
By “extra” buttons we mean mice that have the scroll wheel as a buttin (i.e., you can push it down in addition to scrolling) and also have buttins on the left and ride side of the mice. These buttons are easiy pushed with your thumb and pinky finger. My scroll wheel is the default, I click it and I scroll my moving the mouse. My right button is “ctrl.” It’s so damn handy when selecting multiple files, which I do a lot when burning CD’s and whatnot. My right button is minimize. Man, THAT is the best thing I ever did for my mouse. I rarely use the forward button in IE, and I use back only occaisonaly, so I don;t mind moving the mouse there to do it. ---
**Author:** ![merge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9f8e36/32.png) [@merge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/merge)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-your-extra-mouse-buttons-for/147523/10 "2003-01-09T20:40:48Z")
I actually have both thumb bottons set to minimize windows for when I am on the internet at work, and need to hide a window quickly… comes in handy… ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-your-extra-mouse-buttons-for/147523/11 "2003-01-09T21:31:09Z")
Alt and Tab. ---
**Author:** ![tourbot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@tourbot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tourbot)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-your-extra-mouse-buttons-for/147523/12 "2003-01-09T22:16:52Z")
Hmm. I’ve noticed these buttons before, but never really thought about them (MS Intellimouse). When I click them, they don’t do anything. When I go into (Win98) Control Panel -\> mouse there are no settings for additional buttons. But I have a bit of carpal tunnel (completely the fault of Blizzard software) and prefer to use keyboard shortcuts for almost everything anyway. (Using tab key to select Submit button now…) ---
**Author:** ![dead0man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@dead0man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dead0man)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-your-extra-mouse-buttons-for/147523/13 "2003-01-10T10:47:48Z")
Good idea **erislover** , I have never thought of that. I’m not going to go changing from the “back”/“forward” that they are now, but I still like the idea. I use the “back” button to bring up my knife and the “scroll button” to reload my magazine in Delta Force:Land Warrior. ---
**Author:** ![blinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@blinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinx)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-your-extra-mouse-buttons-for/147523/14 "2003-01-10T11:45:00Z")
In mozilla, my middle button opens a link in a new tab. Everywhere else it pastes ofcouse. ---
**Author:** ![Coil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Coil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coil)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-your-extra-mouse-buttons-for/147523/15 "2003-01-10T12:22:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by merge \* > \*\*I actually have both thumb bottons set to minimize windows for when I am on the internet at work, and need to hide a window quickly… comes in handy… \*\* I have one of the side buttons on my mouse at home set to minimize all windows. Sort of a hide-from-wife-button. 😃 The other side button is back in browsers. ---
**Author:** ![lolagranola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ea5d25/32.png) [@lolagranola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lolagranola)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-your-extra-mouse-buttons-for/147523/16 "2003-01-10T17:05:00Z")
One is set as a back button, the other one is set as “shift” which, when combined with a regular left click, opens links in new windows, or closes windows. And of course, all of my windows are tabbed across the top of my browser. God bless Opera. ---
**Author:** ![sidle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee59a6/32.png) [@sidle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sidle)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-your-extra-mouse-buttons-for/147523/17 "2003-01-10T21:51:26Z")
I like to shellac my wheel with a lovely dappled mauve glaze, under which I print out and attach the tiniest pictures of my pets, loved ones, and New England home which can be cleverly rotated and viewed under the lovely resulting rose glow. But that’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-your-extra-mouse-buttons-for/147523/18 "2003-01-13T01:09:28Z")
I only have the regular right and left, plus a scroll button. I use the scroll for “back” and the light on the bottom (it’s an optical mouse) as my laser-gun death-ray. ---
**Author:** ![smaft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c2a13f/32.png) [@smaft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smaft)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-your-extra-mouse-buttons-for/147523/19 "2003-01-13T05:02:08Z")
Hmm, my contribution, on MS optical trackball w/wheel- from left to right: Back, click, close (wheel button), right-click, alt-tab. Note: “back” and “alt-tab” come in extremely handy when using multiple windows in our primary application at work; “close” just 'cause it’s easy. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-your-extra-mouse-buttons-for/147523/20 "2003-01-13T14:36:02Z")
Fire weapon group 2. Usually guns. Lasers or PPC’s are on mouse 1, and rockets or alpha strike on mouse 3. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-your-extra-mouse-buttons-for/147523.md?page=2)