When buying peripheral devices, you most likely look for something to last as long as possible and work well under a lot of pressure. However, nothing lasts forever, and it’s even possible for it to break down the next day.
If the device in question happens to be your mouse, then you’re in a little bit of trouble, especially if you’re using a Desktop PC and have no other alternatives other than your keyboard. Luckily, Microsoft integrated a fair number of accessibility options in Windows, and you can even control the cursor with the keyboard.
You don’t have to install a single thing to make this possible, but there are also powerful third-party applications. The steps below are done without touching the mouse, and explained so that you can enable functionality only using the keyboard.
With Windows built-in features
Step 1: Press Win + S to activate the search function.
Step 2: Write down Ease of Access Center and press Enter.
Note: Pay close attention to what is highlighted, because that’s your only navigation method so far.
Step 3: Press the Down Arrow until Make the Mouse Easier to Use gets highlighted, and press Enter.
Step 4: Highlight the option to Set up Mouse Keys, and press Enter again.
Step 5: With the selection rectangle over Turn on Mouse Keys, hit the SpaceBar.
Step 6 (optional): Navigate in the page and try to enable all options.
Step 7 (recommended): Move the two sliders for Top Speed and Acceleration to the far right so the cursor moves faster. It helps a lot.
Note: Selection might get stuck in certain areas, such as the sliders. Press Tab to switch selection, but pay attention to the highlighted area. Press Tab more times if necessary.
Step 8: Press Tab until the selection box moves on the bottom buttons.
Step 9: Hit Enter on Apply and OK to confirm changes.
Note: Apart from a little bit of attention, you need to be equipped with a heavy load of patience. Navigation with the Numpad takes time, and can become frustrating at times. To click, press 5 on the numpad.
Using a third-party application
Note: It gets a little tricky to download and install the program directly from the keyboard. You can either enable the option above for a little more comfort. Even more attention is required when browsing a website, because not all options highlight, but you can look at the Status Bar to see where the specific link takes you or what you’re about to trigger.
Step 1: Download, install, and run NeatMouse.
Step 2: Choose Activation method from the drop-down menu. It’s best to set a Hotkey.
Step 3: Look over controls and modify them to your liking.
Step 4: Activate NeatMouse to see whether or not Speed needs tweaking.
Step 5: Check to Activate Emulation On Startup so you’re sure the mouse can always be controlled with the keyboard.
Note: Speed and maneuverability are considerably better than the method offered by Windows, but it’s more difficult to grab and install it without any mouse support whatsoever.