Move the cursor around the screen without using a mouse

Activating Mouse Keys on macOS:

1. Open System Preferences by clicking on the Apple menu and selecting it.
2. Click on Accessibility to open the accessibility features.
3. In the sidebar, under the Pointer Control section, you’ll find a tab labeled Mouse & Trackpad.
4. Check the box next to Enable Mouse Keys to activate the feature.

Navigating with Mouse Keys:

With Mouse Keys enabled, you can now move your cursor using your keyboard. By default, the feature utilizes the number pad; however, if your Mac doesn’t have one, you can still use Mouse Keys with the following controls:

• 8 moves the cursor up.
• 2 moves the cursor down.
• 4 moves the cursor left.
• 6 moves the cursor right.
• For diagonal movement, 7 goes up and to the left, 9 up and to the right, 1 down and to the left, and 3 down and to the right.

Adjusting Mouse Keys Settings:

For a more comfortable experience, you may want to adjust the cursor’s speed and the delay until repeat. These settings are also found in the Mouse & Trackpad section of the Accessibility preferences. Here you can configure:

• The Initial Delay, which determines how long you need to press a key before the cursor starts moving.
• The Maximum Speed, which controls how fast the cursor moves when you hold down a key.

Benefits of Using Mouse Keys

Using Mouse Keys can help you maintain focus by minimizing the need to switch between input devices. It’s also an invaluable tool for users with motor skill impairments, allowing for precise cursor movement.

Keep in mind that while Mouse Keys is active, the number keys will control the cursor rather than inputting numbers. This means that if you’re using the standard keyboard layout, pressing the keys that normally type numbers will instead move the cursor in the direction specified by the Mouse Keys setting.