Looking for a mouse that works with your Mac? Here are the best Mac mice, including Apple’s Magic Trackpad, Magic Mouse and some great alternatives to Apple’s mice.
If you’re looking for a mouse for a Mac or MacBook, you’ve got plenty of options beyond Apple’s Magic Mouse (from $79).
These days most mice will work on either Mac or PC, so you’ve got access to just about the entire PC mouse market, from wired to wireless, trackpads to trackballs, and even over-the-top dedicated gaming mice.
A lot of people prefer using a mouse to their laptop’s trackpad. A mouse makes things much easier and just feels comfortable and familiar. But for some mice can be an ergonomic nightmare, so luckily there are alternatives.
Beware of the cheapest wireless mice out there. Many require a nano receiver to plug into a USB port on the computer, and newer MacBooks have just one or two USB-C ports, rather than the required old-school USB-A. Ideally, you’ll want a Bluetooth-compatible mouse to connect to a MacBook.
We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite mice below, from Apple and beyond, so take a look.
If you’re trying to get the hang of your Apple-friendly mouse, incidentally, you may want to know how to right-click on a Mac. We also have a round up of the best deals for Apple accessories like the Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard and the Magic Trackpad. We also have a round up of the Best Keyboards for Mac.
1. Logitech MX Master 3 – Best Mouse for Mac
Pros
Mac version of the Options app
High speed mode
Horizontal scrolling
Cons
Right-handed users only
Most conventional two-button mice will work with a Mac without needing any additional software, but more advanced mice that have additional buttons and controls do need an app that will allow you to program those extra buttons to work the way that you want.
Logitech therefore takes top spot in this review of best mice for the Mac, simply by virtue of the fact that it’s one of the few manufacturers that includes a proper Mac version of its Options app for its mice (and keyboards too).
Mind you, its MX range of mice are also very well designed, with no less than three versions of the current MX Master 3 now available. All three versions have the same basic design – which is for right-handed users only, unfortunately – so make sure you choose the correct model before pressing the Buy button.
The mouse has a smoothly curved surface that fits the palm of the hand very well, along with a thumb-rest for extra comfort. It has the usual left/right buttons and a scroll wheel, but the scroll-wheel works in two different modes, with a high-speed mode for zooming through long documents and web pages, as well as a slower mode that provides greater precision and tactile feedback.
There’s also a second wheel on the side, which allows you to scroll horizontally – which is great for photo-editing and graphics work – and two more buttons that can be programmed using the Options app. Battery life is good too, at around two months – twice that of Apple’s Magic Mouse or Trackpad.
The original version (which we are looking at here), was launched in 2019 and is simply called the MX Master 3. This costs £119.99, and is still the model that we’d recommend for most users, as it includes both Bluetooth and a small USB wireless transmitter that provides greater security and reliability than Bluetooth.
However, Logitech has added two other models since then, including the MX Master 3 For Mac, which is the same price but only has Bluetooth connectivity, and a more Mac-like Space Grey color scheme. And, just recently, Logitech launched the MX Master 3 For Business, which costs around £130, but includes a special ‘Bolt’ USB transmitter that provides super-strong security features for business users. Prices vary a lot online, though, so it’s worth shopping around before buying.
2. Apple Magic Trackpad – Best Trackpad
Pros
Useful gestures and scrolling options
Rechargeable battery life is about a month
Cons
Expensive
It’s pretty expensive, but Apple’s Magic Trackpad avoids the mistakes that it tends to make with its mice. The latest version of the Magic Trackpad isn’t much different from its predecessors, simply switching to a USB-C-to-Lightning cable for charging, and opting for more smoothly rounded corners that match Apple’s latest keyboard designs.
The design still works well though, with a large surface area that measures 160mm wide and 115mm deep, so you have plenty of room to comfortably control your on-screen cursor and to use the various ‘gestures’ that are the Magic Trackpad’s greatest strength.
As well as the usual left and right mouse clicks, the Magic Trackpad lets you use two fingers to scroll up/down or left/right, which is great for photo-editing and other types of graphics work.
You can also zoom in or out on images or web pages by ‘pinching’ in or out with two fingers, or move back/forwards through a series of web pages by flicking left/right with two fingers. And, as well as being touch-sensitive, the Magic Trackpad is also pressure-sensitive, so you can ‘force-click’ by pressing and holding on documents to activate the Mac’s Quick Look previews, or even to look up words in a dictionary.
The low-profile design may not suit everyone, but the versatility of the Magic Trackpad makes it a great alternative to a conventional mouse, especially for left-handed users.
The rechargeable battery lasts for about a month at a time–and, unlike Apple’s Magic Mouse, its Lightning port is on the back edge of the trackpad, which means that you can actually charge it up and continue to use it at the same time.
