Seven Uses for the Middle Mouse Button

Have you wondered what the middle button on your mouse is useful for, or thought about buying a mouse with three buttons? Some three-button mice have three separate buttons, while others have two buttons and a scroll wheel which can be pushed like a middle button (works the same as middle buttons do). Here are seven uses for a mouse's middle button in Windows, along with some details on buying a mouse of this type if you don't have one:

1. Scrolling: In Windows XP, pressing the middle mouse button causes a circle to appear where the mouse cursor is located, with arrows in it. Then the mouse pointer can be moved around to control the direction and speed of automatic scrolling. Pressing it again stops this function. It can be used in Notepad, IE, Word, and some of the other applications.

2. Favorites Menu: Users of Internet Explorer 7.0 can click on items in the Favorites menu with their middle mouse buttons; this causes the webpages to open in new tabs, rather than the currently open tab. This is useful for rapidly opening multiple websites from the menu.

3. Close Tab: Clicking on a web browsing tab in Opera or Internet Explorer 7.0 with the middle mouse button will cause it to close. This is faster than right-clicking it and selecting "Close." Be careful not to do this accidentally when you intend to access a tab by using the left mouse button.

4. Minesweeper: Middle mouse buttons can be used in playing the standard Windows game Minesweeper. It works the same as clicking the left and right buttons at the same time, but is more convenient and allows the left button to be pressed while it is being held down, which produces a different effect.

5. Opening Links: If a link or a linked image is clicked on with the middle button in a tabbed web browser, it will open in a new tab instead of the current tab or a new window. With a mouse which has two buttons, this can be accomplished by pressing the right button, then selecting "Open in New Tab" from the menu which appears.

6. Cursor Positioning: Clicking the middle button on a search field or other text box on a webpage (and some types of applications) will place the cursor in it, just as the left button would. Aside from reducing wear on the left button, this is of little benefit.

7. Adobe Reader: In the PDF-viewing application Adobe Reader, holding down the middle mouse key while moving the pointer up or down scrolls through the pages. Double-clicking it on a page brings up a window indicating what part of the current page is being displayed, as well as the current and total page numbers.

Overall, middle mouse buttons are useful, but there are usually somewhat less convenient ways to complete the same tasks with two buttons. If you don't have a mouse with a middle button and decide that you want one, they usually aren't very expensive. They can be purchased at office supply stores (like OfficeMax and Office Depot), electronics stores (Radio Shack), online retailers (eBay.com, Amazon.com), and department stores (Wal-Mart, Target). Mice and trackballs of this type have been sold by a variety of brand names, including Memorex, Logitech, Belkin, Dell, and Compaq.