Mouse basics

What the side buttons on a mouse do, and better jobs for them

Updated 2026-11-03 · by the mouzeclick team

Mouse side buttons are the two thumb buttons, usually called Mouse 4 and Mouse 5, and out of the box they send Back and Forward. That suits a web browser. In other apps they work better as per-app shortcuts: undo, a cut at the playhead, play, switch app or open a wheel. The mouse maker's software, or mouzeclick on Windows and Mac, sets that up.

The two thumb buttons are Mouse 4 (Back) and Mouse 5 (Forward), next to left, right and middle.
Logi Options+ maps buttons per app and adds hold-and-move gestures. Logitech offers it for Windows 10 or later and macOS 14 or later (checked on 3 November 2026).
Microsoft PowerToys is free. Its Keyboard Manager remaps keys and shortcuts, and Mouse Button Lock holds a button down for long drags.
mouzeclick gives every button eleven slots per app on any mouse, on Windows and Mac. We make it.
mouzeclick's workspaces, captions, Retakes, cloud sync and in-app updates are Windows-only. The mouse app, gestures and wheels run on both.

What are the side buttons on a mouse called?

The side buttons are the two thumb buttons, and they are usually called Mouse 4 and Mouse 5, or Back and Forward. Both pairs of names describe the same two buttons.

mouzeclick, for example, works with five standard buttons: left, right, middle (pressing the wheel), Mouse 4 and Mouse 5. It also uses scroll and tilt, and each can run its own action per app. If your mouse has more buttons than that, check what the maker's own app does with the extras.

Before the rest of this page: we make mouzeclick, one of the tools discussed here. The maker's own software and Microsoft's free tools come first, and our section is labelled as ours.

What do mouse side buttons do by default?

Out of the box, Mouse 4 sends Back and Mouse 5 sends Forward. In a web browser that moves you through the pages you have visited.

That is a fine job if you live in a browser. In an editing app, Back and Forward rarely match anything you do on the timeline. The buttons sit where your thumb already rests, so a press costs no hand movement. That position is worth more than a browser shortcut.

So the better question is what they should do. The rest of this page answers that for editors, then shows how to set it up with the maker's software, with Microsoft's tools and with mouzeclick.

What is the best use of mouse side buttons?

The best use of a side button is the action you repeat most in the app you use most. For an editor that is usually undo, a cut at the playhead, play and pause, or opening a menu of tools. Three tests pick the winner:

Frequency. If you do it dozens of times an hour, it belongs under your thumb. Something you do once a day can stay on the keyboard.
Safe to misfire. Thumb buttons get pressed by accident when you grip the mouse. Undo, play and a frame step are harmless. Delete or close-without-saving are not.
Same logic in every app. Keep the idea the same everywhere (Mouse 4 always goes back a step) even when the shortcut behind it changes per app.

Where you work	Mouse 4	Mouse 5	Why it works
Web browser	Back	Forward	The default already fits, so leave it.
Premiere Pro timeline	Undo	Cut at the playhead	Two actions an editor repeats constantly, with the left hand free for the keyboard.
After Effects	Undo	Open a tool wheel	One press brings a ring of tools to the pointer instead of a trip to the menus.
Email, docs, chat	Copy	Paste	Moving text between windows becomes a one-hand job.
Any app	Switch to the last app	Open an app switcher	Jump between the editor, the browser and a file window without reaching for the keyboard.

These are starting points, not rules. A tap is one action, but Logi Options+ and mouzeclick both let a held button run gestures. That multiplies what the pair can do before you think about buying a new mouse.

Which side-button jobs help most in Premiere Pro and After Effects?

In Premiere Pro and After Effects the side buttons pay off most when they carry the actions you do between keyboard shortcuts: undo, a cut, play, a one-frame step, and a way to reach tools without a menu. Set them per app, so the same thumb press does the right thing in each editor.

Two side buttons carry far more than two actions once a held button counts as a gesture. In mouzeclick:

Tap Mouse 5 to cut at the playhead.
Hold Mouse 5 and move up, down, left or right for four more actions, such as play, split, undo and a one-frame step.
Hold Mouse 4 and scroll for one more slot, for example timeline zoom.
Press Mouse 4 with another button as a chord, for something you want to be hard to trigger by accident.

For motion work, a wheel on a side button can carry more than a mouse full of buttons. mouzeclick's After Effects Tool wheel holds 114 tools in 13 groups, and the Premiere Pro one holds 112 tools in 12 segments. Both run on Windows and Mac, need the bridge installed once, and open with F10, any key or mouse button, or a held right button. Our guides to Premiere Pro mouse shortcuts and the After Effects radial menu show full layouts.

If you are still choosing hardware, our summary of what Reddit says about the best mouse for video editing draws on 57 threads. The MX Master setup for Premiere Pro and After Effects covers Logitech's flagship in both editors.

How do you change the side buttons with the mouse maker's app?

Start with the software from the company that made your mouse, because it also handles the mouse's own settings. For a Logitech mouse that is Logi Options+, offered for Windows 10 or later and macOS 14 or later (checked on 3 November 2026).

What Logitech publishes about Options+ on its software page:

App-specific buttons. Customisation per app, for apps including Google Chrome, Edge, Safari, Zoom, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro and Microsoft Teams.
Gestures. Gestures can go on any mouse button: hold it and move up, down, left or right to move between windows, control songs and more.
Actions Ring. A customisable on-screen overlay that brings tools, shortcuts and actions to the pointer. One of its bubbles can be used for Easy-Switch on any MX mouse.

The MX Master 4 (the page we checked is the Special Edition) adds a Haptic Sense Panel with feedback on chosen actions, shortcuts and notifications, set up in Options+. Logitech says haptics in Options+ are only available with the MX Master 4 at the moment. It also says the mouse has native haptics on Windows 11 from the update at the end of March 2026, controlled from the Windows settings.

The pages we checked give no button count per model and no step-by-step path for the side buttons. For another Logitech model, Logitech Support lets you search by product name, model number or part number to find the right download. We did not check Razer's software for this page, so we say nothing about it.

For what Options+ covers and how per-app buttons work on other brands, see our Logi Options+ alternative comparison.

Can you remap mouse side buttons on Windows without extra software?

Not from anything on the Microsoft pages we checked: neither the support pages nor the PowerToys docs give a Settings path for reassigning Mouse 4 and Mouse 5. What Microsoft does offer is PowerToys, a free, open-source set of utilities, and a few of them touch the mouse.

Keyboard Manager remaps keys and shortcuts, and can map a key to a text sequence. If you leave the target app empty, the change applies across Windows. Shortcuts must start with Ctrl, Shift, Alt or Win, end with an action key, and run to four keys at most (five for a chord). Win + L and Ctrl + Alt + Del are reserved and can't be remapped. The page describes keys, not mouse buttons.
Mouse Button Lock keeps a button held down without pressing it, which makes long drags and selections easier. It is off by default and covers only the right button unless you also tick left or middle. The hold before it locks runs from 200 to 2200 ms (1200 ms by default), with a 5-pixel drag threshold by default.
ClickLock, the Windows option for the left button, sits under Control Panel › Mouse › Buttons › Turn on ClickLock.
The other mouse utilities are Auto Hide Cursor, CursorWrap, Find My Mouse, Highlighter, Jump and Crosshairs. Find My Mouse starts with a double press of Left or Right Ctrl, a shake of the mouse, or your own shortcut.

PowerToys is the right pick if all you want is to change keys. To give the side buttons new jobs you need a mapping app. Our step-by-step for remapping mouse buttons on Windows 11 and the roundup of the best mouse button mapping software cover the options.

Can you use mouse side buttons on a Mac?

Yes, with software that maps them. Of the tools on this page, two run on a Mac: Logi Options+ for macOS 14 or later, and mouzeclick for macOS 12 or newer on Apple Silicon and Intel. PowerToys is a Windows tool.

On a Mac, mouzeclick needs two permissions, Accessibility and Input Monitoring. Setup takes four steps:

Drag the app to Applications.
Allow it once in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Security › Open Anyway. Apple has not notarized the app yet, so macOS asks the first time it opens.
Turn on mouzeclick under Accessibility and Input Monitoring, then quit it and open it again.
Click the menu-bar icon › Open settings, paste the key and press Activate.

On a MacBook keyboard the wheels use Fn + F8 and Fn + F9, which is one more reason to put a wheel on a side button instead. Our pages on remapping mouse buttons on a Mac and installing mouzeclick on a Mac go further.

Where mouzeclick fits (we make it)

mouzeclick turns each side button into up to eleven actions per app, on any mouse your computer sees, on Windows and Mac. Each button has eleven slots: tap, hold and move in four directions, a chord with another button, or hold and scroll. Any button can be the gesture button, and a quick tap still clicks.

Setting up Mouse 4 for Premiere Pro goes like this:

Install the app and paste the key. There is no driver.
Press each mouse button once. The settings page is built around the buttons your mouse really has.
In the Premiere Pro profile, pick the slot you want on Mouse 4, such as the tap.
Pick an action from the 309 built-in shortcuts (the Windows library), or record your own shortcut or a macro of keys, clicks, waits, typed text and launches.
Press Add editing gestures to fill the empty directions: up plays, down splits, left undoes, right moves one frame forward.

Because buttons work per app, Mouse 4 can cut a clip in Premiere, switch tabs in Chrome and paste everywhere else, and it changes the moment you switch windows. A side button can also open one of the three wheels:

Options wheel (F8): 48 favourites per app on rings of 12, 16 and 20. Its trigger can be F8, Ctrl + right click or a side button.
Orbit switch (F9): every open app as an icon, up to 12 on a ring. Rest on one and the wheel shows its windows, or a browser's tabs.
Tool wheel (F10 or a held right button): Premiere Pro and After Effects only, with 112 and 114 tools. It needs the bridge, installed once from the app's Tool wheel page; see the Premiere Pro and After Effects tools.

What it does not do: it doesn't change DPI, polling rate, sensor, battery or lighting, and it never touches the mouse's firmware. Keep the maker's app for those. It needs an internet connection while it runs, because the licence and profiles live in your account. Gestures on other buttons are covered in mouse gestures on Windows 11, and other wheel apps in our radial menu app roundup.

Platforms, plainly: the mouse app, gestures and wheels run on Windows 10 and 11 and on macOS 12+. The workspaces, captions, Retakes, cloud sync and in-app updates are Windows-only. The trial is 3 days with no card, and every Premiere Pro and After Effects tool works fully during it. After that it is $25 a month, $249 a year, or $499 once for one of the first 100 lifetime keys; see pricing.

Logi Options+, PowerToys or mouzeclick: which suits your side buttons?

Pick by what you need the buttons to do. The table sets out what each maker publishes, checked on 3 November 2026.

Tool	Price as shown	Windows / Mac	What it does for side buttons
Logi Options+	Not published on the software page	Windows 10 or later; macOS 14 or later	Per-app buttons for listed apps, hold-and-move gestures, the Actions Ring overlay, MX Master 4 haptics
Microsoft PowerToys	Free, open-source	Windows	Keyboard Manager remaps keys and shortcuts; Mouse Button Lock holds a button down; side-button remapping not described
mouzeclick	$25 a month, $249 a year, or $499 once for one of the first 100 lifetime keys	Windows 10 and 11; macOS 12+	Eleven slots per button, per app; three wheels; macros; 309 built-in shortcuts on Windows

Where Logi Options+ is the better pick

If you own an MX Master 4 and want haptic feedback, Options+ is the only tool here that sets it up. It also puts Easy-Switch on an Actions Ring bubble for MX mice. And because mouzeclick leaves DPI, polling rate, battery and lighting to the maker's software, you keep Options+ for those either way.

Where PowerToys is the better pick

If you only want to swap keys or shortcuts, globally or for one app, PowerToys is free and does it. Its Mouse Button Lock holds a button down for long drags and selections, and works on the right, left or middle button.

Where mouzeclick fits (ours)

It suits you if you want the same per-app setup on a mouse from any maker, on Windows and Mac, with chords, hold-and-scroll slots and tool wheels made for Premiere Pro and After Effects.

Why would a remapped side button stop working?

Check rights and input first: an app running as administrator, or a game that reads the mouse its own way, can ignore the mapping app. Work through these:

An app running as administrator. On Windows, games and apps running as administrator ignore apps that are not elevated. In mouzeclick, pick Restart as administrator in the tray menu. Microsoft notes the same for Mouse Button Lock, which might not work over admin apps unless PowerToys runs as administrator.
Games with raw input. Microsoft says Mouse Button Lock might not work in games that use raw or exclusive mouse input, or over on-screen keyboards.
Mac permissions. If mouzeclick can't read the buttons on a Mac, check Accessibility and Input Monitoring, then quit and reopen it.
No connection. mouzeclick pauses its shortcuts if the internet drops, and the mouse acts normally until it returns.
Need it off now. Ctrl + Alt + F12 stops mouzeclick at once on Windows.

For more checks, our guide to mouse side buttons not working goes through the fixes one by one.

Give your side buttons eleven jobs per app, free for 3 days. One plan with everything included, $25 a month, or $249 for a year.

See the price

Questions people ask

Are Mouse 4 and Mouse 5 the same as the Back and Forward buttons?

Yes. Mouse 4 and Mouse 5 are the usual names for the two thumb buttons, and Back and Forward are what they send out of the box. If you are not sure which is which on your mouse, open a mapping app and press each one. mouzeclick, for example, asks you to press every button once on first run and builds its settings page around the buttons it finds.

Can I make a mouse side button copy and paste?

Yes, with a mapping app that sends a key combination when you press the button. Set it per app if you want the button to do something else in your editor. In mouzeclick, Mouse 4 can paste in every app while cutting a clip in Premiere Pro. PowerToys' Keyboard Manager remaps keys and shortcuts, but Microsoft's page doesn't describe putting them on mouse buttons.

Can the side buttons do different things in each app?

Yes. Logi Options+ lists app-specific settings for apps including Chrome, Safari, Photoshop, Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro. mouzeclick gives every app its own profile, so the same press changes the moment you switch windows, and the editors come with ready-made profiles. On Windows, PowerToys Keyboard Manager can aim a key remap at one app, or apply it everywhere if you leave the app blank.

Do I need a mouse with lots of side buttons for video editing?

Not necessarily. Two side buttons cover a lot once each has several actions. In mouzeclick every button has eleven slots, from a tap to hold-and-move gestures, a chord and hold-and-scroll, and one button can open a wheel of 48 favourites per app. More buttons help if you prefer direct presses to gestures, but mouzeclick itself uses only the five standard buttons plus scroll and tilt.

Does remapping the side buttons change my mouse's DPI or firmware?

Not with mouzeclick. It never touches the mouse's settings or firmware, and it doesn't change DPI, polling rate, sensor, battery or lighting. Those stay with the mouse maker's software, so keep that app installed for them. mouzeclick runs as one small app in the tray on Windows or the menu bar on a Mac, with no driver and no vendor software.

Can a side button open a radial menu?

Yes. mouzeclick's Options wheel can open from F8, Ctrl + right click or a side button, with 48 favourites per app, and its Tool wheel for Premiere Pro and After Effects opens from any key or mouse button. Logitech's Actions Ring in Logi Options+ is also an on-screen overlay of tools and shortcuts at the pointer, though the pages we checked don't say which button opens it.

Is there a free way to get more out of mouse side buttons?

Microsoft PowerToys is free and open-source on Windows. Its Keyboard Manager remaps keys and shortcuts, and Mouse Button Lock holds a button down for long drags. Logitech's software page shows no price for Logi Options+. mouzeclick has a 3-day free trial with no card: the key and download links arrive by email, and the 3 days start when you first open the app with the key.

Does mouzeclick work with Logitech and Razer mice?

It works with any mouse your computer sees, wired, wireless or Bluetooth, using left, right, middle, Mouse 4 and Mouse 5 plus scroll and tilt. There is no driver and no vendor software to install. Because mouzeclick uses only those five buttons, extra buttons on a bigger mouse stay with the maker's own app, along with DPI, battery and lighting.

What happens to the side buttons if mouzeclick is paused?

They act as a normal mouse again. If the internet drops, mouzeclick pauses its shortcuts and the mouse works normally until the connection returns. When paid time ends, the app pauses the same way. On Windows, Ctrl + Alt + F12 stops mouzeclick at once if you need the plain mouse back in a hurry, for example in a game.

Sources

Checked on 2026-11-03. Prices and features change: each link goes to the maker's own page.