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Mouse keys is a feature of some graphical user interfaces that uses the keyboard (especially numeric keypad) as a pointing device (usually replacing a Computer mouse). Its roots lie in the earliest days of when line and column navigation was controlled with arrow keys. Today, mouse keys usually refers to the numeric keypad layout standardized with the introduction of the X Window System in 1984. The X Keyboard Extension: Protocol Specification The X Keyboard Extension: Library Specification
In 1987, Macintosh Operating System 4.2 Easy Access provided MouseKeys support to all applications. Easy access was (de)activated by clicking the key five times.
By the early 2020s, with Graphics tablet becoming more common, a configuration change may be required before enabling MouseKeys.
The X Window System MouseKeysAccel control applies action (usually cursor movement) repeatedly while a direction key {1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9} remains depressed.The X Keyboard Extension: Library Specification, Library Version 1.0/Document Revision 1.1, X Consortium Standard, X Version 11 / Release 6.4, Keyboard Controls, 10.5.2, The MouseKeysAccel Control When the key is depressed, an action_delta is immediately applied. If the key remains depressed, longer than mk_delay milliseconds, some action is applied every mk_interval milliseconds until the key is released. If the key remains depressed, after more than mk_time_to_max actions have been applied, action_delta magnified mk_max_speed times, is applied every mk_interval milliseconds.
The first mk_time_to_max actions increase smoothly according to an exponential.
These five parameters are configurable. GNOME Documentation Library, Configuring a Keyboard-Based Mouse
Before enabling, it may be necessary to change system configuration. The setxkbmap utility can be used to change the configuration under Xorg:
setxkbmap -option keypad:pointerkeys
There are also various utilities to allow more precise control via user-configurable key bindings, such as xmousekeys and xdotool.
Since KDE 5, MouseKeys is enabled and configured by systemsetting5 KDE.org, Using System Settings, System Settings Categories and Modules (Hardware → Input Devices → Mouse → Keyboard Navigation)
MouseKeys for Apple Inc.'s macOS is enabled and configured via the Accessibility Apple.com, Mac OS X, Accessibility (apple → System Preferences → Accessibility → Mouse & Trackpad).
Microsoft changed the method of enabling between Windows 2000,Microsoft.com, Accessibility Tutorials, Windows 2000, Turning MouseKeys On and Off Windows XP (added diagonal cursor movement and MouseKeysAccel),Microsoft.com, Accessibility Tutorials, Windows XP, MouseKeys: Control the Mouse Pointer Using the Numeric Keypad and Windows Vista.Microsoft.com, Accessibility Tutorials, Windows Vista, Control the mouse pointer with the keyboard (Mouse Keys)
Typing (with the numeric keypad) is equivalent to clicking the selected button. By default, the selected button is the primary button (nominally under index finger, left button for most right-handed people and right button for most left-handed people). Typing (with the numeric keypad) selects the alternate button (nominally under ring finger, right button for most right-handed people and left button for most left-handed people). Typing (with the numeric keypad) selects the modifier button (nominally under the middle finger, middle button of a 3-button mouse). Typing (with the numeric keypad) selects the primary button. The selection remains in effect until a different button is selected.
Assignment of left/middle/right button to primary/modifier/alternate, alternate/modifier/primary, or something else is settable by many means. Some mice have a switch, that swaps assignment of right and left keys. Many laptop bioses have a setting for mouse button assignment. Many window managers have a setting that permutes the assignment. Within the X Window System core protocol, permutation can be applied by xmodmap.
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