How to install the Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center
Microsoft isn’t known as a hardware manufacture. Most of its product offerings are software however, that isn’t the case. Microsoft does make and sell hardware under its name. The Surface and the Surface Studio are two popular computers that it manufactures but it also manufactures keyboards and mouses.
Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center
Much like Logitech has a proprietary app for using its more sophisticated peripherals, Microsoft has its own app called the Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center for configuring its keyboard and mouse. The app is free. The real product is the keyboard and mouse that you purchase. The app’s purpose is to help you configure it.
Install Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center
The Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center is available for download on Microsoft’s website.
- Visit the official download page for Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center.
- Select the language you will use the app in.
- Select the app based on your system’s architecture i.e. 32-bit or 64-bit Windows.
- Download the app and run the EXE to install it.
Use Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center
Once the Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center has been installed, you can use it to manage your peripherals. Make sure you’ve paired and connected them to your system.
- Open the Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center app.
- Select the device that you want to set up e.g. a mouse.
- Go to the Basic settings tab.
- Select the button either on the mouse or in the buttons list.
- Select how you want the button to act i.e. what you want it to do.
- To set up app-specific functions, go to the App-specific Settings tab.
- Click the Add new button.
- Select the app that you want to add a specific mouse action for.
- Select a button to assign a function to.
- Select one of the preset functions to assign to the button.
- You can also select specific keyboard shortcuts to be executed or record a macro to run when the button is clicked.
Other settings
The settings that you see in the Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center app will differ based on the device that you’re using e.g., some mouse models have a vibrate functions while others do not. If your mouse has one, you will be able to turn it on or off, or change its intensity.
Conclusion
The Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center app allows you to customize how your devices work and it installs essential drivers for them. It can change the behavior of buttons and keys that users normally do not have access to on a normal keyboard.
