How do I make Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse middle-click on single touch?

I've just got my Arc Touch Mouse. It has a touch panel instead of the wheel.

By default you can scroll by swiping your finger on the touch panel. Tapping ends of the panel sends Page Up and Page Down and double tapping in the middle of the panel acts as middle click.

The last one is irritating. I use middle click quite often and I don't like that I have to double tap specific area for a single click, especially when I want to click multiple times in a row. I know that I can disable Page Up/Down in Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center, but it won't let me to configure single tap for middle click.

Googling yielded nothing useful. I don't find AHK workaround comfortable.

Is it possible to enable single tap middle click, preferably enable entire touch surface? Please note that I'm talking about MS Arc Touch Mouse, not MS Touch Mouse (which doesn't have middle button at all). This is the one I have:

Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse

Clarification, because I'm getting a lot of answers about remapping buttons:

Remapping is possible with the software that Microsoft provides. The problem is that for the computer to detect middle click, you have to double tap the touch panel on mouse. Computer doesn't seem to even be aware of single taps.

TL;DR: By default, to middle-click you have to tap twice. I want to tap once.

gronostaj

Posted 2014-06-19T19:34:25.390

Reputation: 33 047

the link your providing for the workaround is broken (404), I assume you looked at "Mouse and Keyboard Center 2.7" software, I tried downloading and running it but couldn't cause it checks for a compatible mouse. so try it if you haven't already. tried reading through the PDFs, nothing helpful there.

– Maher Fattouh – 2016-01-29T20:49:07.567

@MaherFattouh, I've updated the link. – gronostaj – 2016-01-29T21:57:06.010

I believe this is a "feature" and done by design. If you were to scroll through a page, your finger would naturally run over the middle click indentation. I believe (though I'm not confident) that this could register as a middle-click. I've been using the same mouse for about two years ago, and tried to find the same solution previously with no luck. I do hope that you find a solution-- if not, I think you'll still enjoy the mouse if you're willing to get used to this nuance. – DontCopyThatFloppy – 2016-05-24T19:05:07.267

"That's not a bug, it is a feature" was coined at Microsoft. – SDsolar – 2017-01-31T01:38:38.800

Many MS mouses don't have middle click at all (wedge, touch), so I guess that's kind of MS signature move. – Agent_L – 2017-03-20T20:04:15.387

Can someone let me know the full form of “ TL;DR: “ ? – Valay_17 – 2019-12-25T12:43:07.147

@Valay_17 "Too long; didn't read". It's a common abbreviation, you could find it on Google. – gronostaj – 2019-12-25T16:31:30.917

Thank you for letting me know,not a social guy so never know such things. – Valay_17 – 2019-12-25T16:34:13.080

Answers

It is probably too late to answer five years after asking... There is an option now that is documented and supported by MS to simulate a standard middle click with one tap using Three Finger Click. Not sure it was an option that times. Also not sure it is much more comfortable to perform a single tap with three finger rather than double tap anything. But hope it helps those who stumble upon this answer. It just works and supported.

All you need for this is two following steps (no reboot):

Download and install Mouse and Keyboard Center of MS
Set Three Finger Click to Middle-click (as it is disabled by default)

I've found the answer here in the forum post of 2018 in MS Community.

This is how this setting looks like:

moudrick

Posted 2014-06-19T19:34:25.390

Reputation: 210

1Interesting. I'm sure this feature wasn't available back when I asked the question. I've replaced the mouse since, but thank you anyway. – gronostaj – 2019-12-25T11:59:33.837

I don't have an arc mouse, so I can't do this myself, but I would use some kind of listener hook to find what input is passed from the driver when the "single" middle click you are looking to use is pressed. You could try looking at event viewer (search for event viewer after pressing the windows key) as you press the middle mouse, or try looking at code generated by Microsoft IntelliPoint's macro record program. XMBC has a built in listener (buttons are highlighted yellow when pressed), but it only listens for a standard set of buttons, so I'm guessing that the single middle click doesn't register there.

If it were me, I would start a keyboard/mouse hook script in AHK, do a single middle mouse "click", then view the key history to see what input is being mapped. Use this AHK webpage (scroll all the way down to the Special Keys section) for a tutorial on how to do that.

Making the remapping script is straightforward - I would link an example but my currently low rep on this site prevents that at present. The first result in a google search for "AHK mapping mouse as keyboard" without quotes should get you there.

Another possible workaround is to make a script that maps a keyboard button you don't use often to "middle mouse click" and use that script when you use programs that require a middle mouse click for navigation.

Let me know if you need help making an AHK script, or you can find many examples of such a script via Google search.

Zediiiii

Posted 2014-06-19T19:34:25.390

Reputation: 234

I don't have that mouse right now, so I can't test it, but I pessimistically suspect that there's absolutely no input from single taps. I'll let you know when I get my hands on it again. – gronostaj – 2016-08-13T09:12:43.267

It could be mapped as a special key or joystick axis, which a listener would probably catch. – Zediiiii – 2017-09-26T22:08:16.163

If I remember correctly from my lost arc touch mouse, you only need to single-tap for the page up and down

if this is true, you can use AHK to pass a middle click and I believe nullify the original page up/down key-press, I haven't used AHK for a while.

one AHK script that may help you with that is the middle click simulator here : AHK Mouse Wheel Emulator

If I remember incorrectly, you can use the precompiled script to use both left and right click to middle click

in my opinion, it was a design flaw of Microsoft's mouse and software

DanHolli

Posted 2014-06-19T19:34:25.390

Reputation: 621

That will break PageUp/Down on my keyboard, right? If so, that's not an option. – gronostaj – 2016-12-20T21:32:28.717

it will, i haven't used microsofts software for it but you migh be able to remap page down do something else that you don't use like... F13 (yes it does exist, i have seen one in real life) – DanHolli – 2016-12-21T20:46:23.307

-1

There is a free program either for Windows 10 or the Lenovo called UltraNav which allows you extra options for the mouse and to turn the touchpad on and off. Hope this helps. I think this might work for any variety of mouse. It's worth a try as it's free.

Ms Mel Jackson

Posted 2014-06-19T19:34:25.390

Reputation: 1

Can you expand your answer a bit? Just mentioning a product doesn't really explain how to accomplish the solution, and it's often viewed as spam. It's better to include some instructions on how to use the product to solve the problem, or at least describe what makes the product a good solution. Include a link to the product. Good guidance on recommending software here: http://meta.superuser.com/questions/5329/how-do-i-recommend-software-in-my-answers. Thanks.

– fixer1234 – 2016-06-05T01:45:10.393

UltraNav is a modified Synaptics touchpad driver software for Thinkpads. I don't think installing it even makes sense if you don't have a Thinkpad and how it would be related to this Microsoft mouse. – gronostaj – 2016-06-05T16:46:34.873

I thought this might be a long shot but worth trying. – Ms Mel Jackson – 2016-06-11T11:16:26.927

-2

change the mouse settings in"control panel"-"mouse".If the hardware is installed it should support it.

SlickRick

Posted 2014-06-19T19:34:25.390

Reputation: 1

Microsoft's driver software does allow remapping middle button to other one, but it's still triggered by double tap. – gronostaj – 2016-06-13T10:50:47.423