Apple has really changed the game in terms of its focus for the iPad, and more specifically, the iPad Pro. Alongside the announcement for iOS 13, Apple also introduced iPadOS which has many of the features Pro users have been looking for, in particular, we now have support for a mouse with iPadOS!
Some of these features are related to how the Files app works, along with connecting external hard drives to the iPad.
However, there are even more capabilities underneath including the ability to connect your favorite mouse to your iPad.
Getting the mouse connected
As expected, Apple somewhat hid the ability to connect your favorite mouse to your iPad. In iPadOS, the features are found under Accessibility within the Settings app, which now has a standalone section and isn’t buried deep.
Take time to explore the new options in Accessibility on the new iPadOS
Once you have your favorite mouse on-hand, you’ll want to get this set up so you can be more productive.
Here are the steps to enable your mouse with iPadOS support:
Open the Settings app on your iPad
Scroll down and tap Accessibility
Select Touch, which is found under Physical and Motor
At the top, toggle AssistiveTouch to the On position
In the next panel, toggle AssistiveTouch on again
Scroll down and tap Devices
Tap Bluetooth Devices. For a wired mouse or trackpad, all you need to do is select the device’s name
Once you enter the “Bluetooth Devices” section, step away from the iPad for a moment. You need to set your Bluetooth mouse into pairing mode, which is different for each device
Get your Bluetooth into Pairing mode
In our example, we are pairing the Logitech MX Master 2S
Flip the mouse upside down and press/hold on the pairing button
Once the name of the mouse shows up on your iPad, tap it to pair it
You can also set up a “new profile” by switching to one of the other numbers provided
There have been some instances where a pin code is needed in order to finish the pairing process
Since most mice don’t have numbered inputs (outside of gaming mice), just enter 0000 into the Pin Code area.
The mouse then pairs with your iPad and you can start customizing.
Can’t connect your Magic Mouse 2, trackpad, or third-party mouse/trackpad with iPadOS?
For whatever reason, connecting a magic mouse 2 and some other devices is challenging with iPadOS. But we found a workaround!
Go to Settings > Accessibility
Choose Switch Control
Select Switches
Tap Bluetooth Devices
Turn on your magic mouse
Pair it, if asked
Look for your Magic Mouse 2 (or whatever you call your magic mouse) listed under BT devices
Wait for iPadOS to list the device as connected
Once your iPad recognizes your mouse, go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Assistive Touch
Now that your mouse has connected to the iPad thanks to AssistiveTouch in iPadOS, the fun isn’t done yet.
Apple made it possible for you to customize the various buttons that can be found on your different mice.
There are some default options already assigned to different buttons, but these can be changed.
By default, there are only two-three buttons listed, with Single-Tap, Open Menu, and Home as the de-facto button pairings.
Here are the steps in order to customize and change your mouse button actions:
Open Settings
Tap Accessibility
Select Touch > and toggle on AssistiveTouch
Look for the section Pointer Devices
Tap on Devices
Find and tap the name of your connected mouse or trackpad
Select a button that you want to customize its action
Choose the action you want for that button from the available action options
Want your iPad or iPhone mouse to have right-click behaviors?
Assign a Long Press to one of your mouse buttons. Using a long press gives you access to the Quick Actions menu options.
Does your mouse or trackpad have more than 2-3 buttons?
If your mouse or trackpad has more buttons than the default options of 2-3, you can add additional mouse buttons and actions by tapping the “Customize Additional Buttons…” option at the top of the Mouse settings.
Why is the mouse cursor so big in iPad OS?
First and foremost, we have to recognize that the ability to use a mouse with iPadOS is under Accessibility for a reason. So it would make sense for Apple to have a larger cursor so that those who need it can easily see what they’re doing.
Personalize the mouse pointer (cursor) on your iPad
With the latest release of the iPadOS, Apple listened to complaints about users being unable to make the cursor smaller.
Now, if you want to make this smaller, you can do so with these steps:
Open Settings
Scroll down and select Accessibility
Tap Touch, under Physical and Motor
Tap AssistiveTouch
Scroll down and select Pointer Style
At the top of this panel, there is a scrolling bar that can be adjusted. This automatically changes the size of the cursor, which is a fantastic addition to iPadOS for mouse users.
From this panel, you can also change the color of the pointer, ranging from Gray (the default) to Orange).
Additionally, you can adjust the Auto-Hide your pointer’s cursor settings, including the time that it takes, or even the ability to toggle it off so the mouse cursor is always there.
Hidden features of using your mouse with iPadOS
Clicking on either of the bottom corners takes you to the home screen
Click and hold from the bottom corner and dragging up reveals multi-tasking
Click and drag up and down a page to “scroll”
Customize Accessibility Menu to perform actions such as different gestures
For scrolling, press down and drag your mouse in the desired direction
We are sure Apple continues to release more features with updates and additional releases of iPadOS, but for now, Apple has gotten things rolling quite nicely.
Bluetooth devices not connecting with iPad using iPadOS?
First, if your BT device isn’t connecting to your iPad, make sure it’s not paired with any other device!
Check if the mouse’s or trackpad’s LED is blinking, if not, your device is already paired with another device, like your iPhone or Mac. So unpair it from that other device first, then try to pair again with your iPad.
Unfortunately, there are some mice that just won’t work yet with the iPad and iPadOS.
Surprisingly, some of the problematic devices are Apple’s own Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Trackpads. We aren’t exactly sure why Apple hasn’t included support for its own devices, but many people report issues when using either of these with Bluetooth and iPadOS.
For the Magic Trackpad 2, try plugging it directly into your iPad. Sadly, Apple’s Magic Mouse 2 cannot work this way because of that awful decision to put the charging port on the under-belly of the mouse.
Earlier, we mentioned that some mice force a PIN code entry to show up.
In those cases just enter 0000 and the mouse pairs. There are some instances where it seems like the settings panel is just stuck. In these instances, try to put the same PIN code in, even though there is no prompt.
How to use the improved mouse support in iPadOS 13.4
In a move that should have come as no surprise, Apple added additional mouse and trackpad support with iPadOS 13.4. The surprise was that this is becoming available as of March 24th, instead of launching along with iPadOS 14 this Fall.
With the update, you no longer need to go through the rigamarole of turning the features on in Accessibility. Instead, you can just find your favorite mouse, put it into pairing mode, and then pair it to your iPad just like anything else. Apple states that this new functionality is compatible with any third-party mice or trackpads over USB or Bluetooth. That means we’ll get full support for the Magic Mouse 2 and TrackPad 2, finally.
Setup and connect mouse or trackpad in iPadOS 13.4
After your mouse is connected, you will want to tinker around with the settings. The new panel for mouse and trackpad settings can be found here:
Open the Settings app on your iPad.
Tap General.
Select Trackpad & Mouse.
From here, you are provided with these options:
Tracking Speed
Natural Scrolling
Secondary Click
You can go through and tweak these settings to your liking, but what if you have a mouse like the MX Master 3? This mouse specific has a slew of customizable buttons that you can take advantage of. Here’s how to set those buttons to perform specific tasks:
Open the Settings app on your iPad.
Scroll down and tap Accessibility.
Scroll down and select Pointer Control.
From this menu, you’ll have the following options:
Appearance
Increase contrast
Automatically hide pointer
Color
Pointer size
Pointer animations
Scrolling speed
Then, at the bottom of the page, there’s a little blurb that says “Button customizations are available in AssistiveTouch settings”. Tapping that link, will take you to the appropriate settings page where you can assign the buttons depending on what mouse you are using.
Customize buttons
If you don’t want to go through the Pointer Control menu in order to customize buttons, there is another way. Here’s what you’ll need to do:
Open the Settings app on your iPad.
Scroll down and tap Accessibility.
Select Touch
Tap on AssistiveTouch
Scroll down and under Pointer Devices, select Devices.
Select the name of the mouse or trackpad that is connected.
Tap Customize Additional Buttons….
Once in this menu, you can go through and assign all of your buttons to various controls. Apple even makes it possible for you to assign Shortcuts to buttons on your mouse if you don’t want to worry about the Shortcuts app.
How does the new pointer work?
When you first connect a mouse to your iPad, a small circle will appear on the screen automatically. Then, as you drag the cursor around, it “grabs” whatever you are hovering over. If your are trying to find an app, the cursor hovers over the apps and the cursor itself disappears. If you are working with text and trying to highlight, you get the single line that is commonly seen in text fields.
Courtesy of Apple
But what is awesome is that this functionality has been expanded even further. Taking your mouse, hovering, and clicking on the WiFi and Battery symbols in the status bar will activate Control Center. Hovering and clicking over the time and date in the top right-hand corner will activate the Notification shade. Here are a few other examples:
Clicking the multi-tasking bar at the bottom of your screen will take you home.
Clicking and dragging the bar upwards will activate multi-tasking.
And this is just for if you have a mouse connected. Those using a trackpad will be able to take advantage of gestures, such as activating Slide Over apps. This is done by moving the cursor to the right-side of the screen and using a two-finger gesture to drag out the Slide Over panel. Then, you can scroll through your Slide Over apps easier than ever.
When is iPadOS 13.4 being released?
Those on the developer beta for 13.4 likely already saw the update arrive on their iPad. The same ole’ notification will appear when it’s ready to be downloaded over-the-air, and you can install it.
As for the folks who don’t want to live on the wild side, you will be able to download the final iPadOS 13.4 version on March 24th. This will give you the updated mouse and trackpad support, along with bug fixes, and a few other smaller features.
Conclusion
Apple certainly impressed us with iPadOS. Regardless of whatever issues are being had at the moment, the ability to use a mouse with the iPad is one of the most exciting additions.
In our experience, this is the closest thing to being able to truly replace our laptop with the iPad Pro. Here’s to hoping Apple continues to innovate and bring additional features to the masses to take advantage of the full power offered by the iPad Pro lineup.
If you have any questions or run into any issues when trying to get your mouse paired with iPadOS, let us know in the comments. We’ll be more than happy to help you with anything that may arise.
Andrew is a freelance writer based on the East Coast of the US.
He has written for a variety of sites over the years, including iMore, Android Central, Phandroid, and a few others. Now, he spends his days working for an HVAC company, while moonlighting as a freelance writer at night.
I have a little problem with my Magic Mouse 2. it doesn’t seem to be detected by my iPad Pro, I even tried the switch control but still, my Mouse didn’t show up. is there any advice for this problem?
Nice article. I opted for the Hyper Drive 6-N-1 hub.
Fits nice and snug against the pro 12.9 with an apple keyboard case.
I took my basic Costco Logitech mouse, plugged in the Bluetooth USB into the hub and works flawlessly.
It also works with Jump app when in remote sessions without interruption going back and forth between Jump and the iPad. No hanging cords or dongles, etc. with the 6-N-1 Hub.
mikhta says
I have a little problem with my Magic Mouse 2. it doesn’t seem to be detected by my iPad Pro, I even tried the switch control but still, my Mouse didn’t show up. is there any advice for this problem?
Joe says
Did you find a solution?
windu says
I have same problem….
K says
No solution yet ?
Stevestr says
Nice article. I opted for the Hyper Drive 6-N-1 hub.
Fits nice and snug against the pro 12.9 with an apple keyboard case.
I took my basic Costco Logitech mouse, plugged in the Bluetooth USB into the hub and works flawlessly.
It also works with Jump app when in remote sessions without interruption going back and forth between Jump and the iPad. No hanging cords or dongles, etc. with the 6-N-1 Hub.
Ed says
Thank you for this – the mouse support is great. Love it.
However, only question I haven’t found is whether you can select text with the mouse. I haven’t been able to thus far.
Elizabeth Jones says
Hi Ed,
Yes, you can select text by assigning a double-tp action to one of your mouse buttons. Then use this action to select text by double-tapping on it.