HapticMouse

A haptic scroll wheel
for any mouse.

Plug in any USB or Bluetooth mouse and feel a click on every scroll notch, borrowed from the Taptic Engine in your MacBook's trackpad.

Download for Mac View the source

Apple Silicon MacBook · macOS 11 or later · MIT licence

The HapticMouse menu in the menu bar, with toggles and a strength slider

What it does

  • Scroll you can feelEach notch of the wheel becomes a physical tick.
  • Clicks tooMouse clicks are passed to the trackpad's haptic motor.
  • Typing feedback, if you want itA heavier click for space and return, light ticks for letters. Off by one toggle.
  • Strength sliderAdjust the intensity and feel it change as you drag.
  • Easy on the batteryFeedback is rate-limited, so fast scrolling does not keep the motor running.
  • PrivateNothing is logged and nothing is written to disk.
  • Out of the wayA menu-bar icon. No Dock icon, no windows.
  • Open sourceOne Swift file. Read exactly what it does.

Install

  1. Download HapticMouse.zip, unzip it and move the app to Applications.
  2. The first time, macOS blocks it because the app is not notarised by Apple. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.
  3. Allow Accessibility for HapticMouse in System Settings → Privacy & Security. It needs that to see scroll and click events.

To start it with your Mac, add it under System Settings → General → Login Items.