If you feel like your mouse doesn’t have enough buttons, X-Mouse Button Control was designed to put them to better use. This free application allows contextual mapping of the mouse buttons, so they can have different functions in different environments (applications, windows…etc.).
Installation & Requirements
X-Mouse Button Control is free but its installer doesn’t include any adware. The setup is very straightforward; the only aspect worth mentioning is that besides the installation folder, the program also offers the user to change the location for storing the logfile and settings (by default the Appdata folder).
X-Mouse Button Control can run on both 32 and 64-bit Windows operating systems and supports the following editions: Windows 2000, XP, 2003, 2008, Vista and 7. Of course, to use this program you will also need a mouse, preferably one with 5 buttons (and its driver).
Interface
X-Mouse Button Control has a functional setup window that plays the role of a user interface. It can be accessed at any moment, from the tray icon context menu. Here, you start with a default profile: this is the profile that will be applied to all windows that are not included in any other profile. Each profile, including the default one, has 5 different layers and a Scrolling & Navigation pane. In other words, you can set 5 layers for the same window/application, where your mouse buttons do completely different things and switch between them at any time.
Adding a new profile is a simple task, tweaking it….not the same thing. The program is not complicated, but the extensive array of options might confuse new users. When you choose to add a new profile a dialog window will appear, allowing you to choose an application or a specific window. If the profile is for an application, you can select it from the provided list or browse to where the executable file is located. For a specific window, X-Mouse Button Control has a mouse-enabled target that you can simply drag onto the window you want to select or the option to move the mouse over the window and press CAPS LOCK to select it.
There are many actions that can be assigned to a mouse button, from basic editing, browser navigation and media functions to switching between layers, opening Control Panel, several important locations in Explorer, simulate keys (pressed or released) and running applications.
The program’s settings provide additional ways to customize mouse functionality. Users can set hotkeys for switching between layers and even modifier keys (that make a temporary switch, which lasts only while the key combination is pressed and return to the previous state once they’re released).
Pros
– Fast, adware-free installation.
– Users can add multiple profiles for specific applications and windows.
– Every profile has 5 customizable layers that users can switch between via programmed mouse buttons, defined hotkeys and modifier keys.
– The user manual (available online and in the program’s Start Menu folder) explains all of the program’s aspects.
Cons
– None worth mentioning.
Conclusion
X-Mouse Button Control can increase the functionality of any mouse, even one with just 3 buttons. Nevertheless, the potential of this program depends on the level of customization performed by the user. There are no benefits to use it with its default settings. X-Mouse Button Control has a lot to offer, but it’s definitely more powerful in the hands of advanced users.
