Apple has been positioning the iPad as a productivity tool for a while now, and while many reviews have been largely favorable, many did feel that for the most part, it fell short of actually becoming a full, bonafide laptop replacement. However, that changed with the release of iOS 13.

With iOS 13, Apple finally allowed users to use a mouse with the tablet. However, even then the company tried to position mouse use as an accessibility tool, meaning that it isn’t quite as straightforward as pairing or connecting a mouse and you’re done.

But fret not, by following our guide here, you will be able to pair a mouse with your iPad in a matter of minutes.

Requirements

To connect a mouse to the iPad, you will need:

  • A Bluetooth compatible mouse
  • An iPad running iOS 13 or later

How To Connect A Mouse To The iPad

  1. Go to your iPad’s Settings > Bluetooth and search for your mouse
  2. Once the iPad detects your mouse, click on it to pair it with the tablet
  3. On the left side of Settings, look for Accessibility
  4. Under Physical and Motor, go to Touch > AssistiveTouch and toggle it on

If you’ve followed all the steps above, once AssistiveTouch has been enabled, you should see a mouse cursor on your screen. However, we should point out that the mouse cursor for the iPad is different from your typical pointer. It is simply a circle with a dot in the middle, but you should be able to get used to it in no time.

Adjusting Your Mouse Settings

Once you have your mouse paired and setup with your iPad, you can actually go ahead and customize it further. This includes changing what the mouse buttons do, the size and opacity of the pointer, and also the track speed.

Customize The Pointer

  1. Launch Settings and go to Accessibility
  2. Under Physical and Motor, go to Touch, and under Pointer Devices, select Pointer Style
  3. Drag the slider to change the size of the pointer, or tap color to change the color and opacity of the cursor

Customize Your Mouse Buttons

  1. Launch Settings and go to Accessibility
  2. Under Physical and Motor, go to Touch, and under Pointer Devices, select Devices
  3. Tap on your paired mouse
  4. Tap on the buttons to change what they do. You will be able to choose from a list of available actions

Change The Tracking Speed

  1. Launch Settings and go to Accessibility
  2. Under Physical and Motor, go to Touch, and look for Tracking Speed
  3. Drag the slider to the left to make it slower, and drag it to the right to make it faster

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