Chromebook will soon let you control the mouse cursor using a keyboard

If you have always wanted to move the cursor with the keyboard and not have to rely on the touchpad or an external mouse on a Chromebook, it seems like that’s about to come true!

A new commit added to Chromium Gerrit allows you to control the cursor with a set of dedicated keys. It uses 8, 9, 0, U, O, J, K, and L to control the cursor movement and dedicates I to clicks.

From the looks of it, the cursor movement should be optimal, given that the commit has a key for every direction. Placing the clicking key in the center simplifies things and enhances the experience!

The feature is still in the experimental stages, and we don’t know if and when it will be introduced in ChromeOS. But it will surely be a great addition!

You can already use the numeric keypad to control the cursor on Windows, and the feature is well-refined. It allows you to adjust the speed and acceleration and reconfigure the basic setup.

Something along similar lines will make Chromebooks a more user-oriented device, especially for people who have trouble using a touchpad or mouse.

Besides, on devices like the HP Chromebook 15 that already feature a numeric keyboard, allowing mouse control with it instead of the keys in the submitted commit would be perfect!

What do you think of the new feature? Drop a comment below and let our readers know.

Kazim Ali Alvi

Windows Hardware Expert

Kazim has always been fond of technology, be it scrolling through the settings on his iPhone, Android device, or Windows PC. He’s specialized in hardware devices, always ready to remove a screw or two to find out the real cause of a problem.
Long-time Windows user, Kazim is ready to provide a solution for your every software & hardware error on Windows 11, Windows 10 and any previous iteration. He’s also one of our experts in Networking & Security.