The problem with gaming mouse shortcuts
Most gamers have a mouse with at least 2 side buttons. That gives you 2 extra shortcuts. But the games you play probably need 10 or more quick-access actions — grenades, abilities, weapon swaps, melee, reload, push-to-talk, inventory, crouch, interact, and more.
The usual solutions are manufacturer software like Logitech G Hub or Razer Synapse, which only work with their own mice. Or tools like AutoHotkey, which require scripting. Or X-Mouse Button Control, which only supports 5 buttons and maps each to just one action.
MouseKey solves this by letting you assign up to 6 actions to every button using click cadences. Single click your side button for grenade. Double click for melee. Triple click for reload. Hold for push-to-talk. That's 4 actions from one thumb button — and you still have 2 more cadence slots available.
How it works in games
MouseKey operates at the system level. When you click a mouse button, MouseKey intercepts it and sends the keyboard shortcut you've assigned. The game sees a normal keypress — not a mouse button. This means it works with every game on Windows, including games that don't natively support mouse 4 and mouse 5 in their keybind menus.
New to click cadences? Read the full explainer on how one button becomes five shortcuts (now six, with the v2.1 hold action).
Game-specific setups
Valorant / CS2
In Valorant and CS2, milliseconds matter. Moving your fingers off WASD to hit a utility key can cost you a round. Side button cadences let you keep your left hand locked on movement.
Side Button 1: Single click → Grenade/flash, Double click → Smoke, Triple click → Molotov/incendiary
Side Button 2: Single click → Reload, Double click → Weapon swap, Hold 2s → Push-to-talk
This setup keeps all utility on one thumb button and all weapon management on the other. Your left hand never leaves movement keys.
Fortnite
Fortnite's build mode demands fast switching between weapons, building pieces, and editing. With cadences, you can assign build shortcuts to your mouse instead of reaching across the keyboard.
Side Button 1: Single click → Wall, Double click → Ramp, Triple click → Floor, Quad click → Cone
Side Button 2: Single click → Edit, Double click → Trap, Hold 2s → Toggle build mode
Roblox / Minecraft
Roblox and Minecraft both have games and modes that benefit from quick access to inventory slots, tools, and chat. Many younger players use basic mice with no manufacturer software at all — MouseKey works with whatever mouse you already have.
Side Button 1: Single click → Slot 1, Double click → Slot 2, Triple click → Slot 3
Middle Scroll Button: Single click → Inventory, Double click → Chat, Hold 2s → Screenshot
Roblox in particular doesn't support mouse 4/5 buttons natively in most experiences. MouseKey converts those buttons to keyboard keys the game can see.
Elden Ring / Black Myth: Wukong
These games are notorious for not letting you bind mouse side buttons in their settings menus. Players on Steam forums constantly ask for workarounds. MouseKey solves this at the system level — it sends a keyboard keypress that the game recognizes, even if the game's own keybind menu doesn't show mouse 4 or mouse 5 as options.
Side Button 1: Single click → Dodge/roll, Double click → Use item, Hold 2s → Lock-on toggle
Side Button 2: Single click → Switch right weapon, Double click → Switch left weapon
League of Legends / Path of Exile / Elder Scrolls Online
MMOs and MOBAs have dozens of abilities. Even with a 12-button MMO mouse, cadences let you multiply your available shortcuts. On a standard 5-button mouse, cadences give you enough slots for a full ability rotation.
Side Button 1: Single click → Ability 1, Double click → Ability 2, Triple click → Ability 3, Hold 2s → Ultimate
Side Button 2: Single click → Health potion, Double click → Mana potion, Triple click → Ward/trap
Games that don't support mouse side buttons
Some games simply don't recognize mouse buttons 4 and 5 (or higher) in their keybind menus. This is a recurring complaint on Steam forums for titles like Black Myth: Wukong, Elden Ring, God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, and many indie games. The usual advice is to use AutoHotkey or manufacturer software to remap those buttons to keyboard keys.
MouseKey does exactly this — but without scripting and without needing a specific mouse brand. You map your side button to any keyboard key (like F13–F24, which nothing else uses), then bind that key in-game. Or just map directly to the key you want — dodge to Space, melee to V, whatever the game uses.
Will this get me banned?
MouseKey remaps buttons to standard keyboard keypresses. It's one key in, one key out — not an auto-clicker, not a macro that plays multiple actions from one press (unless you specifically set up a timed macro), and not a cheat tool. This is functionally identical to what Logitech G Hub, Razer Synapse, and Corsair iCUE do — just without the brand lock-in.
That said, every game has its own terms of service. Avoid setting up macros that automate complex multi-step actions in competitive multiplayer games. Using cadences to map one click pattern to one keypress is standard button remapping that's widely accepted.
Setting it up
Setup takes under a minute. Install MouseKey from the Microsoft Store, add a button slot, select your mouse button, choose an action or record a custom shortcut, and set the click count. Watch the demo video to see the full process, or read the click cadence explainer for the details on how cadences work.
You can also create separate profiles for different games and switch between them with a mouse button — no need to open the app between sessions.
Get MouseKey
6 actions per button. Works with any mouse. No brand software needed.
