Move Mouse with Keyboard – Move and Select Text Efficiently

Why Control the Cursor with the Keyboard?

Using a mouse isn’t always the fastest way to navigate. Whether your mouse stops working or you prefer keyboard efficiency, learning how to move the mouse with the keyboard can significantly boost productivity.

This guide covers the best shortcuts to move the cursor, select text, and control the mouse pointer using arrow keys.

How to Move the Cursor with the Keyboard

Basic Cursor Movement Shortcuts

Action	Shortcut Key
Move cursor left/right	`Left / Right Arrow`
Move cursor up/down (line by line)	`Up / Down Arrow`
Jump one word left/right	`Ctrl + Left/Right Arrow`
Jump to the start/end of a line	`Home / End`
Jump to the top/bottom of a document	`Ctrl + Home / Ctrl + End`

📌 Tip: Use Ctrl + Arrow Keys for faster navigation within text documents.

Select and Highlight Text with the Keyboard

Select Text Using Shortcuts

Action	Shortcut Key
Select one character left/right	`Shift + Left/Right Arrow`
Select one word left/right	`Ctrl + Shift + Left/Right Arrow`
Select an entire line	`Shift + Home / Shift + End`
Select all text	`Ctrl + A`

📌 Tip: Combine Shift with Arrow Keys to highlight text with the keyboard.

Control the Mouse Cursor with the Keyboard in Windows

If you need to move the mouse pointer with the keyboard, enable Mouse Keys in Windows:

Press Left Alt + Left Shift + Num Lock to activate Mouse Keys.
Use the numeric keypad to move the mouse cursor:

Action	Key
Move cursor up/down/left/right	`8 / 2 / 4 / 6 (Num Pad)`
Click (Left Mouse Button)	`5 (Num Pad)`
Right-click	`Shift + F10`

📌 Tip: If Mouse Keys don’t work, go to Settings → Ease of Access → Mouse and enable Control Mouse with Keyboard.

Complete List of Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

If you need help for Windows, you can find a whole list of all keyboard shortcuts here.

https://keyboard-shortcuts.org/

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