The best mouse for MacBook Pro and Air

You shouldn't have any problems finding a mouse for your Mac; nearly all the options will work straight out of the box, whether they're wired, use a wireless receiver or connect over Bluetooth. Generally, when choosing the best mouse for MacBook for you, you'll want a USB-C mouse. Otherwise, you may need a USB-A to USB-C adapter if your Mac only has USB-C ports and your mouse requires a USB-A slot. We also have a guide to the best USB-C mouse.

One thing to watch out for, however, is how fully compatible a mouse is with your Mac. Some mice that are advertised as Mac compatible actually feature buttons that only work on Windows. There's no point getting stuck with a bunch of buttons that you can't actually use, so always check in the specifications whether the buttons will work, or can be configured to work, on a Mac.

Size and ergonomics are important and your preferences will be much the same irrespective of what computer or laptop you want to pair your mouse with. You will want something that's comfortable to hold, especially if you use it for long periods. Compact mice might seem convenient and portable, but if they are too small, you could find yourself in pain when using them for long periods of time.

An ergonomically designed mouse is the best choice to protect your wrists from repetitive strain injury over long sessions on your Mac. Consider how you hold your mouse in use. Different mice are suited for different grips, for example, resting just the fingertips on the mouse or covering it with your whole palm. Vertical mice might seem odd, and they do take a bit of getting used to, but many people eventually find them more comfortable. Once you know what's comfortable for you, you'll know what to look for in a mouse.

Most modern mice are wireless, which is a lot less of a problem than it used to be. Older wireless mice could be heavy and unresponsive, with batteries that needed changing too regularly. Things have improved, however, with better wireless connections and super power-efficient sensors meaning that the best wireless mice available today can often even outperform wired mice and can run weeks or months before needing a recharge or a fresh battery (although of course with wired mice, you can forget about batteries completely.)

Buttons can be useful if you want to use shortcuts. Meanwhile, you should look for a decent level of sensitivity – around 1,500 dpi is good for most uses. You should also consider ergonomics and consider choosing a mouse that's been designed to alleviate wrist and arm strain, as have many of the options in our guide to the best mouse for MacBook above.

if you're looking for a mouse for a MacBook, you may well be tempted to stick with Apple and go for the Magic Mouse 2. That has its benefits since you know it's going to integrate with MacOS. We find the gesture pad on the top surface works, and it's easy to adapt to if you're used to the MacBook's trackpad. You also have a choice of two colours now.

So why's it not at the top of our list as the best mouse for MacBook? Well, the main downside for us, and it is quite a downside, is the location of the charging point is on the bottom of the mouse, which means you can't use it while it's charging. The battery should last you around a month, so it's not like you're mouse will be out of action for a couple of hours every week, but it's still frustrating if you run out of power in the middle of work.

The Magic Mouse also uses Apple's proprietary Lightning connector for charging, so you need a USB-C to Lightning cable to connect it to a Mac for charging. There are rumours that Apple is working on a USB-C Magic mouse, following its introduction of USB-C on the iPhone and AirPods in September 2023. We're hoping it might also take the moment as an opportunity to change the location of the charging port.

if you’re considering other gear to complement your Mac setup, you might also want to find more of the best MacBook Pro accessories.