Best gaming mouse macros

The gaming mice of today are more varied than ever. From feature-rich and button-numerous rodents like the SCIMITAR ELITE WIRELESS to stripped-back, performance-forward lightweight mice like the M75 AIR, there really is something for everyone, and indeed every game.

Whichever type of mouse you choose, however, there is more functionality available thanks to macros. So, let’s take a look at some of the best macros that you should consider using to add an additional layer of capability to your gaming mouse. But first: What even is a macro?

A Macro is simply a collection of preset instruction, or a sequence of instructions, that is activated with the press of a button. When it comes to mice, it refers to a set of inputs mapped to a specific button on your gaming mouse, so that whenever you hit the button, it performs a specific action or actions.

By now, you’ll be realizing the potential utility here. RPG-enjoyers will be thinking of combining sequential in-game actions they use frequently into a single button. By comparison, office workers and spreadsheet-tolerators might be enjoying visions of potential shortcuts to make their job quicker and easier.

Macros aren’t a new concept, but these days they are much easier to implement, especially via iCUE and a CORSAIR gaming mouse. Let’s look at a few example macros that should also give you a bit of inspiration to create your own mouse macros.

Unless you’re lucky enough to have a keyboard with media controls, or a Stream Deck from our brothers over at Elgato, pausing, unpausing, and even muting music, podcasts, or YouTube videos while you’re busy doing something else can get annoying.

This usually results in frantic alt-tabbing as you try to find the program or page you want to pause. If you have an unused mouse button, why not use that instead? It’s always at hand, after all. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to create a mouse macro for media controls in iCUE, using the M75 WIRELESS as an example.

• Open iCUE and hover over the module for your mouse until the “Key Assignments” option appears, then click it.
• Under the “Assignments” tab on the bottom left, click the “+” button.
• Go through the list that opens up to the right, find the “Media” option, and click it.

• This will open a couple of additional tabs, use the “Key” tab to select which mouse button you want to activate this macro.

• Choose whichever option you want from the tab to the right. Remember that you can only assign one of these to each mouse button. Depending on the depth of control you’re after, you may need to relinquish multiple mouse buttons.
• You’re done! Remember that iCUE must be active for any of these macros to work, as they are managed via the software. (iCUE can be closed but must still run in the background.)

Note: The following tutorials all start with the same initial steps for opening the key assignments menu and adding a new assignment. So, we've omitted screenshots for those steps as you can refer to the ones above if you get lost.

Say there’s one inescapable application on your PC. Regardless of what you’re sitting down to do, this application will always be used. For people with a dedicated gaming PC, this could be Steam. For those less fortunate, it might be MS Teams or Outlook.

Regardless, if it’s a program you always use but don’t want it clogging up your startup programs folder, let’s bind it to the gaming mouse. The steps are pretty similar to setting up the media controls, so it’s going to be easy. Let’s go.

• Open iCUE and hover over the module for your mouse until the “Key Assignments” option appears, then click it.
• Under the “Assignments” tab on the bottom left, click the “+” button.
• Go through the list that has opened to the right, find the “Launch App” option, and click it.
• This will open a couple of additional tabs, use the “Key” tab to select which mouse button you want to activate this macro.

• Now, take a look at the list on the right. We’ve put a few of the most common options here already, such as various email apps and web browsers, but you can pick whatever you like. Click the “+” sign next to “Select App to Launch”.
• This will open the file explorer. You can search through your entire PC and select whichever application you want. Everyone’s file system will differ, so we can’t give you specific guidance here. However, the only types of files you can select here are .exe, .bat, .cmd, or .app. All applications will use one of these to open, and .exe is most common.

Here’s where we get really fancy, this is a Macro in the proper sense of the word. We are simply recording every event the mouse experiences. Every input of every button, all movement, and each click in the scroll wheel.

Fair Warning: You should only leave this macro active if you know what you’re doing. Activating this macro inadvertently could cause issues depending on what application you’re in. It will replay whatever you’ve recorded, so your mouse cursor will move, scroll, and click on things with the physical mouse perfectly stationary. Your mouse will basically become possessed for the duration of the macro. Proceed at your own risk.

• Open iCUE and hover over the module for your mouse until the “Key Assignments” option appears, then click it.
• Under the “Assignments” tab on the bottom left, click the “+” button.
• Go through the list that has opened to the right, find the “Macro” option, and click it.
• This will open a couple of additional tabs, use the “Key” tab to select which mouse button you want to activate this macro.
• Move to the “Macro” tab on the right. Under the “General” sub-tab, select/deselect what you want the macro to record. Note that enabling “Delays” will make the macro perform the recorded actions at the same speed at which they were recorded. Disabling this option will remove any gaps between the inputs. You’ll know which is correct depending on your intended use-case for the macro.

• Once you’ve adjusted those setting to your liking, move back to the “Recording” tab. Make sure you’ve rehearsed your actions so you get the recording right, then hit the red button and record button and everything you do with the mouse will be recorded until you hit the stop button.

If you need to make some adjustments or additions to the macro without re-recording the whole thing, click the three dots next to each line and a drop-down menu will appear with a few options that allow you to insert events, edit the ones you’ve recorded, or simply delete unwanted ones. This is complex business, so it might take a few goes to get to grips with it all.

Now you know what a mouse macro is, why they’re potentially very useful, and you’ve even got a few suggestions to start you off.

iCUE is incredibly powerful software when it comes to macros, whether it’s for mice or keyboards. We even made a whole tutorial on recording macros for Helldivers 2, which really showcases the potential for macros to help with gaming, so take a look at that for some inspiration.

Go forth and see what macros you can create. Good luck.