[HOWTO] - Increase your mouse's MAX speed...

swizcore

swizcore

Help Guide Coordinator
If you run your monitor res at a fairly large setting then you may be dissatisified with your mouse's tracking efficiency.
This will tell you how to adjust the maximum speed of your mouse to better meet your expectations.

You do not need to be logged in as root to perform this mod.
For modifiction of the variable I will use the app "TextEdit". Open TextEdit from your Applications folder. Press "Command+O" to open a document.
In the "Go to" location type this:
/Users/your_username/Library/Preferences/.GlobalPreferences.plist

The location is case-sensitive and don't forget the little period before GlobalPreferences.plist. It is invisible and will not be found without that initial period.

Now you should have this file in front of you:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist SYSTEM "file://localhost/System/Library/DTDs/PropertyList.dtd">
<plist version="0.9">

Blah,Blah,Blah-- Lots of variables in here, Blah, Blah, Blah--
Look for this line near the bottom of the document:

<key>com.apple.mouse.scaling</key>
<real>1.700000000000000e+00</real>

Just alter the number to what you would like your new speed to be and save the document and you are done with the configuration.
Be sure to not get out of control with your number, I run a res of 1600x1200 on a 19" monitor and my adjusted mouse setting is

<key>com.apple.mouse.scaling</key>
<real>3.000000000000000e+00</real>

...and that is a beautiful setting.

Some folks can simply open their mouse preferences and then quit the system prefs after performing this to see their mouse speed increase take effect BUT!!! When you open the mouse prefs do not touch the sensitivity slider, just open system prefs to "mouse" then quit system prefs. I repeat, DO NOT click the slider; doing so will default the mouse setting to the normal speed.
If you cannot do this and see your enhacned mouse speed, then you will need to logout and back in.

Enjoy your speedier feeling system due to this simple little adjustment.
 
I did finally figure out how to get the defaults command to work.

defaults write -globalDomain com.apple.mouse.scaling -float 3.0

I'm still not sure why my initial try with "Apple Global Domain" instead of -globalDomain didn't work (it wouldn't write it), but that's why I posted it as editing the .GlobalPreferences.plist. I'm pretty glad this gets defaults working. :D
 
Originally posted by Darkshadow
I did finally figure out how to get the defaults command to work.

defaults write -globalDomain com.apple.mouse.scaling -float 3.0

I'm still not sure why my initial try with "Apple Global Domain" instead of -globalDomain didn't work (it wouldn't write it), but that's why I posted it as editing the .GlobalPreferences.plist. I'm pretty glad this gets defaults working. :D
Click to expand...

Excellent!! Thanks. That makes everything much easier.

For those who don't know what the defaults command is:
Simply open the Terminal from your /Applications/Utilities folder and type in the following:

defaults write -globalDomain com.apple.mouse.scaling -float 3.0

Replace "3.0" with whatever number you wish to achieve your preferred setting.

Will probably still need to logout to see changes take effect.
 
There is no need to use the command line to edit your own preferences file, nor do you have to be root.

Any files in /Users/<your account>/Library are owned by you and you can freely edit them without becoming root.

Also, if you have the developer tools installed (which I recommend even if you are not a developer), you can use the PropertyListEditor to edit preferences with a graphical client.

Run PropertyListEditor from /Developer/Applications/PropertyListEditor and go to File/Open and type in the file name as stated earlier,
Users/your_username/Library/Preferences/.GlobalPreferences.plist

PropertyListEditor will then display the properties in a window and you can easily double click their values and change them as desired. This works for any .plist file in your Library/Preferences folder. It's also a great way to investigate various preferences files for different applications and see what preferences you and mess with yourself.

Of course, if you are experimenting, make sure to back up any plist files before you modify them! Also, remember preferences do not take affect until you relaunch the application that uses the preferences file. Also be aware that if you are editing a plist file for an application that is currently running, it may overwrite any changes you make if you quit that application after you save changes. In general, its best to edit preferences files when the application is not running.

Good luck!
 
as simple as it is, this probably is one of the best tip...

now I'm only wondering if there is a way to force the change without logout...?
 
Originally posted by Zoid
There is no need to use the command line to edit your own preferences file, nor do you have to be root.

Any files in /Users/<your account>/Library are owned by you and you can freely edit them without becoming root.

Also, if you have the developer tools installed (which I recommend even if you are not a developer), you can use the PropertyListEditor to edit preferences with a graphical client.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

hi Zoid

was wondering......is it OK to install the developer tools after using OSX.1 for a while? i thought maybe it had to be done on in initial install?

any thoughts on this would be appreciated...

:D
 
Originally posted by yanges
... was wondering......is it OK to install the developer tools after using OSX.1 for a while? i thought maybe it had to be done on in initial install?
:D
Click to expand...

Installing the Developer Tools post install is perfectly fine. But be aware that you must install the 10.1 Developer Tools on OS X 10.1. Installing a previous version is not recommend and will probably not function.

If you don't have the 10.1 Developer Tools CD, you can download them from Apple's Developer Connection at http://developer.apple.com/. You'll have to sign up as a free web developer, however.
 
thanks Zoid!:D

i have the CD that i got with the full Monty.....

will install from there.....

did you notice any speed improvements from the prebinding....

i have seen that some see a difference, and others don't...
 
Hey again...

I seem to have lost my "/Users/your_username/Library/Preferences/.GlobalPreferences.plist" file after booting up from an os9 disc.*

The speed increase was very nice, then I needed os9 (not classic emulation but restart from a 9 disc) and when I returned to X my trackball was slow again. Thinking the mouse pref had reset itself I went to change it again and it doesn't seem to be anywhere, I cannot find it nor can Sherlock.

Is there a way to get this file back so I can reset the speed pref?

Thanks!

*and I know its not literally "your username"
 
When my exam period is over I'm definately going to delve into the core of this Linux system, find all the little nitty-gritty secrets I can find and compile them into a little book.

I've got the TFT iMax @ 1024x768 and 3.0 is perrrrrfect for me. I was stsrting to get annoyed that, using a gel-write support mousepad, i kept hitting the gel thing. Thanks for the tip (even though this post is really old!)

PS We're not talking high-school exams either BTW :)
 
I don't want to sound like I'm criticizing you because I've made the same mistake in the past and I have been yelled at by Linux people. Mac OS X is based on BSD, which is not Linux. BSD is older than Linux and both are UNIX. For some reason Linux people get overly pissed off about this:rolleyes:

Thank you so much for the hint about the Property list editor :) it is soooo cool. The process of opening a finder window, setting it how you like it and then closing it didn't ever seem to work for me. With this I edited com.apple.finder.plist so that the default column size is just how I like it. I can't seem to find the tab that controls the dimensions of the whole thing but once I get that then I'm set.

Also, this is the not-so-friendly Tinkertools but with just as much or more functionality. Things like the ability to quit the finder and to turn off preview are all right here. The only advantage is on some values such as dock shrink, Tinker tools knows the values.
 
I have a KVM switch. The mouse speed up works if I log out and back in, but as soon as I switch to another computer and back, I have a slow mouse again... uggh.
 
FYI I got a kensington "optical elite" mouse and installed the os x drivers and now my mouse is consistently the speed I like even after sleeping or KVM switching
 
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