A gaming mouse will work perfectly well on a laptop and you can use it for work, gaming, or everyday use.

A gaming mouse is still only a mouse and the only differences between it and a regular mouse are that it’s designed to be more comfortable for long hours of use and it has additional features that make it more useful for playing gaming.

Many people experience repetitive strain injuries as a direct result of using the trackpad on a laptop.

And it’s not just moving the cursor, scrolling, and clicking that causes problems, it’s the gestures that require you to pinch and repeatedly flip your wrists from side to side.

A mouse designed for playing games can save you from much of this type of movement and it can even be more productive than a regular mouse for work and regular use.

Good gaming mice will come with extra side buttons that can be programmed to input certain button presses or combinations of keystrokes.

This can be handy for opening menus that you use regularly or to input common key combinations like Copy & Paste or Ctrl, Alt, Delete with a single button press.

You can even set a couple of side buttons to act as forward and back buttons on your web browser.

And if you’re thinking about using a gaming mouse to play fast-paced fighting games, FPS games, or anything requiring twitch reflexes on your laptop, then it can be even more useful. 

All laptops are compatible with a mouse, whatever the connection type.

Gaming mice are easy to set up and will work just as efficiently and precisely as any other type of mouse on a PC would.

How To Disable The Trackpad On Your Laptop When Using A Gaming Mouse?

A gaming mouse

When you purchase a gaming mouse for your laptop, the first thing you’re going to want to do is to disable the trackpad.

You can leave it on while using the mouse but any accidental brushes with it will interrupt your gameplay.

Some laptops have an enable/disable button just above the trackpad for ease of use.

Other laptops have different ways to disable them.

The Function Key Method

The “Fn Key“, in combination with “F1 – F12“, will disable your trackpad.

You can usually find which Function key does the trick, or often the symbol will be located on the Function key itself.

Either way, the combination of keys will enable and disable.

The unfortunate problem with the Fn combination is that games sometimes require the use of the Fn key in combination with other keys, which can create an issue in the middle of the game. 

If that’s the case, you’ll have to change the in-game settings to a new configuration that doesn’t match the trackpad on/off feature.

Disabling The Trackpad For Windows 8 And 10

This method requires a few additional steps but isn’t difficult.

Press the “Windows Key Symbol” and “I” at the same time.

Choose “Devices“.

Scan the tabs until you find Touchpad or Clickpad.
Once you’ve opened the tab, disable the trackpad.

This is the best method as there are no key combinations to accidentally enable the trackpad in the middle of a game.

Related Article: Do Gaming Mouse Pads Improve Aim? (All You Need To Know)

What’s The Difference Between A Gaming Mouse And A Normal Mouse?

The main difference between a gaming mouse and a regular mouse is that a gaming mouse will be more responsive and more sensitive so you can have precise control over your movements in a game.

Gaming mice may also have extra programmable buttons and an extra scroll wheel that can be bound to certain commands and keypresses.

For example, you could make web browsing easier by binding a couple of side buttons on your mouse to be forward and back browser buttons and then binding one direction of the second mouse wheel to Ctrl+Tab and the other to Ctrl+Shift+Tab, so that you could easily switch between open browser tabs.

A quality gaming mouse will also be designed for long hours of use so it will be more durable and more comfortable to use than a normal mouse, as long as you buy one that feels comfortable in your hand.

Can A Gaming Mouse Be Used As A Regular Mouse?

A gaming mouse can be used as a regular mouse and it can perform better than a regular mouse for regular use.

Whether you are browsing the internet or typing, a gaming mouse can make you more productive.

Gaming mice are more ergonomic than regular mice and if a mouse feels comfortable in your hand, you will be faster and more productive with it.

And to up your productivity when using applications like Microsoft Word you could program side mouse buttons to act as Ctrl+O, Ctrl+N, Ctrl+S.

This will make it easier to open, create and save documents, without having to click into menus.

There are many other commands you could bind to mouse buttons to make yourself more productive.

Choose the ones you use the most.

Is A Gaming Mouse Good For Everyday Use?

A gaming mouse is very good for everyday use because it allows you to be more productive and is more ergonomic than a regular mouse, making it less likely to cause repetitive strain injuries.

On good gaming mice, like the Logitech G604, you’ll have lots of programmable buttons on the sides of the mouse.

These programmable buttons can be bound to Windows or Mac shortcuts, commands, or key combinations that you regularly use.

Some people like to bind the Enter key to a side mouse button so that they’re not constantly reaching to press it on the keyboard.

If you do a lot of copying and pasting, binding Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V to side buttons on the mouse can really help you to be more productive.

A good gaming mouse will also be designed to fit your body and allow you to keep your hand, wrist, and arm free of fatigue and in a natural position while you sit at your laptop.

What Is The Best Way To Connect A Gaming Mouse To Your Laptop?

You can connect either a good wired mouse or wireless mouse to your laptop and there should be no noticeable difference in performance.

Although there may be little difference in performance between two good gaming mice like the wireless Logitech G PRO X and the wired Glorious Model O, there are still some general differences worth considering.

Some wireless mice can eat through batteries pretty fast and you also have the issue of the weight of the battery in the back of the mouse, which some people find a bit heavy and unbalanced.

The only issue some people find with a wired mouse is that, depending on your setup, the lead can get snagged on the corner of your desk or bedside table.

Whichever type of mouse you decide to go with, it won’t be too difficult to set up.

You can either connect a wired gaming mouse to your laptop via USB or a wireless mouse via radio-frequency or Bluetooth.

Wired mice are usually plug-and-play and super easy to set up.

If you’re settling up a wireless mouse and it comes with a dongle, plug it into a USB port on your laptop.

Go to ”Settings” and click on ‘Devices’ and turn Bluetooth on.

Next, push in and hold the sync button on your mouse (usually located on the bottom).

The Pros Of Using A Gaming Mouse With A Laptop?

Compared to using the trackpad on your laptop or even a regular mouse, a gaming mouse will be more durable, more precise, and more comfortable to use.

Ergonomic Comfort

A good gaming mouse will be contoured nicely to fit your hand.

It will reduce the range of motion required for repetitive movements and allow you to use your hand and arm in a more natural position.

Mice designed for gaming and heavy use can reduce the risk of repetitive strain injury, lower your risk of experiencing wrist pain and ease any existing wrist pain you may be feeling.

These features make a mouse better for hours of continuous gameplay but they also make it very comfortable for daily use.

Most gaming mice are streamlined to avoid hand cramping and sweat build-up by keeping your wrist from having to maintain the weight of your arm or being curled up behind the back of the mouse.

Precision And Speed

If you plan to use a gaming mouse to play games on your laptop, having a better sensor and being able to increase or decrease DPI will help you play better.

The sensor works out your precise movements and relays that data back to the computer.

Sensors on gaming mice are better than on regular ones and do this faster and more accurately.

Dots per inch (DPI) is also important and determines how far the cursor will travel on the screen for each inch of movement your mouse is moved.

A higher DPI setting means that the mouse is more sensitive to your hand movements and will make the cursor travel more pixels with the same amount of movement from your hand.

The lowest DPI you’ll find is about 400 and that means the cursor will move 400 pixels for every inch you push the mouse with your hand.

A 400 – 800 DPI is considered the best for a good aim in FPS games like Overwatch, while a higher DPI of 1,000 – 16,00 is considered good for MMO or RPG games.

Some gaming mice even come with a DPI clutch so you can adjust the setting on the fly while playing.

But you might want to turn down the DPI when you’re not gaming or you might find the cursor is zipping all over the screen a little too much.

Higher Polling Rate

Gaming mice usually have higher polling rates than standard mice and that can provide a better experience for both work and play.

The polling rate is the speed by which the mouse communicates input to your computer.

Most good gaming mice have a polling rate of at least 1000Hz or 1000 times each second.

This provides better accuracy better position and better mouse cursor smoothness, especially on displays with higher refresh rates.

Customization

With a gaming mouse, you can map different actions to the extra side buttons that come with it, making it easier to quickly access what you need without having to hunt keys on the keyboard.

Some gaming mice can have as many as 20 programmable side buttons, although you may struggle to find a use for more than a couple of them.

These extra buttons can also be conveniently bound to the forward and back buttons on your web browser.

Durability

As with the ergonomic design, gaming mice are designed for the long-term with stronger components and more durable hardware.

A trackpad lacks the precision of a mouse, much less a gaming mouse.

Also, trackpads usually have the left and right buttons at the top or bottom perfectly lined up.

That’s okay for web browsing, not so much for gaming.

A gaming mouse gives you a level of precision, control, customization options, comfort, and durability that you just can’t get from a trackpad.

Bluetooth Capabilities

Many good gaming mice like the MX Master 3 have Bluetooth capabilities that can establish multiple connections.

So you could have a wireless dongle connection and a couple of additional Bluetooth connections to swap between.

You could even use your mouse as a go-between to transfer files between devices.

The Cons Of Using A Gaming Mouse With A Laptop

There are many benefits to using a gaming mouse for both gaming and work but they can be a little expensive and heavy on batteries.

Cost

A gaming mouse can be a little expensive, especially if you want to get the latest one with all the newest features.

Really cheap ones tend to be less comfortable, much less durable, and without some of the features that make gaming mice most useful, like additional buttons, wheels, and Bluetooth capability.

New high-end gaming mice will usually be between $70 and $200.

But you can get some great deals on some slightly older models – like the Logitech G403 – which is a really nice gaming mouse.

You can also find budget options for under $20 but they are often poor quality and don’t glide smoothly.

They Can Be Heavy On Batteries

Gaming mice can have a lot going on in terms of additional lighting and added functionality compared to standard mice.

And if your mouse is wireless it will have the additional battery drain of having to run a radio transmitter and sensor.

All of this adds up to quite a lot of battery usage and if you’re using disposable AA or AAA batteries, you may find yourself going through a fair few of them.

But some newer mice are more efficient and can offer many hundreds of hours of battery life.

But something to pay attention to is the type of battery that was used to get the battery life being advertised.

Some brands hype up battery life and achieve it by using expensive AA lithium batteries, which will provide longer life than the cheaper alkaline AAs – the ones we will probably be buying.

They Can Look A Little Futuristic

If you’re a professionally dressed older lady or gentleman using an RGB-lit gaming mouse on a business laptop, it may look as though you are going through a bit of a midlife crisis.

What Is A Good Gaming Mouse For A Laptop?

There is no difference between a gaming mouse for a PC and a gaming mouse for a laptop.

They are one and the same.

For a laptop, however, some choices are better than others from a comfort perspective, considering the size of your gaming laptop.

Razer Deathadder V2

Besides having probably one of the coolest names of all gaming mice, the Deathadder has one of the best ergonomic designs out there and is incredibly precise. 

Corsair Sabre RBG Pro

This gaming mouse is known for its speed.

It is very lightweight and won’t break the bank.

Corsair Scimitar RGB Elite

If you like customization, the Corsair Scimitar has 17 buttons for all the mapping options you can think of.

Try To Find A Gaming Mouse That Feels Right For You

Above all the potential features, the most important thing will be that the mouse feels comfortable and natural to use in your hand.

If possible, go to a store and try out a few gaming mice that you would consider buying.

You could shop online and buy the perfect mouse on paper but if it’s too big or small for your hand, it will probably never feel natural to use.

You’ll only realize the perfect one for you when it’s already in your hand.

Not only can you use a gaming mouse for a laptop, but the options are also incredibly varied, with something for everyone regarding playstyles or genre preference.

If you decide to take your gaming to the laptop platform, you’ll never have an issue finding the perfect gaming mouse.