How to connect a Magic Mouse to Windows
Pairing an Apple Magic Mouse with a Windows 10 or 11 PC takes under a minute over Bluetooth. The catch is what happens next — Windows treats it as a plain mouse. Here's the full process, and how to get scrolling and gestures working too.
Pair the Magic Mouse over Bluetooth
- Turn the mouse on — slide the switch on the underside so the green marker shows. (The original Magic Mouse needs charged batteries instead.)
- On your PC, open Settings → Bluetooth & devices on Windows 11, or Settings → Devices → Bluetooth & other devices on Windows 10, and make sure Bluetooth is on.
- Click Add device → Bluetooth, then pick Magic Mouse from the list once it appears (give it a few seconds).
- Click to pair. The pointer should start moving right away.
Why it only works as a basic mouse
Once paired you'll have pointer movement and left and right click — but Windows has no built-in driver for the Magic Mouse's touch surface, so smooth scrolling and gestures don't work. That's a Windows limitation, not a fault with the mouse.
Getting scrolling and gestures back
There are three routes, from most fiddly to easiest:
- Apple's Boot Camp drivers — free, but you have to extract them from Apple's Boot Camp package (with a tool like Brigadier) and install the wireless-mouse driver by hand. This gets you basic scrolling.
- A third-party utility — adds smooth scrolling and gestures, usually as a paid, per-device licence.
- Tenon — one code-signed install that brings smooth, inertial scrolling and the Magic gestures to Windows, with no Boot Camp extraction and no Secure Boot workarounds.
Frequently asked
Does the Magic Mouse work on Windows without extra software?
Partly. After Bluetooth pairing you get pointer movement and left and right click, but not smooth scrolling or gestures — those need a driver. Apple Boot Camp drivers add basic scrolling for free; Tenon (coming soon) adds smooth scrolling and gestures with one signed install.
Can I use a Magic Mouse over USB on Windows?
No. The Magic Mouse charges over its Lightning or USB-C port but can't be used while plugged in, and Windows always communicates with it over Bluetooth. Pair it over Bluetooth instead.