Computer Mouse’s Scroll Wheel Is Hiding a Secret Power

If you open a lot of browser tabs, as I do, this tip will save you a tone of time.

Even after years of using a desktop computer, I continue to learn new productivity tips and hidden capabilities. There are numerous methods for preserving keystrokes and mouse clicks. Over the course of a week, those few milliseconds can actually add up to significant time savings (or at least less frustration), particularly if the majority of your work is done online.

Although both MacOS and Windows 11 have some excellent features to test, there are more ways to make your working day better than the endless options menus of your operating system. The mouse and keyboard on your computer are also loaded with capabilities that can make work go more quickly and easily. There are several tips you may use to increase your computer efficiency, such as accessing a closed tab again or permanently removing a file without using the recycle bin.

But from my own experience, the computer technique that continually surprises people is one that involves using the scroll wheel.

The scroll wheel’s hidden function

The internet is a terrific resource for gathering unrelated facts, but occasionally you come across something that interests you. Because it would lead you to stop reading what you are currently reading, you don’t want to click the link and then have to return to the previous page. However, you should leave the path open for later.

How do you behave? There are a lot of options available here, but this one is the slickest and most effective: Simply click the link with your mouse’s scroll wheel if you’re using one. Although it’s not the most natural action, if you push your scroll wheel downward while you’re lingering over the link, it will instantly open in a new tab.

When reading something that links to other intriguing tales, use the scroll wheel to open other tabs so you may check them out after you’ve finished reading the current story.

We’ll show you how to open new tabs in various ways if you desire. We also offer advice on using Windows screenshots and keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl + Shift + T. (which you can open in new tabs with a scroll-wheel click).

How to open links in new tabs

There are several methods for opening pages in new tabs, which is a practical browsing approach.

• Your scroll wheel can be used to click to instantly open the link in a new tab.
• Or right-click a link and choose “open in new tab.”
• If you click the link while holding down Ctrl (or Command on a Mac), a new tab will appear.

You won’t have to stop reading to switch to a new tab, and you won’t have to wait for sites to load while you switch between tabs. I frequently use it for comparison shopping. I simply open the products I’m interested in in a few separate tabs and swiftly compare by navigating around my browser tabs. It’s helpful when a story you’re reading makes a reference to one that you want to check out without stopping what you’re reading right now. When you’re finished reading this story, simply click the link using your scroll wheel to check it out.

Bonus tip: You may navigate through your open tabs by pressing Ctrl + Tab to go forward and Ctrl + Shift + Tab to go backward.