The Scroll Wheel Does So Much More!

For years, the majority of mice have come with a scroll wheel. Yes, the scroll wheel allows you to do is to scroll up and down, but did you know it can do so much more?  Here are five other things you can do with your scroll wheel:

1) Open a Link in a New Tab - Browser tabs have made our lives more convenient.  Instead of having to open multiple browser windows, we can now see all the pages we have open in one simple bar at the top of the screen.  It is not uncommon for me to have five or more tabs open at a single time.  If you need to open a link in a new tab, simply click with the scroll wheel (called a 'middle click').

2) Close a Browser Tab - Staying on the topic of middle clicking, if you want to close a tab in your browser, simply middle click anywhere on the tab at the top of the page.  It's much easier than trying to get your mouse right on the little 'x'.

3) AutoScroll - Middle click in a browser window, an Office document, or many other programs, and your cursor will turn into a small compass.  Move your mouse in a any direction to scroll in that particular direction.  Once you've reached where you want to go, middle click again to get your regular cursor back.  This may not work in every program, but the only way to know for sure is to try it.

4) Close a Window - This one only works in Windows 7 or 8.  The taskbar at the bottom of your screen contains an icon for every program you have running.  When you hover over that icon, a thumbnail of the window or windows you have open will show up.  You can right click to open a particular window, or you can middle click on the thumbnail to close it.

5) Zoom In and Out - Holding down the Ctrl key while scrolling up or down will zoom the current window in or out.  This works in most programs, and once again, the only way to know for sure is to try it in your favorite program!