# Meowse: the all-in-one mouse app for Mac

> Meowse is a free, all-in-one mouse app for macOS. It turns the jumpy scrolling of a mouse wheel into smooth, trackpad-like glides, reverses the wheel separately from the trackpad, tunes or turns off mouse acceleration, makes the side buttons go back and forward, keeps your Mac awake, and wiggles the cursor while you're away. It lives in the menu bar, uses no CPU while idle and starts under 9 MB of memory.

- Platform: macOS 14 Sonoma or later, on Apple silicon or Intel. A universal app that runs natively on both.
- Price: free for personal and other non-commercial use (CC BY-NC 4.0)
- Latest version: 1.3.0, released October 15, 2026
- Download: https://github.com/salvcy/meowse/releases/latest/download/Meowse.zip (1.9 MB)
- Memory: under 9 MB at launch, up to 60% less than other smooth-scrolling apps in our tests
- Memory that macOS leaves behind after display changes is returned: once Meowse has grown to twice its launch size, it starts over while the display is asleep
- Website: https://meowse.app/
- Source code: https://github.com/salvcy/meowse

## Features

- **[Smooth scrolling](https://meowse.app/smooth-scrolling)**: Every notch of the wheel becomes a glide, in every app, at your display's full refresh rate. Tune the distance and smoothness.
- **[Reverse direction](https://meowse.app/reverse-scrolling)**: Natural on the trackpad, traditional on the mouse, or the other way round. Vertical and horizontal are set separately.
- **[Mouse acceleration](https://meowse.app/mouse-acceleration)**: Make your Mac's own curve faster or slower and keep its feel, reshape it, or turn acceleration off. Only for external mice, if you like.
- **[Side buttons](https://meowse.app/mouse-buttons)**: Back and forward work in Safari, Finder and beyond. Give any extra button or side wheel a shortcut of its own.
- **[Keep Awake](https://meowse.app/keep-awake)**: Keep your Mac awake for a set time, until a time you pick or until you say so, even with the lid closed.
- **[Wiggle Cursor](https://meowse.app/mouse-jiggler)**: Stay active in chat apps while you step away. It only moves once you're idle, never while the screen is locked.
- **[Hold to modify](https://meowse.app/smooth-scrolling#hotkeys)**: Hold Option (⌥) to scroll faster, Shift (⇧) to scroll sideways or Command (⌘) to skip smoothing. Press any key or mouse button to set your own.
- **[Excluded apps](https://meowse.app/smooth-scrolling#excluded-apps)**: Games and 3D tools that handle the wheel themselves get it exactly as it is. Everything else keeps gliding.
- **[Trackpad aware](https://meowse.app/smooth-scrolling#trackpads)**: Trackpads and the Magic Mouse already glide, so Meowse leaves them alone and rests. Its icon dims to show it.

## What it adds to macOS

| | macOS on its own | With Meowse |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mouse wheel | Jumps a few lines per notch | Glides, in every app |
| Scroll direction | One setting for mouse and trackpad | Set separately for each |
| Acceleration | On or off, for every mouse at once | Faster, slower, reshaped or off, for external mice only if you like |
| Side buttons | Back and forward only in apps that support them | Back and forward wherever ⌘[ (Command-[) and ⌘] (Command-]) work, or any shortcut |
| Staying awake | `caffeinate` in Terminal | One click, with a countdown, even with the lid closed |
| Looking active | Not built in | Wiggle Cursor, only while you're away |

## Efficiency

- 0% CPU when idle
- 0 wakeups while idle
- <9 MB of memory
- 1.9 MB download

Meowse runs no polling or repeating timers while idle. Its only scheduled work is an optional once-a-day update check, which macOS times to save energy.

It uses one event tap that receives only the events its settings need, never keyboard events: hotkeys are read from the scroll event itself, extra mouse buttons arrive only while one has an action, and clicks only while a glide is in progress, to stop it.

Mouse acceleration is applied by macOS itself. Meowse hands your curve to the system's own pointer code, so pointer movement never passes through Meowse.

Meowse starts under 9 MB of memory, up to 60% less than other smooth-scrolling apps in our tests. The system allocator runs in its space-efficient mode, handing freed memory back to macOS, and the Settings window runs as its own process that exits when it closes.

Scrolling runs on its own thread with no locks or allocations on the event path. Glides post only whole-point motion, so every event moves the page: a wheel notch on a 120 Hz display takes 42% fewer scroll events than one per frame.

## Install

1. **Download**: Get Meowse.zip and move Meowse to your Applications folder.
2. **Open**: Open Meowse. It's notarized by Apple, so it opens like any other app.
3. **Allow**: Turn on Meowse in Privacy & Security → Accessibility. It starts working within seconds.

## Questions

### What is Meowse?

Meowse is a free, all-in-one mouse app for macOS. It turns the jumpy scrolling of a mouse wheel into smooth, trackpad-like glides, reverses the wheel separately from the trackpad, tunes or turns off mouse acceleration, makes the side buttons go back and forward, keeps your Mac awake, and wiggles the cursor while you're away. It lives in the menu bar, uses no CPU while idle and starts under 9 MB of memory.

### Is it really free?

Yes. Meowse is free for personal and other non-commercial use, with no account, no ads and no trial. It's licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0, and its source code is public.

### Does it work with my mouse?

Yes. Any mouse works, wired or wireless, from Logitech or any other brand: a notched wheel glides, and extra buttons can go back and forward. If your mouse's own software already smooths scrolling, Meowse leaves those events alone.

### Does it change how my trackpad or Magic Mouse works?

No. Trackpads and the Magic Mouse already scroll smoothly, so Meowse leaves their scrolling exactly as it is and rests while you use them. Mouse acceleration changes only external mice unless you choose otherwise.

### Does it work in every app?

Yes. Meowse works system-wide: in browsers, code editors, Finder, design tools and anything else that scrolls. Apps that handle the wheel themselves, such as games, can be excluded in Settings → Scrolling.

### Can I reverse my mouse's scroll direction but not my trackpad's?

Yes. macOS has one Natural scrolling setting for both, but Meowse reverses only the scroll wheel. Keep natural scrolling on the trackpad and traditional scrolling on the mouse, or the other way round. Vertical and horizontal are reversed separately.

### Can I turn off mouse acceleration on my Mac?

Yes. macOS has an on/off switch, but it changes every mouse at once and can't change the curve. Meowse shows your mouse's acceleration curve in Settings → Mouse: make it faster or slower and keep its feel, reshape it, or turn acceleration off and set one steady speed, for external mice only if you like.

### How do I make my mouse's side buttons go back and forward?

Install Meowse. From the start, the back and forward side buttons go back and forward in every app where ⌘[ (Command-[) and ⌘] (Command-]) do, Safari and Finder included. Any extra button or side wheel can press a shortcut instead, such as Mission Control or the next tab.

### How do I keep my Mac awake, or look active while I'm away?

In the Meowse menu, click a time from 15 minutes to 4 hours, choose Until… to pick when it ends, or turn on Keep Awake until you turn it off, even with a MacBook's lid closed. Wiggle Cursor nudges the pointer once you've been idle, so chat apps keep showing you as active.

### How much memory does Meowse use?

Under 9 MB when it starts, up to 60% less than other smooth-scrolling apps in our tests, and no CPU at all while you're not using the mouse. The Settings window runs as its own process, so its memory goes back to your Mac when you close it. macOS leaves memory behind in every menu bar app when displays change, so once Meowse has grown to twice its launch size, it starts over while your display is asleep.

### Is it safe?

Yes. Every release is signed with a Developer ID and notarized by Apple, and its source code is public. Meowse collects no data, and its only network request is a daily update check you can turn off. macOS asks for Accessibility access because Meowse adjusts scrolling system-wide; it's used only to smooth and reverse scrolling, turn extra buttons into shortcuts and wiggle the cursor, never to read your keystrokes.

### How do I uninstall it?

Choose Quit Meowse from its menu, move Meowse from Applications to the Trash, and remove it from System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility. Your Mac's own pointer settings come back the moment Meowse quits.

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Meowse is free for macOS 14 or later. Download: https://github.com/salvcy/meowse/releases/latest/download/Meowse.zip · Web page: https://meowse.app/ · Everything in one file: https://meowse.app/llms-full.txt