Getting started
🖱️ Computer basics: using a mouse and keyboard
Get comfortable with the mouse, clicking, and typing on a laptop or desktop computer.
Which device are you using?
Pick one and the steps below will use the right words for you.
A computer uses a mouse (or a touchpad) to point, and a keyboard to type. Once these feel natural, everything else gets easier.
✅ What you need
- A desktop or laptop computer
Step by step
- Rest your hand on the mouse. As you slide it on the desk, the arrow (called the pointer) moves on screen.💡 On a laptop, slide one finger on the flat touchpad below the keyboard to move the pointer.
- To click, press the left mouse button once. A single click selects or opens buttons and links.
- To double-click, press the left button twice quickly. This opens files and programs.
- The right button opens a small menu of extra choices. You will not need it often.
- To type, find the letter on the keyboard and press it. Hold Shift to make a capital letter.
- The long bar at the bottom is the Spacebar — press it for a space between words.
- Made a mistake? Press the Backspace key to delete the letter to the left.
💡 Helpful tips
- Go slowly. Speed comes naturally with a little practice — there is no need to rush.
- If the pointer ever disappears, just wiggle the mouse and it will reappear.
Don’t worry about memorizing everything. Pointing, clicking, and typing are the only skills you truly need to begin, and they quickly become second nature.