Global mouse
Set global mouse gestures for ten screenshot actions, configure masks and ignored programs, and learn defaults, reset behavior, and Windows/macOS differences.
Global mouse lets you hold modifiers and drag an area directly on screen, then pin, copy, or perform another screenshot action on release. It is useful for frequently collecting references, copying images, or quickly saving part of the screen.
Open Configuration → Global Mouse. This page has one Global Mouse group: 10 actions above, followed by the mask, clear-all control, and ignore list. It captures screen content; configure zoom, close, and drag on existing pins on the Mouse page.
Configure and try a gesture
Windows enables three gestures by default: Win plus left drag captures and pins, Win plus middle drag captures and copies, and Win plus right drag captures and copies text. The other actions are unassigned.
macOS has no default assignments. Select modifiers and a drag action for each operation you want; replacing Windows' Win key with an arbitrary Mac key does not enable it.
Modifiers and mouse actions
Each row has a modifier multi-select on the left and a mouse-action dropdown on the right. Choose at least one modifier; multiple are allowed. Choose Left Drag, Right Drag, Middle Drag, X1(Back) Drag, or X2(Forward) Drag, or select None to unbind.
| Windows display | macOS display | Actual macOS key |
|---|---|---|
| Shift | ⇧ | Shift |
| Ctrl | ⌘ | Command |
| Alt | ⌥ | Option |
| Win | ⌃ | Control |
Only modifiers plus dragging are supported here, without click, double-click, or wheel actions. Side buttons need mouse and driver support for their events. Changes take effect immediately without an extra Apply click.
For Screenshot and pin, for example:
Find Screenshot and pin. Keep the default Win on Windows; on macOS, try checking only ⌥ (Option).
Select Left Drag on the right and check that the row ends with no conflict or error.
Return to the target content, hold the chosen modifiers, then hold the left button and drag an area. Keep the modifiers held, release the mouse first, then release the modifiers. The selection becomes a pin.
Modifiers must match exactly. If Alt plus left drag is assigned, adding Shift is a different combination. Releasing a modifier before finishing the drag ends selection early; do not treat modifier release as cancellation.
Understand status indicators
| Status | What to do |
|---|---|
| Green check mark | No conflict was detected within this group; try the gesture |
| Gray stop icon with No set | None is selected; this action has no global mouse entry point |
| Red cross with Auxiliary keys must be set | A drag is selected without modifiers; add at least one or it will not trigger |
| Warning icon with a conflict message | Two actions use the same combination; change one or set it to None |
Conflict warnings do not remove old bindings or make one drag run two actions in sequence. Detection covers this page's bindings. If another app uses the same input, change the combination or add that app to the ignore list.
What each global mouse action does
These actions follow the settings page order. Default bindings in the table are for Windows only; all 10 default to None on macOS.
| Option | Windows default binding | Result on release |
|---|---|---|
| Screenshot and pin | Win + left drag | Pin the selected area to the screen for reference |
| Screenshot and copy | Win + middle drag | Put the screenshot on the clipboard for pasting into chats or documents |
| Screenshot and copy text | Win + right drag | Recognize and copy text in the area; the result is text, not an image |
| Screenshot and quick save | None | Use quick save settings for the path and filename, usually without opening a save window |
| Screenshot and translate | None | Send capture content to translation; existing translation settings determine its presentation |
| Screenshot and edit | None | Keep the capture UI and toolbar open to adjust or annotate, then copy, pin, or save |
| Screenshot and save | None | Open a save window to choose location, name, and format |
| Long Screenshot | None | Open long screenshot for the selected area, then scroll, stitch, and output through that workflow |
| Gif screenshot | None | Open screen recording for the selected area. The label follows the actual page; the recording UI determines the final format |
| Formula Recognition | None | Send the screenshot to formula recognition to view and copy results |
Choose Screenshot and edit to annotate first, Screenshot and save to choose a save location, or Screenshot and quick save to collect images in a fixed folder. Long screenshot and recording actions only open their windows; releasing the mouse does not mean scrolling has finished or a video exists.
Show a mask during global mouse capture
This option is unchecked by default. Checking it dims the area outside the selection while dragging; leaving it off keeps the original brightness. It changes selection display without changing the bound action.
- Mask off (default)Outside the selection stays at its original brightness.
- Mask onDarken the outside to emphasize the selection.
Screenshot and edit always shows the mask, even when unchecked, because it enters the complete capture-editing workflow. This exception does not mean the setting was not saved.
Ignore process list
If another app already uses the same drag combination, add it to the ignore list. PixPin will not start global mouse capture in a matching app, allowing that app to handle the operation.
Click Ignore Process List (count) at the bottom. The default list is empty, with count 0. All gestures here share this list, managed separately from the Shortcuts/actions ignore lists.
| Entry point | Usage |
|---|---|
| Program list on the left | Check running programs; search names or paths, or refresh the list. Background processes are listed separately |
| From File | Select a program file to add its path; Windows can select its .exe |
| Manual Input | Enter program names, paths, or wildcard rules; separate entries with commas |
| Selected processes on the right | Review added entries; hover to edit or delete |
For example, sample.exe matches that program name, and D:/Games/* matches programs in a folder. Matching is case-insensitive and supports * and path-suffix matching. It matches program paths, not window titles or web addresses.
Closing the process picker or pressing EscEsc retains the selection and updates the list on returning to settings. Remove an entry on the right to undo it. The small manual-entry window has its own save and cancel controls.
The platforms identify the current program differently:
- Windows: First check the program owning the window under the pointer; if its path cannot be read, fall back to the active app.
- macOS: Use the current foreground window's program. Moving the pointer over another inactive window does not change which program is checked. Prefer selecting running programs to avoid mismatching app-bundle paths and actual executable paths.
If modifiers were pressed inside an ignored app, release them after moving to another app, then press again and drag. Do not keep holding the same combination while retrying across windows.
Clear bindings and restore defaults
| Action | Scope |
|---|---|
| Select None in one row | Unbind only that action's gesture |
| Clear All | Immediately clear all 10 bindings without confirmation, keeping the mask setting and ignore list |
| Restore Default on the current page | After confirmation, restore all settings here: three Win gestures on Windows, none on macOS, plus mask off and an empty ignore list |
| Restore All Default | Also affects other pages; unsuitable if you only want to reset global mouse |
To pause temporarily, use Disable shortcuts, which also pauses global mouse and retains bindings for resuming. This page has no separate master switch.
If gestures do not trigger
| Symptom | What to check |
|---|---|
| Windows default gestures do nothing on macOS | Configure this page first; macOS has no default global mouse gestures |
| Dragging still controls the original app | Check modifiers, mouse button, and ignore list; release all modifiers, then try the exact assigned combination |
| No capture result after release | Drag a clearer area; a very short drag cancels capture. Copied images or text are on the clipboard; paste to check |
| All gestures stopped | Check whether shortcuts were explicitly disabled or Clear All was used |
| Cannot start while long capture or recording is open | Finish and close those windows first; existing ones prevent new global mouse capture |
| Still cannot capture on macOS | Grant screen recording and accessibility permissions per the installation guide, and make sure the system is unlocked |
This ignore list manages only global mouse; Shortcuts/actions ignore lists and the Windows full-screen game option do not replace it. Add games or other programs here to avoid triggering mouse gestures in them.
Related articles
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