For quite some time, I have been using the Logitech MX Master 3 with the terminal tool, LogiOps. I even wrote a blog post related to utilizing LogiOps to use Mouse Gestures with the MX Master 3.

However, a few days ago, I decided to sell my MX Master 3 and MX Keys keyboard, as I no longer utilize the keyboard (since I have the Keychron V1), and pick up a vertical mouse instead. More specifically, I picked up the Logitech Lift.

Long story short, I started to have some minor wrist/arm pain and I wanted to give vertical mice a try.

Well, as much as I love the new mouse, I realized that LogiOps would no longer work for this mouse, since it uses the Logitech Bolt receiver, instead of the Unifying receiver that LogiOps supports. I could have used Bluetooth, but I did not want to hamper my mouse just because of the lack of configuration on a supposedly supported operating system.

Before I continue on, I do want to say that it is annoying that Logitech lists Linux as a supported operating system for their mice and keyboards, but fail to provide proper software to configure them. At that point, don't even list Linux, or make sure to include a message stating that Linux has limited support!

Okay, rant done...

Anyways, back to the main topic...

Going without mouse gestures was not going to ruin my overall experience with the mouse. It was slightly annoying, but I could get by with keyboard shortcuts. Mainly, I used mouse gestures to switch between workspaces/virtual desktops on my computer, since I have a Home workspace and a Work workspace that I utilize on a daily basis.

Using mouse gestures removes the need to move my hand from my mouse to keyboard and back. Not a big deal, but if I could, I would like to eliminate that step.

So, I started searching online for a potential solution to enable mouse gestures on my Logitech Lift, and I found out that a tool that I already had downloaded supported it!

Solaar is Amazing

I have always used Solaar. It is a quick and easy tool to customize some basic settings of your Logitech mice. I use it to adjust the DPI settings of my Logitech G305, and I used it to adjust the scroll wheel on my Logitech MX Master 3.

Diving through Solaar's github issues, I found people asking for mouse gesture support, which I quickly realized were closed issues, as Solaar added mouse gesture support.

I took a look at Solaar, and started to look through the settings for my Logitech Lift. Here, I found that I could change the DPI Switch button (the round button behind the scroll wheel) to be a Mouse Gesture button.

I was shocked! I never knew that Solaar supported Mouse Gestures, and all this time, I had to manually update a config file to adjust my mouse gestures on my MX Master 3.

Now... for the hard part. Figuring out how to set up the actual gesture combinations.

Solaar Rule Editor

That was actually easier then I thought it would be. Setting up the gesture combinations required using the Rule editor. After fiddling around and reading Solaar's wiki on using the Rule editor, I found out that I needed to set the "Mouse Gesture" condition, and the "Key" output for the gesture. In my case, I created two gestures, one for Mouse Left and one for Mouse Right. Both of these utilized the Super_L + Alt_L keys along with the corresponding directional arrow key depending on the way I moved my mouse. This is the key combination for Gnome to switch between workspaces.

After creating those rules, I saved the changes, and hot damn, the mouse gestures were working!

I am unsure which tool is more intuitive for mouse gestures, LogiOps or Solaar, but the fact that I was able to accomplish what I needed to do, without having to write an additional config file, is awesome!

Both LogiOps and Solaar are great tools, and I recommend using the one that works best for you. In my case, that would be Solaar, but if you already use LogiOps, and have no issues with it, I suggest continuing to use LogiOps. But, if you even reinstall your distro, or build a new computer, I recommend taking a look at Solaar's Rule editor!