Mouse Keys provides a pointer-control option when a working numeric keypad is available. Before using it for an important action, practise the difference between moving, clicking and holding a mouse button.

In Windows 11, open Settings, Accessibility, Mouse and turn on Mouse keys. These controls use the numeric keypad; do not assume the ordinary number row is an equivalent substitute.

Establish movement and the selected button

On the keypad, 8 moves up, 2 down, 4 left and 6 right. Start by moving across an empty area of the desktop. Adjust the Mouse Keys speed options if the pointer is too difficult to place accurately.

Press the keypad forward slash to select the left mouse button. Press 5 for a click or plus for a double-click. Minus selects the right button instead. The selected button remains active until you choose another, so explicitly return to the left button after practising a context menu.

Use a harmless application window for the first clicks. Confirm the target before activating it, particularly near Delete, Send or other consequential controls.

Learn release before practising a drag

The keypad 0 holds the active button; the decimal-point key releases it. Learn both before attempting a drag. A held button can make later pointer movement behave differently from ordinary navigation.

If you practise dragging, move a disposable window by its title bar rather than moving a valuable file between folders. Release it deliberately and check that further pointer movement no longer moves the window.

Complete one small task, then return to the Mouse Keys settings if you want to turn the feature off. Note the keypad and speed arrangement that worked.

This adaptation provides another way to control the pointer. If the original mouse or touchpad remains unreliable, record that separate symptom for diagnosis; a successful keypad trial does not by itself identify the faulty component.

Sources: Microsoft Mouse Keys.