Native
macOS does the scrolling, exactly as it always has. A clean baseline.
For the Kensington Expert Mouse
Glideball
Make your Kensington Expert Mouse feel amazing.
Pointer speed past macOS's limit, scrolling that actually glides, and buttons that do what you want. One free, native Mac app, built for one trackball.
Free · macOS 26 Tahoe or later · Apple silicon & Intel · downloads
-
Zero added lagmacOS still moves the cursor.
-
Expert Mouse onlyOther mice keep their settings.
-
One-chord escape⌃⌥⌘G pauses from anywhere.
-
Private by designNo analytics. No account.
Pointer
Go past macOS's speed limit.
System Settings tops out at 3. Glideball lets the Expert Mouse go far beyond it, so a flick of the ball crosses a big display while slow rolls stay precise.
- Applies to the Expert Mouse only. Your trackpad and other mice keep their own settings.
- Zero added lag. macOS still moves the cursor itself; Glideball just tunes the curve.
- Presets or fine control. Precise, macOS, Fast, Turbo, or anywhere in between.
Response curve
Drag to watch the curve climb. Illustrative, not to scale.
Scrolling
Three ways to scroll. One of them flies.
Pick how the scroll ring feels and switch any time. Like everything in Glideball, it only changes the Expert Mouse.
Flywheel Kensington's feel
Each tick gives the page a push, and friction glides it to a stop. Gentle turns barely coast; hard spins fly, and the harder you spin, the farther the page goes (set how far with Fast-spin reach). Tuned from measurements of Kensington's own driver, and run at 120 Hz.
Follow
The page tracks the ring precisely, notch for notch. It only throws when you give it a real flick.
Try it
Feel the difference.
Scroll the list below with a wheel or trackpad, or drag and flick it. Then flip the switch. A real scroll wheel shows it best.
Scroll speed
px/s
Last 3 seconds. Plain steps spike; the flywheel spreads each push into a smooth glide.
Flick meter
- Top speed
- px/s
- Longest glide
- rows
- This visit
- rows
Flywheel: each tick adds a push, friction (τ ≈ 82 ms) glides it to a stop. Same distance, no jolts.
Focus the list and use the arrow keys, Page Up, Page Down, Home or End. Your page will not scroll while the pointer is over the list.
Buttons & combos
Four buttons. Plenty of ideas.
Remap any of the four buttons, or chord them together for even more. Setting one up takes two key presses.
-
Quick assign
Press a trackball button, then press the shortcut it should send. That's it.
-
Two- and three-button combos
Press buttons together to trigger their own actions, on top of what each does alone.
-
Hold shortcuts
Keep a shortcut held for as long as the button is down. Perfect for push-to-talk.
-
Main click stays locked
Your primary click can't be remapped, so you can never lock yourself out.
Live dashboard
Watch your trackball, live.
The Overview tab graphs ball speed and scroll-ring activity as they happen, lights up each button as you press it, and keeps a tally of your day: clicks, distance rolled, distance scrolled.
Your pointer
px/s
Move over this card or press its buttons. Presses:
Safety
Never stuck. Never surprised.
Glideball is built so your trackball always works, whatever happens.
Instant pause
Press Control Option Command G from anywhere and Glideball steps aside immediately.
Fails safe
If Glideball isn't running or doesn't have permission, your trackball simply works the way macOS normally does.
Only the Expert Mouse
Glideball touches the Expert Mouse and nothing else. Other mice and your trackpad keep their own settings.
Backup & Sync
Your setup, on every Mac.
Export your settings to a file and import them anywhere. Or turn on sync and every Mac you use picks up the same feel through iCloud Drive. No account, no sign-up. Glideball also backs up your settings by itself — every day for two weeks, then monthly for a year — so any change is one click from undone.
Install
Up and running in a minute.
Glideball isn't on the App Store, so there's one extra click the first time. Here's exactly what to expect.
-
Download and drag
Download Glideball.zip, unzip it, and drag Glideball into your Applications folder. Or use Homebrew:
brew install --cask leviholliday/tap/glideball -
Open it the first time
Glideball is signed by an independent developer but isn't notarized by Apple, so macOS may block the first launch. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down, and click Open Anyway. Or Control-click Glideball in Applications and choose Open.
-
Allow access
Grant Accessibility and Input Monitoring when asked. Glideball needs them to read the trackball and adjust its buttons and scrolling. Nothing leaves your Mac.
-
Coming from KensingtonWorks? Optional
Uninstall KensingtonWorks first, then restart your Mac once so its driver lets go of the trackball.
Linux & Windows Preview
Early versions with the same scroll feel, buttons, combos and settings files as the Mac app. They haven't been tested on many machines yet — expect rough edges, and please tell us how they work for you.
-
Linux Preview
Ubuntu 24.04+, Fedora 39+ or similar. Unpack it and run
./install.sh; it asks for your password once so Glideball can read the trackball. Your other mice are never touched. -
Windows Preview
Windows 10 or 11. Run the installer; Windows may show a SmartScreen warning because the app isn't signed — choose More info → Run anyway.
FAQ
Good questions.
Does it work with other Kensington trackballs or mice?
Glideball is built and tested for the wired Kensington Expert Mouse. Other models are untested, so they may not be detected or may not behave as expected.
Does Glideball collect my data?
The app doesn’t: it has no analytics and no tracking. It only uses the network for three things: iCloud Drive sync, if you turn it on, checking GitHub for updates, and sending feedback — only when you press Send, and you see exactly what’s included first. This website is separate: it can use optional analytics, explained in the website privacy notice at the bottom of the page.
How do I uninstall it?
Quit Glideball and drag it from Applications to the Trash. To tidy up, remove it from the Accessibility and Input Monitoring lists in System Settings → Privacy & Security.
Can I go back to normal instantly?
Yes. Press ⌃⌥⌘G (Control-Option-Command-G) from anywhere to pause Glideball. Quitting works too: your trackball goes straight back to normal.
What do I need?
A Mac running macOS 26 Tahoe or later, Apple silicon or Intel, and a Kensington Expert Mouse. Glideball is free. Linux and Windows versions are available as a preview.
Is Glideball available in my language?
Glideball speaks English, Español, Français, Deutsch, Italiano, Português (Brasil), 日本語, 한국어 and 简体中文. It follows your Mac’s language automatically, or you can pick one in Overview › General › Language.
Found a bug or have an idea?
Send feedback — it goes straight to the developer.
Ready to glide?
Free for macOS 26 Tahoe or later. Apple silicon & Intel.