# X-Mouse Button Control review (2026): is it any good? > Free Windows tool that remaps mouse buttons per application Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. X-Mouse Button Control (XMBC) is a free Windows tool for remapping mouse buttons and the scroll or tilt wheel. You create profiles for specific applications or windows, each with up to 10 layers of button settings. The author describes it as a hobby project and takes optional donations. - **Category:** Desktop Utilities - **Made by:** Phillip Gibbons (since 2005) - **Website:** https://www.highrez.co.uk/downloads/xmousebuttoncontrol.htm - **Runs on:** Windows - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you use a Mac or Linux, as only Windows is listed. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, X-Mouse Button Control is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** Free, with no paid edition. The author accepts optional donations and says donations do not buy features or support. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | X-Mouse Button Control | $0 | Free for Windows, in an installer or a portable version. No bundled software. | Read from https://www.highrez.co.uk/downloads/xmousebuttoncontrol.htm on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with X-Mouse Button Control before buying. ## Key features - **Application and window profiles:** Mouse behavior can differ per application or window, and profiles activate automatically as the pointer moves over the defined target. - **Layers:** Each profile can hold up to 10 layers of button configurations, switched with hot-keys or mouse buttons. - **Many button functions:** Includes simulated keystrokes, button chording, timed actions by hold length, launching programs, clipboard and media control. - **Wheel and screen capture actions:** Remaps the scroll and tilt wheel, can capture the screen or active window to the clipboard, and supports virtual desktops in Windows 10 and 11. - **Portable version:** A portable build is offered beside the installer, and the installer picks the 32-bit or 64-bit version automatically. ## Good for - Windows users who want extra mouse buttons to do different things in different apps - Gamers whose games ignore the 4th and 5th mouse buttons - People who want a free tool with no bundled extras ## Worth knowing - Windows only; the author lists Windows 10 and 11 and Windows Server 2012 R2 to 2022 as supported. - Supports mice with up to 5 buttons, because it relies on the Windows mouse message queue. - The author calls it a hobby project, cannot guarantee any level of support and is not affiliated with any mouse maker. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.6 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. X-Mouse Button Control is a free Windows tool that remaps mouse buttons and the wheel per app, with up to 10 layers. But it supports mice with up to 5 buttons, it runs on Windows only, and the author calls it a hobby project with no support guarantee. - **Value for money: A.** Free, with optional donations that buy no features or support. - **Free plan and trial: A.** The whole program is free, with a portable version. - **Features: C.** Per-app profiles, 10 layers, many button functions and wheel actions. It supports mice up to 5 buttons only, because of how Windows passes them on. - **Ease of use: C.** Profiles, layers and functions to set up before it is useful. No store rating is on record. - **Platforms and integrations: D.** Windows 10, 11 and Server 2012 R2 to 2022 only. No Mac or Linux version. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Highrez's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among desktop utilities - X-Mouse Button Control's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 69 of the 186 other desktop utilities we grade, and level with 46. - It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 107 of 186) and worst on platforms and integrations (D, above 0). - X-Mouse Button Control has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/utilities ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** X-Mouse Button Control is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. - You could not: Keys and buttons remapped below the level of apps. - You could not: Capture tools hooked into the operating system. - You could not: A real app for Windows. Something home-made would be a web page. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. **Tags:** Keyboard and mouse remapping, Screenshots ## Alternatives - [AutoHotkey](https://toolgpa.com/tools/autohotkey): Free, open-source scripting language for Windows automation. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/autohotkey-vs-x-mouse-button-control) - [Microsoft PowerToys](https://toolgpa.com/tools/microsoft-powertoys): Free Microsoft utilities for customizing Windows 10 and 11. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/microsoft-powertoys-vs-x-mouse-button-control) - [BetterTouchTool](https://toolgpa.com/tools/bettertouchtool): Mac input customization: gestures, shortcuts and automation. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bettertouchtool-vs-x-mouse-button-control) - [SteerMouse](https://toolgpa.com/tools/steermouse): Mac utility for customizing mouse buttons, wheels and cursor speed. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/steermouse-vs-x-mouse-button-control) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://www.highrez.co.uk/downloads/xmousebuttoncontrol.htm Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/x-mouse-button-control Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).