There's plenty to look into when shopping for the best work mouse for your needs, but we suggest you start by looking at ergonomics first. Even minor differences in your mouse's size, shape, and design can help you work more comfortably for longer. Second, consider the work you'll be doing and determine what features you may need to improve your workflow. You'll need a high-quality scroll wheel if you work with documents and spreadsheets. If you're a programmer or design professional, having many easy-to-reach, programmable buttons for macros is helpful. Some other elements you'll want to keep in mind are whether you need wireless capabilities or multi-device pairing or how you recharge your mouse. Also, you may want a more compact and portable model if you plan to use your mouse on the go.
We've tested over 335 mice, and below are our top picks for the best work mice in multiple categories. If you're looking for a wider selection of different mice, see our picks for the best mice, the best wired mice, or the best wireless mice.
The best mouse for work that we've tested is the Logitech MX Master 3S. Not only does it look sleek and professional, but it also feels very sturdily built, with a dense, heavy body. It has a comfortable right-handed shape and a thumb rest with a hidden button that enables gesture controls. Compared to the previous MX Master models, it has an improved sensor with a higher CPI range, which will be a welcome change if you use a high-resolution monitor. Its most notable feature might be its pair of scroll wheels. The primary scroll wheel is almost silent, and you can set it to automatically switch to a faster free-scrolling mode when you scroll past a certain speed. The secondary scroll wheel on the left is designed to be used by your thumb and allows you to scroll horizontally, which is handy for browsing large spreadsheets. It connects wirelessly via Bluetooth or with its Logitech BOLT USB receiver, and it has an impressive advertised battery life of up to 70 days.
You can also wirelessly pair this mouse with up to three devices simultaneously, which is helpful if you need to use multiple devices throughout your workday. Unfortunately, this mouse is fairly large, and if you have small hands, you may find it difficult to reach all the controls without shifting your hand around. Overall, the premium design and wide array of extra features, some of which are rare for other productivity mice, make it our top pick and the best wireless mouse for work.
For a solid mid-range pick, we recommend the Logitech Lift. Unlike the more conventional Logitech MX Master 3S, the Lift is a vertical mouse that you hold in a 'handshake position.' It can be a more ergonomic option, especially if you've experienced discomfort using a more conventional mouse. Like the MX Master 3S, it has quiet clicks and a scroll wheel that automatically switches between regular notched scrolling and a much quicker free-scrolling mode. This mouse is available in three colors that blend well into a variety of office and home setups. It connects via Bluetooth or with Logitech's Bolt USB receiver and is powered by a single AA battery, which Logitech advertises as being able to provide 24 months of battery life. Unfortunately, it doesn't feel as solidly built as the pricier MX Master 3S, but its shape is much better suited for those with small- and medium-sized hands. There's also a left-handed version available.
It's less portable than slimmer, dedicated travel mice, but it's an outstanding choice if you're looking for an ergonomic model for work or everyday browsing. If you're not interested in a vertical design, we recommend checking out the Logitech MX Master 2S. It's very similar to the MX Master 3S, but the side buttons are less comfortable, and it uses an older micro-USB charging cable instead of USB-C. While it's available for cheaper than newer models, it's starting to get harder to find in stock from some retailers.
If you're looking for the best mouse for office use on a budget, we recommend the Logitech M720 Triathlon. It offers many of the same features as our top pick, the Logitech MX Master 3S, but it doesn't have the same premium-quality feel. It has a right-handed, ergonomic shape with a small thumb rest, a gesture button, and three side buttons, the third of which switches between paired devices by default. It has a rubberized coating for added grip and is well-suited for a range of hand sizes. It connects wirelessly with its USB receiver or via Bluetooth, and you can pair it with up to three devices simultaneously. It uses a single AA battery for power and has an advertised battery life of up to 24 months. The scroll wheel also has a free-scrolling mode and left and right tilt inputs.
Unfortunately, its tall shape and high palm rest make this mouse bulky, so it doesn't slip easily into laptop cases. Also, its mouse feet are on the thinner side and have sharp edges that can dig into softer mousepads. That said, it's a versatile option that combines many productivity features into an affordable package that's comfortable for just about all hand sizes.
If you're looking for something much cheaper and simpler, check out the Logitech M100. Despite its inexpensive price point, it feels pretty sturdy, though admittedly less sturdy than the other Logitech mice on this list. As far as controls go, there are two primary click buttons and a basic scroll wheel. When shopping for this mouse, you may notice a similar-looking model called the Logitech B100. They're the same mouse; the only difference is that the B100 has different packaging intended to appeal to a more business-oriented audience.
Unfortunately, it has a stiff rubber cable and tiny mouse feet that don't glide nearly as smoothly as our other recommendations. Besides that, it's small, but its shape is well-suited for using a palm grip if you have small- or medium-sized hands. A fingertip grip works great for larger hands, but using this mouse for a full eight-hour work shift may be uncomfortable.
Whenever portability is a priority, we recommend the Razer Pro Click Mini. Thanks to its compact, symmetrical shape, it's a portable option, making it easy to slip into laptop bags or even your pocket. It feels sturdy, and its scroll wheel has both left and right inputs and a free-scrolling mode. You can connect it wirelessly with a USB receiver or via Bluetooth and pair it with up to four devices simultaneously. It can also run for up to 465 hours when using two AA batteries, so you won't have to swap those out very often. This mouse also has surprisingly good sensor performance and click latency compared to other options, so it can pull double duty as a compact gaming mouse after work.
Unfortunately, while it has a symmetrical shape, it isn't a truly ambidextrous design, as there are only side buttons on the left. Also, this mouse is too small to comfortably use if you have extra-large hands. If you don't need the Razer's broad feature suite or higher-end sensor performance, we recommend the Logitech Pebble M350. It doesn't approach the same level of performance, but it has a very slim, portable design and is considerably cheaper.
If you need a mouse for a CAD-heavy workflow, we recommend the 3Dconnexion CadMouse Pro Wireless. The name probably gives it away, but this mouse was designed specifically for use with CAD programs. Its standout features include a button that opens a customizable radial dial for gesture commands and a dedicated middle mouse button, which is helpful in any application where holding down the middle mouse button is bound to spatial navigation.
Otherwise, this mouse has good build quality and a slightly sculpted right-handed design that's comfortable to use for long stretches. Unfortunately, the scroll wheel doesn't quite feel as high-quality as compared to our best pick on this list, the Logitech MX Master 3S. Additionally, the scroll wheel lacks a free-scrolling mode, although you can customize scrolling speed using the configuration software. Speaking of the software, it allows you to set custom button map profiles for individual applications and will switch between them automatically. This offers an unusually high degree of customizability to specify how your mouse behaves in every situation. Unfortunately, there's no way to modify global button maps, so you have to set these profiles individually for each application you use, which can be a tedious process.
Jul 30, 2024: We've verified our picks and ensured they're still relevant and readily available.
Apr 26, 2024: We've added a new 'Best For CAD Applications' category to this article with the 3Dconnexion CadMouse Pro Wireless as our recommendation.
Feb 28, 2024: We've audited this article and added the Style: Type test to the table tool and the featured tests to emphasize better which mice are vertical, standard, or trackball designs. We've also removed the Logitech G604 LIGHTSPEED from the Notable Mentions because of spottier availability and increased pricing since its discontinuation.
Jan 04, 2024: We've reviewed our picks and ensured they're available and remain the best option for their category.
Oct 31, 2023: Ensured all main picks are still available and represent the best option for user needs.
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best work mice for most people. We factor in the price (a cheaper mouse wins over a pricier one if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability (no mice that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).
If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here is the list of all our mice reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no mouse is perfect for every use, most mice are great enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.