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A computer mouse is an input device that is most often used with a personal computer. Moving a mouse along a flat surface can move the on-screen cursor to different items on the screen. Items can be moved or selected by pressing the mouse buttons (called clicking).

It is called a computer mouse because of the wire that connects the mouse to the computer. The people who designed the first computer mice thought that it looked like the tail on a mouse. Today, many computer mice use wireless technology and have no wire.

On most computers, the user can move the mouse to move the cursor in the same direction. If there is something on the screen that the user wants to choose, he can move the cursor over it and "click" the mouse button. The right mouse button is used to open menus that are different depending on where the cursor is. The other mouse buttons can do different things, depending on the software. A mouse can have 1 to 6 buttons to click, but most mice have two or three. Most mice also have a "scroll wheel" -- a small wheel found between the two main mouse buttons. The user can move the wheel up or down to "scroll" through things like a website or folder, which means to move it up or down on the screen, or he or she can click the wheel down like another button.