Mouse
Mouse has been superseded by UserInputService and ContextActionService, which cover a broader scope, are more feature rich, and support cross-platform patterns better. It remains supported because of its widespread use, but you should strongly consider using these alternatives.
The Mouse object houses various API for pointers, primarily for buttons and raycasting. It can be accessed through Player:GetMouse() called on the Players.LocalPlayer in a LocalScript. It is also passed by the Tool.Equipped event.
- It is most notable for the Icon property, which changes the cursor's appearance.
- It continually raycasts the screen mouse position into the 3D world using the TargetFilter property, storing the results of the raycast in the Hit, Target, and TargetSurface properties. These can be useful for simple cases, but WorldRoot:Raycast() should be used in more complicated raycasting scenarios.
-- From a LocalScript:local Players = game:GetService("Players")local player = Players.LocalPlayerlocal mouse = player:GetMouse()-- Setting the mouse iconmouse.Icon = "rbxasset://SystemCursors/Wait"
Note:
This object does not control/restrict pointer movement. For this, see UserInputService.MouseBehavior and UserInputService.MouseDeltaSensitivity.
If two functions are connected to same input event, such as Button1Down, both functions will run when the event fires. There is no concept of sinking/passing input, as events don't support this behavior. However, ContextActionService does have this behavior through BindAction.
While a mouse may not be available on all platforms, Mouse will still function on mobile (touch) and console (gamepad), which don't typically have mice or pointer hardware. For explicit cross-platform behaviors, use UserInputService and ContextActionService.
See Input and Camera for more information on customizing inputs in your experience.
Summary
Properties
The CFrame of the mouse's position in 3D space.
The content ID of the image used as the Mouse icon.
A CFrame positioned at the Workspace.CurrentCamera and oriented toward the mouse's 3D position.
The object in 3D space the mouse is pointing to.
Determines an object (and its descendants) to be ignored when determining Mouse.Hit and Mouse.Target.
Indicates the Enum.NormalId of the BasePart surface at which the mouse is pointing.
A Ray directed towards the mouse's world position, originating from the Workspace.CurrentCamera world position.
Describes the width of the game window in pixels.
Describes the height of the game window in pixels.
Describes the X (horizontal) component of the mouse's position on the screen.
Describes the Y (vertical) component of the mouse's screen position.
Events
Fired when the left mouse button is pressed.
Fires when the left mouse button is released.
Fires when the right mouse button is pressed.
Fired when the right mouse button is released.
Fired during every heartbeat that the mouse isn't being passed to another mouse event.
Fired when the mouse is moved.
Fires when the mouse wheel is scrolled backwards.
Fires when the mouse wheel is scrolled forwards.
Properties
Hit
This property indicates CFrame of the mouse's position in 3D space. Note that Mouse.TargetFilter and its descendants will be ignored.
Developers can get obtain the position of Hit like so:
local position = mouse.Hit.Position
Hit is often used by Tools to fire a weapon towards the mouse in third person.
Developers looking for the BasePart the mouse is pointing at should use Mouse.Target.
How is Mouse.Hit calculated?
The position of the Hit CFrame is calculated as the point of intersection between the mouse's internal Ray (an extended version of Mouse.UnitRay) and an object in 3D space (such as a part).
The orientation of the Hit CFrame corresponds with the direction of the Mouse.UnitRay.
local unitRayDirection = mouse.UnitRay.Directionlocal mouseHitDirection = mouse.Hit.lookVector-- unitRayDirection ≈ mouseHitDirection-- the vectors are approximately equal
Note, the roll of the Workspace.CurrentCamera is not used when calculating the orientation of the Hit CFrame.
The mouse's internal ray extends for 1,000 studs. If the mouse is not pointing at an object in 3D space (for example when pointing at the sky), this property will be 1,000 studs away from the Workspace.CurrentCamera.
Code Samples
local Players = game:GetService("Players")
local RunService = game:GetService("RunService")
local player = Players.LocalPlayer
local mouse = player:GetMouse()
local beam = Instance.new("Beam")
beam.Segments = 1
beam.Width0 = 0.2
beam.Width1 = 0.2
beam.Color = ColorSequence.new(Color3.new(1, 0, 0))
beam.FaceCamera = true
local attachment0 = Instance.new("Attachment")
local attachment1 = Instance.new("Attachment")
beam.Attachment0 = attachment0
beam.Attachment1 = attachment1
beam.Parent = workspace.Terrain
attachment0.Parent = workspace.Terrain
attachment1.Parent = workspace.Terrain
local function onRenderStep()
local character = player.Character
if not character then
beam.Enabled = false
return
end
local head = character:FindFirstChild("Head")
if not head then
beam.Enabled = false
return
end
beam.Enabled = true
local origin = head.Position
local finish = mouse.Hit.Position
attachment0.Position = origin
attachment1.Position = finish
end
RunService.RenderStepped:Connect(onRenderStep)
local Players = game:GetService("Players")
local Workspace = game:GetService("Workspace")
local player = Players.LocalPlayer
local camera = Workspace.CurrentCamera
local mouse = player:GetMouse()
local camPos = camera.CFrame.Position
local function onButton1Down()
print("Mouse.Hit:", mouse.Hit.Position)
print("camPos:", camPos)
print("Mouse.Origin:", mouse.Origin.Position)
print("Magnitude:", (mouse.Origin.Position - camPos).Magnitude)
end
mouse.Button1Down:Connect(onButton1Down)
Icon
Icon is a property that determines the image used as the pointer. If blank, a default arrow is used. While the cursor hovers over a GuiButton, this property is temporarily ignored.
To hide the cursor entirely, do not use a transparent image – instead, set UserInputService.MouseIconEnabled to false.
For getting/setting the user mouse icon in experiences, you should use UserInputService.MouseIcon. Mouse.Icon will be deprecated after the new API for plugins to set the mouse cursor is released.
Designing a Cursor
The following guidelines may prove useful when creating your own mouse cursors:
- The dimensions of the image used determines the size of the cursor.
- The center of the image is where mouse inputs are issued.
- The default mouse image is 64x64 pixels, with the mouse taking up 17x24 pixels of space.
System Cursors
When using a PluginMouse retrieved from Plugin:GetMouse(), you can use the following icons similar to your system's default cursors, such as hands, arrows, I-beams, etc. You can use these with GUI events like MouseEnter, MouseLeave, and MouseButton1Down to provide a consistent studio experience when interacting with certain kinds of GUI components. Note that these only work for studio plugins; they will not work for other Mouse objects.
Look* | Asset | Suggested Use |
---|---|---|
rbxasset://SystemCursors/Arrow | Default clicking and selection. | |
rbxasset://SystemCursors/PointingHand | Hovering over an active link/button. | |
rbxasset://SystemCursors/OpenHand | Hovering over a draggable item. | |
rbxasset://SystemCursors/ClosedHand | Dragging an item. | |
rbxasset://SystemCursors/IBeam | Hovering in a text field. | |
rbxasset://SystemCursors/SizeNS | Hovering over a vertical resize handle. | |
rbxasset://SystemCursors/SizeEW | Hovering over a horizontal resize handle. | |
rbxasset://SystemCursors/SizeNESW | Hovering over a corner resize handle. | |
rbxasset://SystemCursors/SizeNWSE | Hovering over a corner resize handle. | |
rbxasset://SystemCursors/SizeAll | Hovering over a multi-direction resize handle. | |
rbxasset://SystemCursors/SplitNS | Hovering over a vertical "split" handle. | |
rbxasset://SystemCursors/SplitEW | Hovering over a horizontal "split" handle. | |
rbxasset://SystemCursors/Forbidden | Hovering over a locked/forbidden item. | |
rbxasset://SystemCursors/Wait | Indicating an action is in progress. | |
rbxasset://SystemCursors/Busy | Indicating the system is busy. | |
rbxasset://SystemCursors/Cross | Hovering over a pinpoint selection area. |
Code Samples
local Players = game:GetService("Players")
local mouse = Players.LocalPlayer:GetMouse()
mouse.Icon = "http://www.roblox.com/asset?id=163023520"
Origin
The origin Mouse property is a CFrame indicating where the mouse originated from. It is positioned at the Workspace.CurrentCamera and oriented toward the mouse's 3D position.
Mouse.UnitRay starts at the same position as Origin, and extends for a stud in the same direction.
local unitRay = mouse.UnitRaylocal origin = mouse.Origin-- unitRay.Direction = origin.p-- unitRay.Direction ≈ origin.lookVector
For the position of the Mouse in 3D space, see Mouse.Hit.
Code Samples
local Players = game:GetService("Players")
local Workspace = game:GetService("Workspace")
local player = Players.LocalPlayer
local camera = Workspace.CurrentCamera
local mouse = player:GetMouse()
local camPos = camera.CFrame.Position
local function onButton1Down()
print("Mouse.Hit:", mouse.Hit.Position)
print("camPos:", camPos)
print("Mouse.Origin:", mouse.Origin.Position)
print("Magnitude:", (mouse.Origin.Position - camPos).Magnitude)
end
mouse.Button1Down:Connect(onButton1Down)
Target
The object in 3D space the mouse is pointing to.
Note:
- If Mouse.TargetFilter has been set, the target filter and its descendants will be ignored.
- When the mouse is not pointing at a BasePart, for example when it is pointing at the sky, Target will be nil.
- Developers looking for the position of the mouse in 3D space should use Mouse.Hit.
Code Samples
local Players = game:GetService("Players")
local localPlayer = Players.LocalPlayer
local backpack = localPlayer:WaitForChild("Backpack")
local tool = Instance.new("Tool")
tool.RequiresHandle = false
tool.CanBeDropped = false
tool.Parent = backpack
tool.Equipped:Connect(function(mouse)
mouse.Button1Down:Connect(function()
if mouse.Target and mouse.Target.Parent then
mouse.Target.BrickColor = BrickColor.random()
end
end)
end)
TargetFilter
This property determines an object to be ignored by the mouse when calculating Mouse.Hit and Mouse.Target. The descendants of the object are also ignored, so it is possible to ignore multiple objects so long as they are a descendant of the object to which this property is set. This property is useful when filtering models containing special effects or decorations that should not affect Mouse.Hit or Mouse.Target.
This property can be set to any Instance or nil, for example:
local Players = game:GetService("Players")local player = Players.LocalPlayerlocal mouse = player:GetMouse()mouse.TargetFilter = workspace.Model
Note that the Character of the Players.LocalPlayer is ignored by the mouse automatically.
TargetSurface
This property indicates the Enum.NormalId of the BasePart surface at which the mouse is pointing. This property is derived from the world position of mouse (Mouse.Hit) and the part toward which the mouse is pointing (Mouse.Target).
This property isn't meaningful when the mouse is not pointing at a part, for example when the mouse is pointing at the sky. At the moment, this property is set to 'Right' under these circumstances. Before using this property, check that the mouse's target is not nil.
local Players = game:GetService("Players")local player = Players.LocalPlayerlocal mouse = player:GetMouse()-- Check that there exists a part at which the mouse is pointingif mouse.Target thenprint("The mouse is pointing to the " .. mouse.TargetSurface.Name .. " side of " .. mouse.Target.Name)elseprint("The mouse is not pointing at anything.")end
Code Samples
local Players = game:GetService("Players")
local player = Players.LocalPlayer
local mouse = player:GetMouse()
local surfaceTypes = {
Enum.SurfaceType.Smooth,
Enum.SurfaceType.Glue,
Enum.SurfaceType.Weld,
Enum.SurfaceType.Studs,
Enum.SurfaceType.Inlet,
Enum.SurfaceType.Universal,
Enum.SurfaceType.Hinge,
Enum.SurfaceType.Motor,
}
local function onMouseClick()
-- make sure the mouse is pointing at a part
local target = mouse.Target
if not target then
return
end
local surfaceType = surfaceTypes[math.random(1, #surfaceTypes)]
local surface = mouse.TargetSurface
local propertyName = surface.Name .. "Surface"
mouse.Target[propertyName] = surfaceType
end
mouse.Button1Down:Connect(onMouseClick)
UnitRay
The UnitRay property is a Ray directed toward the mouse's position in 3D space (described by Mouse.Hit). It originates from the CFrame of the Workspace.CurrentCamera. Like all unit rays, it has a distance of 1.
local Players = game:GetService("Players")local player = Players.LocalPlayerlocal mouse = player:GetMouse()print(mouse.UnitRay.Direction.magnitude) -- Always 1
ViewSizeX
The ViewSizeX property describes the horizontal component of the game window's size in pixels.
Code Samples
local Players = game:GetService("Players")
-- Note: You should use ContextActionService or UserInputService instead of
-- the Mouse object for accomplishing this task.
local player = Players.LocalPlayer
local mouse = player:GetMouse()
local function onMouseMove()
-- Construct Vector2 objects for the mouse's position and screen size
local position = Vector2.new(mouse.X, mouse.Y)
local size = Vector2.new(mouse.ViewSizeX, mouse.ViewSizeY)
-- A normalized position will map the top left (just under the topbar)
-- to (0, 0) the bottom right to (1, 1), and the center to (0.5, 0.5).
-- This is calculated by dividing the position by the total size.
local normalizedPosition = position / size
print(normalizedPosition)
end
mouse.Move:Connect(onMouseMove)
ViewSizeY
The ViewSizeY property describes the vertical component of the game window's size in pixels. This length includes the space used by the topbar.
Code Samples
local Players = game:GetService("Players")
-- Note: You should use ContextActionService or UserInputService instead of
-- the Mouse object for accomplishing this task.
local player = Players.LocalPlayer
local mouse = player:GetMouse()
local function onMouseMove()
-- Construct Vector2 objects for the mouse's position and screen size
local position = Vector2.new(mouse.X, mouse.Y)
local size = Vector2.new(mouse.ViewSizeX, mouse.ViewSizeY)
-- A normalized position will map the top left (just under the topbar)
-- to (0, 0) the bottom right to (1, 1), and the center to (0.5, 0.5).
-- This is calculated by dividing the position by the total size.
local normalizedPosition = position / size
print(normalizedPosition)
end
mouse.Move:Connect(onMouseMove)
When detecting changes in the mouse's position on-screen, it is recommended that you use ContextActionService:BindAction() with Enum.UserInputType.MouseMovement or UserInputService.InputChanged, which both describe the position of the mouse using the Position (a Vector3) of an InputObject, instead of using this and related properties.
The X property describes the horizontal component of the mouse's position on the screen. The position is measured in pixels relative to the top left corner, under the topbar. This property can be used in conjunction with Mouse.Y to produce a Vector2 representing the mouse's position:
local position = Vector2.new(mouse.X, mouse.Y)
This property does not fire Changed or the signal returned from GetPropertyChangedSignal. Use the Mouse.Move event instead.
Code Samples
local Players = game:GetService("Players")
-- Note: You should use ContextActionService or UserInputService instead of
-- the Mouse object for accomplishing this task.
local player = Players.LocalPlayer
local mouse = player:GetMouse()
local function onMouseMove()
-- Construct Vector2 objects for the mouse's position and screen size
local position = Vector2.new(mouse.X, mouse.Y)
local size = Vector2.new(mouse.ViewSizeX, mouse.ViewSizeY)
-- A normalized position will map the top left (just under the topbar)
-- to (0, 0) the bottom right to (1, 1), and the center to (0.5, 0.5).
-- This is calculated by dividing the position by the total size.
local normalizedPosition = position / size
print(normalizedPosition)
end
mouse.Move:Connect(onMouseMove)
When detecting changes in the mouse's position on-screen, it is recommended that you use ContextActionService:BindAction() with Enum.UserInputType.MouseMovement or UserInputService.InputChanged, which both describe the position of the mouse using the Position (a Vector3) of an InputObject, instead of using this and related properties.
The Y property describes the vertical component of the mouse's position on the screen. The position is measured in pixels relative to the top left corner, under the topbar. This property can be used in conjunction with Mouse.X to produce a Vector2 representing the mouse's position:
local position = Vector2.new(mouse.X, mouse.Y)
This property does not fire Changed or the signal returned from GetPropertyChangedSignal. Use the Mouse.Move event instead.
Code Samples
local Players = game:GetService("Players")
-- Note: You should use ContextActionService or UserInputService instead of
-- the Mouse object for accomplishing this task.
local player = Players.LocalPlayer
local mouse = player:GetMouse()
local function onMouseMove()
-- Construct Vector2 objects for the mouse's position and screen size
local position = Vector2.new(mouse.X, mouse.Y)
local size = Vector2.new(mouse.ViewSizeX, mouse.ViewSizeY)
-- A normalized position will map the top left (just under the topbar)
-- to (0, 0) the bottom right to (1, 1), and the center to (0.5, 0.5).
-- This is calculated by dividing the position by the total size.
local normalizedPosition = position / size
print(normalizedPosition)
end
mouse.Move:Connect(onMouseMove)
Methods
Events
Button1Down
The Button1Down even fires when the player presses their left mouse button.
This can also be accessed from a Tool. For example, when placed in a LocalScript, the code below prints Button1Down whenever the left mouse button is pressed:
local Tool = script.Parent --make sure this is a Tool object
Tool.Equipped:Connect(function(Mouse)
Mouse.Button1Down:Connect(function()
print("Button1Down")
end)
end)
Developers can find out the position of the mouse in world-space, and if it is pointing at any BasePart, using the Mouse.Hit and Mouse.Target properties.
For information on how to obtain the mouse object, please see the Mouse page.
Note, developers are recommended to use UserInputService instead of the Mouse object in new work.
Code Samples
local Players = game:GetService("Players")
local localPlayer = Players.LocalPlayer
local backpack = localPlayer:WaitForChild("Backpack")
local tool = Instance.new("Tool")
tool.RequiresHandle = false
tool.CanBeDropped = false
tool.Parent = backpack
tool.Equipped:Connect(function(mouse)
mouse.Button1Down:Connect(function()
if mouse.Target and mouse.Target.Parent then
mouse.Target.BrickColor = BrickColor.random()
end
end)
end)
Button1Up
Fires when the left mouse button is released.
For information on how to obtain the Mouse object, please see the Mouse page.
Developers can find out the position of the mouse in world-space, and if it is pointing at any BasePart using the Mouse.Hit and Mouse.Target properties.
Note, developers are recommended to use UserInputService instead of the Mouse object in new work.
Code Samples
local Players = game:GetService("Players")
local player = Players.LocalPlayer
local mouse = player:GetMouse()
local target = nil
local function button1Down()
target = mouse.Target
end
local function button1Up()
if target == mouse.Target then
target.BrickColor = BrickColor.random()
end
end
mouse.Button1Down:Connect(button1Down)
mouse.Button1Up:Connect(button1Up)
Button2Down
The Button2Down even fires when the player presses their right mouse button.
This can also be accessed from a Tool. For example, when placed in a LocalScript, the code below prints Button2Down whenever the right mouse button is pressed:
local Tool = script.Parent --make sure this is a Tool object
Tool.Equipped:Connect(function(Mouse)
Mouse.Button2Down:Connect(function()
print("Button2Down")
end)
end).
Developers can find out the position of the mouse in world-space, and if it is pointing at any BasePart, using the Mouse.Hit and Mouse.Target properties.
For information on how to obtain the mouse object, please see the Mouse page.
Note, developers are recommended to use UserInputService instead of the Mouse object in new work.
Code Samples
local Players = game:GetService("Players")
local localPlayer = Players.LocalPlayer
local backpack = localPlayer:WaitForChild("Backpack")
local tool = Instance.new("Tool")
tool.RequiresHandle = false
tool.CanBeDropped = false
tool.Parent = backpack
tool.Equipped:Connect(function(mouse)
mouse.Button2Down:Connect(function()
if mouse.Target and mouse.Target.Parent then
mouse.Target.BrickColor = BrickColor.random()
end
end)
end)
Button2Up
Fired when the right mouse button is released.
mouse.Button2Up:Connect(function()
print("button 2 up!")
end
For information on how to obtain the Mouse object, please see the Mouse page.
Developers can find out the position of the mouse in world-space, and if it is pointing at any BasePart using the Mouse.Hit and Mouse.Target properties.
Note, developers are recommended to use UserInputService instead of the Mouse object in new work.
Code Samples
local Players = game:GetService("Players")
local mouse = Players.LocalPlayer:GetMouse()
local target = nil
mouse.Button2Down:Connect(function()
target = mouse.Target
end)
mouse.Button2Up:Connect(function()
if target == mouse.Target then
target.BrickColor = BrickColor.random()
end
end)
Idle
Fired during every heartbeat that the mouse isn't being passed to another mouse event.
Note, this event should not be used to determine when the mouse is still. As it fires every heartbeat it will fire between Mouse.Move events.
For information on how to obtain the Mouse object, please see the Mouse page.
Developers can find out the position of the mouse in world-space, and if it is pointing at any BasePart using the Mouse.Hit and Mouse.Target properties.
Note, developers are recommended to use UserInputService instead of the Mouse object in new work.
Code Samples
local Players = game:GetService("Players")
local RunService = game:GetService("RunService")
local player = Players.LocalPlayer
local mouse = player:GetMouse()
local events = {
"Button1Down",
"Button1Up",
"Button2Down",
"Button2Up",
"Idle",
"Move",
"WheelBackward",
"WheelForward",
"KeyDown",
"KeyUp",
}
local currentEvent
local frame = 0
local function processInput()
frame = frame + 1
print("Frame", frame, "- mouse event was passed to", currentEvent)
end
for _, event in pairs(events) do
mouse[event]:Connect(function()
currentEvent = event
end)
end
RunService:BindToRenderStep("ProcessInput", Enum.RenderPriority.Input.Value, processInput)
Move
Fired when the mouse is moved.
Note, this event is fired when the mouse's position is updated, therefore it will fire repeatedly while being moved.
For information on how to obtain the Mouse object, please see the Mouse page.
Developers can find out the position of the mouse in world-space, and if it is pointing at any BasePart using the Mouse.Hit and Mouse.Target properties.
mouse.Move:Connect(function()
local position = mouse.Hit.p
local target = mouse.Target
print(target, position)
end)
Note, developers are recommended to use UserInputService instead of the Mouse object in new work.
Code Samples
local Players = game:GetService("Players")
local player = Players.LocalPlayer
local mouse = player:GetMouse()
local point
local down
local function selectPart()
if mouse.Target and not mouse.Target.Locked then
point = mouse.Target
mouse.TargetFilter = point
down = true
end
end
local function movePart()
if down and point then
local posX, posY, posZ = mouse.Hit.X, mouse.Hit.Y, mouse.Hit.Z
point.Position = Vector3.new(posX, posY, posZ)
end
end
local function deselectPart()
down = false
point = nil
mouse.TargetFilter = nil
end
mouse.Button1Down:Connect(selectPart)
mouse.Button1Up:Connect(deselectPart)
mouse.Move:Connect(movePart)
WheelBackward
The WheelBackward event fires when the mouse wheel is scrolled backwards. Possible uses for this event include toggling a gun's scope in a first person shooter (FPS) or zooming the player's camera.
This can be used alongside the scrolling forward event, Mouse.WheelForward.
For information on how to obtain the Mouse object, please see the Mouse page.
Note, developers are recommended to use UserInputService instead of the Mouse object in new work.
Code Samples
local Players = game:GetService("Players")
local player = Players.LocalPlayer
local mouse = player:GetMouse()
local function onWheelBackward()
print("Wheel went backwards!")
end
mouse.WheelBackward:Connect(onWheelBackward)
WheelForward
The WheelForward event fires when the mouse wheel is scrolled forwards. Possible uses for this event include toggling a gun's scope in a first person shooter (FPS) or zooming the player's camera.
This can be used alongside the scrolling backward event, Mouse.WheelBackward.
For information on how to obtain the Mouse object, please see the Mouse page.
Note, developers are recommended to use UserInputService instead of the Mouse object in new work.
Code Samples
local Players = game:GetService("Players")
local player = Players.LocalPlayer
local mouse = player:GetMouse()
local function onWheelBackward()
print("Wheel went forward!")
end
mouse.WheelForward:Connect(onWheelBackward)