• 2 min read
Neverclick turns keyboard shortcuts into mouse clicks
Neverclick uses a lightweight vision model to click anything on a Windows screen from the keyboard, avoiding accessibility APIs and running offline.
Image: The Register
A new Windows utility called Neverclick wants to make the mouse optional. Built by developer Lazo Velko, the app lets users trigger mouse actions on nearly any on-screen element using only keyboard shortcuts, relying on a lightweight computer vision system instead of Windows accessibility APIs.
Velko says he created Neverclick after dealing with a repetitive strain injury that made mouse use difficult.
“I recovered years ago, and I owe it to this software. I still use Neverclick every day and can’t imagine using my computer without it.”
The app is free, works entirely offline, requires no account, shows no ads, and does not collect user data, according to its GitHub readme. The repository is currently only for issue reporting and does not include the full source code.
Instead of depending on accessibility hooks, Neverclick analyzes raw screen pixels to identify interface elements. In a Hacker News comment, Velko said accessibility APIs had been “clunky, slow, and unpredictable,” and argued that computer vision avoids those issues. He also told The Register that he built the vision system himself without third-party libraries.
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On performance, Velko said the entire app needs about 40 MB of storage and typically uses around 200 MB of memory on a 1080p display, though that varies with resolution and other factors. It also does not run continuously, so it should not use CPU unless invoked.
In testing, The Register said pressing Ctrl + Enter for a left click or Alt + Enter for Ctrl + Left Click brings up an overlay of two-letter “hints” across the screen. Typing a hint clicks that exact spot — on a button, a menu item, or even the middle of a word. For text, users can press a number such as 0 to target a specific letter. The app also supports switching windows and can show hints either in the active window or across the full screen.
The Register’s main complaint was usability: the hint overlay can obscure the interface so heavily that menus and icons become hard to read, and dismissing it requires a click. It also found that Neverclick’s default Ctrl + Enter shortcut overrides the same shortcut in other apps, such as Gmail, where it normally sends an email.
Some features are still missing. Drag and drop and text highlighting do not work yet, though Velko said both are planned, along with window dragging via two selected hints. Neverclick is currently Windows-only. A macOS version is in development, but Velko told The Register he does not yet have a timeline because he is still focused on adding Windows features.
Computing Editor
Tomas lives in the terminal. He covers chips, laptops, and operating systems with a focus on performance and efficiency. He reads kernel changelogs the way other people read fiction, and he's always on the hunt for the perfect mechanical keyboard switch. If it processes data, Tomas has an opinion on it.
via The Register
