Support mouse side buttons

Last published : Oct 16, 2026
Related information
Keyboard, mouse and trackpad

Overview

Some mouse devices have two side buttons that can be clicked by thumb.
They are recognized as ‘button 4’ and ‘button 5’ if connected to a Mac device.
In remote Citrix VDA for macOS sessions, these two buttons are now supported, they also work as ‘button 4’ and ‘button 5’, some applications can utilize these buttons by default, check those applications’ manual for how-to.
The mouse side buttons offer more functionality for users, enhancing productivity and streamlining interactions.
In Citrix VDA for macOS sessions, these buttons can be customized to support various tasks, within the hosting macOS system.

Features

Location: Side buttons are usually on the left side of the mouse, accessible by the thumb.
Functionality: Depends on application support, these buttons can be configured to perform specific actions to navigate backward or forward in a web browser, run macros, or trigger custom commands.
Example like:

Basic Navigation

Back and Forward Navigation:
Also known as the fourth and fifth button, most commonly configured to move forward and backward in the web browsers.
Back Button:
Navigate to the previous page or item within supported applications.
Forward Button:
Move to the next page or item in supported applications.

Custom Commands

Application-Specific Functions Users can assign custom commands to side buttons for applications running within Citrix VDA for macOS, such as opening files or running specific tasks.