Keyboard shortcuts: 847 combinations to memorize. Mouse gestures: just wiggle.
Hold right-click, draw a direction, done. Navigate backward, comment code, close tabs — no cheat sheet required.
Your mouse called. It wants more responsibility.
The Problem
We all know the drill. You're deep in the zone, reading through code, and you want to navigate back. Do you reach for Alt+Left? Or was it Ctrl+-? Or maybe it's buried in some menu you haven't opened in months?
I kept losing my flow state just to remember which shortcut does what. So I built something different.
What I Built
Mouse Gestures for Visual Studio lets you execute any VS command by holding the right mouse button and drawing a simple pattern.
- Hold right mouse button
- Draw a gesture (←, →, ↑, ↓, or combinations)
- Release — command fires instantly
No memorizing. No menus. Your hand is already on the mouse anyway.
Default Gestures Out of the Box
| Gesture | Action |
|---|---|
| ← Left | Navigate Backward |
| → Right | Navigate Forward |
| ↑ Up | Uncomment Selection |
| ↓ Down | Comment Selection |
| ↓→ Down-Right | Close Document |
Fully Customizable
Don't like the defaults? Open Tools → Mouse Gesture Settings and:
- Record any pattern you want
- Map it to any of hundreds of Visual Studio commands
- Enable/disable gestures individually
Why Not Just Learn the Shortcuts?
Shortcuts are great — I still use them. But mouse gestures have one advantage: they're spatial and directional, which makes them stick in muscle memory differently. "Swipe left to go back" just makes sense in a way that Alt+Left doesn't.
Also — during presentations and pair programming, it looks pretty cool.
Try It
🔗 Visual Studio Marketplace
🐙 GitHub
Would love to hear what gestures you'd map — drop a comment below!