The Best Mouse Jiggler for Remote Work, by Type

The best mouse jiggler depends on whose computer it is. On your own computer, use a free app: Mouse Jiggler by Arkane Systems on Windows, or Jiggler by Stick Software on a Mac. On a personal laptop where you cannot install software, a plug-and-play USB dongle for $8 to $25 does the job. On a company laptop, the choice most people land on is a mechanical mover, a small turntable that moves your real mouse, because nothing connects to the computer. All of them need the computer on and unlocked.

For Slack, the rule is the lock, not the cursor. The Slack desktop app counts keyboard and mouse input anywhere on the computer (Slack desktop 4.52.178 code, checked 7 Oct 2026), so a jiggler keeps your Slack dot green wherever the cursor sits, while the computer is awake and unlocked (on a Mac, test a software jiggler first; the Slack section below says why). If a green Slack dot is the whole goal, the end of this page covers a way to keep it green with nothing plugged in or installed.

Mouse jiggler types compared

Prices are typical ranges from current buying guides and retailer listings. They change often, so check the listing before you buy. If you are weighing a jiggler against an auto clicker, auto clicker vs mouse jiggler covers why clicks are the riskier choice. If a listing says "mouse mover" and you are not sure which kind it is, mouse mover vs mouse jiggler shows how to tell from the description. New to the idea? What is a mouse jiggler explains the idle timer each type resets.

Best free mouse jiggler: a software app

A software jiggler is an app that moves the pointer with system calls. It costs nothing and it is the easiest to start and stop. It is also the easiest to find: it runs as a process, and on Windows its movement carries an "injected" flag that monitoring agents can read.

Windows: Mouse Jiggler by Arkane Systems. Free and open source on GitHub. Install it with one command:

winget install ArkaneSystems.MouseJiggler

Then start it jiggling and minimised, every 60 seconds:

MouseJiggler -j -m -s 60

It pauses when you move the mouse yourself. Its Zen mode fakes input without moving the pointer; it still resets the Windows idle time the Slack desktop app reads, but we have not timed it, so Normal mode is the safe choice for Slack. Its own README says it "is easily detectable by any decent monitoring software." Every mode and flag is in mouse jiggler for Windows. If you want schedules, random intervals and a Microsoft Store install, the Move Mouse app is the other free Windows choice. Microsoft Defender flagged it as a trojan in 2025, which on a work laptop alerts IT; see are mouse jigglers safe.

Mac: Jiggler by Stick Software. Free and open source. Install it with Homebrew:

brew install --cask jiggler

It needs Accessibility permission, which macOS lists in System Settings under Privacy & Security, and which MDM tools can report. It can jiggle only after the Mac has been idle for a set time. The Mac App Store alternatives are in mouse jiggler for Mac.

No install allowed. A PowerShell script or an Office macro can move the pointer or press a harmless key on a locked-down PC. See keep your computer awake with PowerShell and keep your computer awake without admin rights.

A keep-awake app is not a jiggler. caffeinate, Amphetamine and PowerToys Awake stop sleep, but they move nothing, so apps that watch input still mark you idle. We tested that in does Caffeine keep Slack active.

Best USB mouse jiggler: a plug-and-play dongle

A USB jiggler tells the computer it is a mouse and moves the pointer by a few pixels on a timer. No software, no drivers, no admin rights. Most have an on/off switch and two or three modes. Vaydeer is the brand with the most reviews in this category, and many no-name dongles use the same design.

What to look for:

• • An on/off switch. Cheap models without one must be unplugged to stop.
• • The right port. Most are USB-A. A USB-C laptop needs a C model or an adapter.
• • An invisible mode. Some move the pointer by one pixel, so it does not wander across your screen while you read.

The downside is the device log. The computer now has a second mouse, and a managed laptop reports new devices to IT. Sellers call some models "undetectable" because they copy the vendor ID of a common mouse maker. That hides the name. It does not hide that a device was plugged in. The IT side is in can a mouse jiggler be detected.

If you would rather not carry a second device, some wireless mice have the jiggler built in; see wireless mouse with a jiggler.

Best undetectable mouse jiggler: a mechanical mover

A mechanical mover is a small platform that turns or nudges your real mouse. It plugs into a wall socket or a power strip, not the computer. The computer sees normal input from a normal mouse, so there is no new device, no process and no injected flag. This is the answer that comes up most in the r/overemployed thread on "best undetectable mouse jiggler": plug it into power, never into the work computer.

It still has limits:

• • The pattern. The mouse moves in the same small circle every few seconds, and the keyboard is silent for hours. Monitoring software that scores activity can flag that.
• • It needs an optical mouse on it all day. A laptop trackpad does not work with it.
• • No schedule. You switch it on and off by hand.

Programmable dongles sit between the two. They add schedules, random movement and sometimes keystrokes, at two to three times the price of a basic dongle. They still connect to the computer as a USB device. You can also make one: a $5 Arduino Pro Micro or Raspberry Pi Pico runs as a USB jiggler with about 10 lines of code, shown in DIY mouse jiggler.

What a mouse jiggler does for Slack and Teams

Most people buy a jiggler to keep a chat app green. The same device gives two different results.

Microsoft Teams reads the system idle time. Any jiggler that keeps Windows from counting you idle keeps Teams available, with the pointer anywhere on screen. Details in how long before Teams shows away.

Slack's desktop app also counts input anywhere on the computer (Slack desktop 4.52.178 code, checked 7 Oct 2026). So a USB or mechanical jiggler keeps the Slack desktop app active wherever the pointer sits, while the screen stays unlocked and the computer awake; not through sleep, a lock, a closed lid or on your phone. With no input at all, Slack's help says you go away after 10 minutes. One exception on a Mac: the app reads macOS's CGEventSource idle counter, and in our 4 October test a software jiggler's posted moves did not reset it, so test a Mac jiggler app against your dot first; see mouse jiggler for Mac. We explain the rule in does Slack track mouse movement and the timer in how long does Slack stay active.

Every jiggler also stops at the lid. Close the laptop, or let the screen lock, and both apps set you away.

Which mouse jiggler should you buy?

• Your own computer, no monitoring. A free app. Mouse Jiggler on Windows, Jiggler on a Mac.

• Personal laptop, you cannot install software. A USB dongle with an on/off switch.

• Company laptop. A mechanical mover plugged into a power strip, and read are mouse jigglers legal and your employer's policy first. In 2024 Wells Fargo fired more than a dozen employees after it found "simulation of keyboard activity."

• You only care about the Slack dot. You may not need a jiggler at all.

A mouse jiggler alternative for Slack

A jiggler makes the computer look busy so that Slack sees input, and it stops when the laptop sleeps or locks. Slack Green keeps you active while the computer is off, asleep, locked or closed, with no software or hardware on the computer.

Idle Pilot is another cloud tool that does this for Slack or Teams; see how two cloud presence tools compare. The full head-to-head with a jiggler is in a server-side presence tool vs a mouse jiggler, and every other method is compared in how to keep Slack active. Browser-based jigglers are a separate case: a jiggler in a browser tab moves nothing on the computer, so it does not keep the Slack desktop app active.

FAQ

Is a USB or software mouse jiggler better?

A software jiggler is free and easy to control, and it is the easiest to detect. A USB jiggler needs no install and leaves a device record instead of a process. A mechanical mover leaves neither.

Is there an undetectable mouse jiggler?

No type hides the activity pattern. A mechanical mover leaves no device or process on the computer, which is why people call it undetectable. Monitoring software that looks at behavior can still flag a pointer that moves on a timer with no typing.

Are USB mouse jigglers detectable?

Yes, on a managed laptop. A USB mouse jiggler connects as a second mouse, and the device log records it with its vendor and product ID. Models sold as undetectable copy the ID of a common mouse maker, which hides the brand name but not the new device. Details are in can a mouse jiggler be detected.

Does a mouse jiggler keep Slack active?

Yes for the Slack desktop app, while the screen is unlocked and the computer awake. The Slack desktop app counts keyboard and mouse input anywhere on the computer (Slack desktop 4.52.178 code, checked 7 Oct 2026).