Move Mouse App: Download, Settings and Alternatives

Move Mouse is a free Windows app that simulates user activity. By default it moves your mouse pointer every 30 seconds, so Windows does not lock the session or go to sleep. It is open source under GPL-3.0, written by Steve Williams, and available from the Microsoft Store or the sw3103/movemouse project on GitHub. Besides moving the pointer, it can click, scroll, run PowerShell scripts, pause while you work, and follow a schedule. There is no Mac version.

Move Mouse keeps Microsoft Teams green, because Teams counts input anywhere on the computer. 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 pointer moving over other apps keeps it green too.

Move Mouse app download

Get Move Mouse from one of two places:

• • Microsoft Store. Search for "Move Mouse" and check that the publisher is Steve Williams. Store apps install without admin rights on most PCs.
• • GitHub. The source and releases are at github.com/sw3103/movemouse. The developer's own domain, movemouse.co.uk, points there.

You can also install the Store version from a terminal with winget:

winget install --id 9NQ4QL59XLBF --source msstore

Several sites with "move mouse" in the domain name offer their own download buttons. They are not run by the developer. Avoid them, because a keep-awake app runs all day with access to your input.

On a company PC, the Store may be blocked or the install may be reported to IT. Check your policy first.

How the Move Mouse app works

Click the Move Mouse window to start it. Its outer ring turns green and a 30-second countdown begins. When the countdown ends, Move Mouse runs its Actions, which by default is a small pointer move, and starts the countdown again. Each action sends real input to Windows, which resets the session idle time. That is what stops the screen lock, the screensaver and sleep. Click the window again, or double-click the tray icon, to stop it.

The ring color tells you what it is doing. From the project wiki: blue is idle, green is running, red is performing actions, yellow is paused because it saw you working, purple is sleeping during a blackout window, and orange is paused on battery.

Move Mouse settings worth changing



Open the settings with the gear icon, or right-click the window.

• • Stealth. In the Move Mouse Cursor action, Stealth sets the direction to None. The wiki says the pointer "does not visibly move on screen, although it will still reset the session idle time". Turn it on if you work while Move Mouse runs.
• • Automatically stop or pause when user activity is detected. Under Behaviour. Move Mouse stops while you use the mouse or keyboard, so it does not pull the pointer away from you.
• • Repeat randomly. Also under Behaviour. A random interval between a lower and upper value avoids a movement on the dot every 30 seconds.
• • Schedules and Blackouts. Start and stop at set times, for example 09:00 to 18:00, and skip windows such as lunch.
• • Pause on battery. Saves the battery on a laptop.
• • Extra actions. Click, scroll, move to a screen position, bring an app to the front, run a command, or run a PowerShell script. Clicks are risky: a click at the wrong moment can press a button in whatever app is in front.

Does Move Mouse keep Teams and Slack active?



App	What Move Mouse does for it	Why
Microsoft Teams	Keeps you Available while the PC is unlocked	Teams sets Away after about 5 minutes with no input anywhere on the PC
Slack	Keeps the desktop app active while unlocked	The desktop app counts input anywhere on the computer, and sets away 10 minutes after the last one
Zoom, Webex	Similar to Teams	They read system idle time

Move Mouse cannot help once the screen is locked by a policy that ignores input, or when the lid is closed and the PC sleeps. Teams sets Away on lock and Offline on sleep. How Slack decides is in how Slack decides when you are away.

Move Mouse app not working

• The ring is yellow. Move Mouse paused because it saw your input. It resumes after the time set under Behaviour.

• The ring is purple or orange. A blackout window is active, or the laptop is on battery with pause on battery turned on.

• The PC still locks. Some company policies lock the screen on a fixed timer, and some remote desktop sessions ignore input from inside the session. Move Mouse cannot change either.

• Teams still goes Away. Check that Teams on another device, such as your phone, is not setting your status. See Teams status stuck on Away.

• Slack still goes away. Check that the screen did not lock and that Slack runs as the desktop app, not only in a browser tab.

• The app does not start on sign-in. Turn on the start-up option in the settings, or add it to your Start-up apps in Windows Settings.

Can IT detect the Move Mouse app?

Yes, on a managed PC. Move Mouse is an installed app with its own process, so software inventory and endpoint tools can list it. Windows marks simulated input as injected, and monitoring tools such as Hubstaff keep lists of "time fraud" apps and flag input that looks automated. Details are in can a mouse jiggler be detected and can Hubstaff detect a mouse jiggler. A physical mouse mover leaves no process or device; the trade-offs are in mouse mover vs mouse jiggler.

Move Mouse app alternatives, including Mac

• Mouse Jiggler (Arkane Systems) for Windows, also free and open source, with a Zen mode that moves no pointer. See mouse jiggler for Windows.

• Jiggler for Mac. There is no Move Mouse app for Mac; Jiggler is the closest free choice. See mouse jiggler for Mac.

• A USB jiggler, which needs no install and shows up as a mouse. Compared in the best mouse jiggler.

• Keep-awake only: PowerToys Awake on Windows or caffeinate on Mac stop sleep, but send no input, so Teams and Slack still go Away.

• For Slack: the desktop app counts a jiggler wherever the pointer is; the timer rules are in how long does Slack stay active.

FAQ

Is the Move Mouse app free?

Yes. It is free and open source under GPL-3.0, from the Microsoft Store or GitHub.

Is the Move Mouse app safe?

The Store and GitHub versions from Steve Williams are the original project. Avoid third-party download sites.

Is there a Move Mouse app for Mac?

No. Use Jiggler, a Mac App Store jiggler, or a USB jiggler.

How does the Move Mouse app work?

It moves, clicks or scrolls on a timer, 30 seconds by default. Windows counts that as input and does not lock or sleep.

Does Move Mouse keep Slack active?

Yes for the Slack desktop app, while the computer is awake and unlocked; not through sleep, a lock, a closed lid or on your phone. Slack ignores input in other apps.