The Mouse Port

Like keyboards, mice come in an array of sizes and shapes, and they use a variety of connectors to attach to the PC. All mice enable you to manipulate the Operating system (OS) and applications.

Traditionally, mice plugged into one of the serial ports on the back of the PC, but most motherboards today have a dedicated mini-DIN mouse port. Aside from color, the green mouse port appears identical to the purple PS/2 keyboard port, but they’re not interchangeable.

You can plug a PS/2 mouse connector into a PS/2 keyboard port, and vice versa, but they won’t work. Mice go into mouse ports—keyboards go into keyboard ports. Some portable computers have a single black or gray mini-DIN port that can handle both a mouse and a keyboard (though obviously not at the same time!)