People use auto clickers for two very different jobs. One is repetitive clicking: a button that needs pressing every few seconds for an hour, a form that needs the same spot tapped over and over. The other is presence: keeping a computer active so it doesn't lock and so Slack or Teams keeps showing you as there. The setup is the same for both, which is why this guide works for either.
Step 1: get one and install it
On a Mac, download the app, open the .dmg, drag the app into Applications and launch it from there. If you get a message that the app is "damaged" or can't be opened, you downloaded something that isn't signed; Green Dotter is notarised by Apple, so you shouldn't see that one.
On Windows, run the installer. If it's a direct download rather than a Microsoft Store app, SmartScreen will probably show "Windows protected your PC". That appears for any small program that isn't code-signed, which includes Green Dotter's direct download. Click More info, then Run anyway. If you'd rather skip that step entirely, install it from the Microsoft Store instead; the Store build is signed and updates itself. Green Dotter installs for your user account, so you don't need admin rights.
Step 2 (Mac only): allow Accessibility
This is the step where most people give up, and it's fine. macOS doesn't let any software move your mouse or press keys until you've personally allowed it. On a Mac without the permission, a banner at the bottom of the window says so as soon as the app opens, with an Open Settings button that takes you straight there, and Start stays blocked until it's granted. Then:
- Open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Accessibility.
- Find the app in the list and switch it on. If it isn't there, press the plus button and add it from Applications.
- Quit the app and open it again. macOS sometimes hangs on to the old permission state until a fresh launch.
You do this once. It survives restarts and updates. Every auto clicker, macro tool and remote-control app on a Mac walks through the same door, so the prompt isn't a sign that anything is wrong with the app. There's a longer explanation in why auto clickers need Accessibility permission on Mac. Windows needs nothing: clicking works from the first launch.
Step 3: choose where it clicks
A decent auto clicker lets you pick the target rather than just clicking wherever the cursor happens to be. In Green Dotter there are two ways:
- One exact spot. Press Pick the spot, click the thing you want pressed, confirm. Every click lands on that pixel. Use this for a specific button.
- A random spot in an area. Press Select target area, drag a box over a harmless part of the screen, confirm. Each click lands somewhere different inside the box, never outside it. Use this for presence, where you want activity but you don't want anything in particular pressed.
Choosing the area well is the single most important bit of the setup. How to choose a safe area for an auto clicker goes through what makes a good one (an empty bit of desktop, the body of a document you're not editing) and what doesn't (anywhere near Send).
Step 4: set the interval
The interval is the gap between clicks. Most clickers take one number; the better ones take a minimum and a maximum and pick a random wait in between, which is what Green Dotter does under "Click every". A random gap is kinder on whatever you're clicking and looks less like a machine.
Sensible starting points: for keeping a computer active, something like 30 to 120 seconds, since idle timers are measured in minutes. For a repetitive task, whatever the task needs, down to a couple of seconds. If the words "minimum" and "maximum" are the bit that's confusing, what does click interval mean? is a plain explanation.
Step 5: decide when it stops
Set this before you press Start, not after. Green Dotter gives you three stop conditions: after a number of clicks, after a duration, or at a time of day. "Stop at 17:30" is the one that saves you from the classic mistake of leaving a clicker running overnight. If you'd rather just run it until you come back, set a long duration anyway; an auto clicker with no end is a small liability.
Step 6: start, and know how to stop
Press Start. The app runs in the background, counting down to the next click. To stop it, press Stop in the app, or the emergency stop key from anywhere: in Green Dotter that's F8, or ⌘⇧. on a Mac and Ctrl+Shift+. on Windows, and it works even when the app isn't the one in front. Worth pressing once, deliberately, just to see it work before you rely on it.
Green Dotter also pauses on its own the moment you touch the mouse and resumes after a few seconds of quiet, so you can come back to the machine without the cursor fighting you. If you'd rather it kept the screen on as well, there's a Keep awake toggle in the System section.
What an auto clicker won't do
It clicks the mouse. It doesn't press keys, so it can't type a password or hit Enter. It isn't a macro recorder, so it won't replay a sequence of clicks in different places. And Green Dotter in particular clicks at human speed, not hundreds of times a second, so it's no use for click-speed games, and plenty of games ban automation outright anyway. If you want movement without any clicking, switch to Wiggle only and skip steps 3 to 5 entirely; it just moves the mouse the way a hand does, for as long as you say.
And if it's a work computer: read your IT policy before installing anything, auto clicker or otherwise. Being allowed to is the part no setup guide can do for you.
FAQ
How do I get an auto clicker on a Mac?
Download one built for macOS, drag it into Applications, open it, and allow it under System Settings, Privacy and Security, Accessibility when macOS asks. Every auto clicker on a Mac needs that permission, because it is the gate Apple puts on any software that sends mouse input. Green Dotter is a free one that runs on macOS 11 or later, Intel and Apple Silicon.
Why does my auto clicker do nothing on a Mac?
Almost always the Accessibility permission. Open System Settings, Privacy and Security, Accessibility, make sure the app is in the list and switched on, then quit and relaunch it. macOS sometimes keeps the old permission state until a fresh launch.
How do I turn off an auto clicker?
Press its stop button, or its emergency stop key from any app. In Green Dotter that is F8, or Command Shift full stop on a Mac and Ctrl Shift full stop on Windows, and it works even when the app is in the background. A good auto clicker also pauses by itself the moment you move the mouse.
Can I use an auto clicker in games?
You can, but check the game's rules first, because many treat any automation as cheating. Green Dotter is not built for games: it clicks at human speed on a random timer, not hundreds of times a second, and it does not record macros.
Is it safe to install a free auto clicker?
Some are, some are not. Download from the maker's own site or an official store, avoid installers that bundle extras, and read what the app sends. Green Dotter is notarised by Apple on Mac, on the Microsoft Store on Windows, and sends only anonymous usage stats.
A note on workplace policies: how you handle presence depends on your role, your tools, and your employer's policies. Before relying on any presence or automation tool, make sure you understand what is allowed on your work device.
Related: download the Mac auto clicker or the Windows auto clicker.