Master Mouse and Keyboard Automation with Python’s pynput Library

Overview

The pynput library lets you control and monitor input devices such as mouse and keyboard.

Sub‑packages

Each device type has its own sub‑package:

pynput.mouse – classes for controlling and monitoring the mouse or touchpad.

pynput.keyboard – classes for controlling and monitoring the keyboard.

Both sub‑packages are imported directly from pynput.

Controlling the Mouse

Example code (shown in the image) demonstrates how to move the cursor, click, and scroll using pynput.mouse.Controller.

Monitoring Mouse Events

Use pynput.mouse.Listener to listen for mouse events. The listener runs in a separate thread; callbacks execute in that thread. Calling Listener.stop(), raising StopException, or returning False from a callback stops the listener.

Controlling the Keyboard

Example code (image) shows how to type keys with pynput.keyboard.Controller.

Monitoring Keyboard Events

Use pynput.keyboard.Listener to capture keyboard events. Like the mouse listener, it runs in its own thread. It can be stopped via Listener.stop(), a StopException, or returning False. The callback receives a Key instance; printable keys appear as KeyCode objects, while unknown keys return None.