Navigate with the mouse
To begin exploring with your mouse, move it so you see the cursor in the middle of the map display. Click the left or the right mouse button and see what happens. As you'll see in the listing below, if your device has a middle button or depressible scroll wheel, it can be used to enhance the navigation experience. Some mouse actions can be combined with key presses on the keyboard.
Using the mouse to navigate offers the most flexibility. You can zoom to a specific area by pressing and holding the mouse button while dragging a rectangle on the map; there is no equivalent to this by using the Navigator or keyboard.
You can also use the Zoom to Rectangle button 
to zoom in, by clicking the button and then dragging a rectangle with the mouse on the map, defining the area you want to zoom to.
In order to | Mouse button | Use the mouse like this |
|---|---|---|
Move or pan the map |
| Click the left mouse button and drag the map in the direction you want to move it |
Zoom in to a specific area on the map |
| Hold down the Shift key and then click and drag a rectangle with the left mouse button that designates the area of interest |
Zoom in on the map at the location of the cursor |
| Double-click the left mouse button on the point of interest |
Zoom in on the map at the location of the cursor |
| Roll the mouse wheel forward, or away from you, to zoom in on the map at the location of the mouse cursor. Each click of the wheel will zoom in approximately 75 percent of the current map scale |
Zoom out from the map at the location of the cursor |
| Roll the mouse wheel backward, or toward you, to zoom out on the map at the location of the mouse cursor. Each click of the wheel will zoom out approximately 75 percent of the current map scale |
Explorer Online wraps the map across the international dateline so you can pan continuously across the world.
You can also use the Navigator or the keyboard to navigate, depending on your preferences: