Hi All, I have a Logitech G613 keyboard and M720 triathlon mouse. I have been prompted by Logitech to install their software to gain full use of the keyboard and mouse (Logitech specific buttons and hot keys). Does anyone have Logitech software installed on their Mac? Is it interfering with any other software?
Thanks!
I assume this is the Logitech “Options” or “Logi Options” software? I recently went through this same concerns, and I can say that I haven’t had any issues with it, and you don’t have to keep it running to get the benefits of it.
YMMV, of course, but it hasn’t been a problem IME.
Yep same here. Have it installed for my MX Master 3 mouse and no problems at all. I’d say go for it!
The Logi Options app does seem pretty solid and it gets updated regularly - actually almost annoyingly frequent updates (which require you to uncheck sending analytics every time even though it was unchecked pre-upgrade).
I did run into problems when running Options alongside Karabiner Elements (my primary use: make Caps Lock a “hyper key”).
While the hyper key remap worked fine, many of the other special function keys (brightness, media control, etc.) were scrambled. Using the built-in Karabiner utilities it looked like the Logitech was outputting some non-standard codes. Not sure if that was due to a conflict between the two apps or what but those keys worked better, though not 100%, when Options wasn’t installed. (Hard to give up the hyper key once you’ve used it for a bit!)
If you don’t need to use Karabiner, then ignore this post!
Are there any advantages or disadvantages compared to SteerMouse?
I started using SteerMouse a long time ago when there wasn’t another way to properly use a non-Apple mouse on a Mac and/or the Logitech software was still pretty bad.
I’ve been using Options for several years now, and it seems pretty dependable and useful. No impact on anything else.
If the included Logitech software finally works without freezing, or causing skips or kernel panics - all things it did for over a decade - then I congratulate them for finally getting their act together. But I used Logitech MX Master mice for many, many years before going Magic Trackpad, and the Logitech Control Center software was always problematic. That’s why alternative drivers like Steermouse and USB Overdrive exist. When I used Logitech mice I ended up managing all the gesture buttons and wheel controls with Steermouse, and I liked additional unique features like being able to snap the cursor to specific areas (eg close button), and you could make fine-grained adjustments to scroll speed and acceleration
http://plentycom.jp/en/steermouse/
We talked about it in this discussion.
Thanks for the response. I believe this software is called “G-Hub” but that may just be for this keyboard because it is a “G-Series”. I assume that it ties into their other software as well. I got a gaming keyboard for the mechanical switches and extra programmable buttons. Most of the feedback seems positive so I will give this software a try.
Thank you everyone for the feedback. Hopefully the concerns that @bowline mentioned have been resolved by Logitech. If they have not, does simply removing the software fix the issues if they arise?
When I last tried using the Logitech software in maybe 3-4 years ago the software included a separate LCC Uninstaller app.
Logi Options has worked consistently well for me.
It’s worth noting that a Logi Options Uninstaller app is automatically installed in the /Applications/Utilities/ folder, providing an easy way to uninstall Logi Options if you no longer need it in the future.
Ok so I am not sure whether I jinxed myself, but less than 48 hours after responding to this post I started to have MX Master 3 problems. The scroll wheel would just stop working after a few scrolls, as would the Forward/Back buttons on the side. Turning the device off and on would resolve the issue for a short time only.
After uninstalling the Logi Options software (more specifically the Logi Daemon I guess), everything would work again just fine, however the scroll speed was way too fast and couldn’t be slowed down enough by the native macOS mouse configuration.
So a few days ago I took @bowline’s advice and installed Steermouse and haven’t looked back. It’s been working flawlessly and I too love the control and config it gives you.
Of course, Logi Options was working great for me for a while too, so let’s see what happens. Any more problems and I figure it must be my mouse hardware 
My MX Master 3 for Mac intermittently makes my built-in trackpad on my 2020 MacBook Pro running Catalina freeze. I can’t do a thing unless I use the MX Master. I am so disappointed…why can’t they get this right? I guess I will try Steermouse. Thanks!
(Not so much for the original poster, who answered this question, but for others.) Which device do you have, and how advanced is your usage? If the device does what you want without the Logitech software, then don’t install it.
I’m personally a fan of simplicity with my mouse. I’ve tried a bunch, and really like the Logitech M557, for the way it feels in my hand. (Long-term chronic tendonitis sufferer here.)
It has more buttons/functions than I want to use, myself. Regular click, right/Control-click, and the scroll wheel all work without the Logitech software. So I’ve never installed it.
There’s another button (with an icon that looks like the Windows logo), and the scroll wheel can also be pushed side-to-side for side scrolling (I guess). I don’t use either of those, they would cramp my fingers if I used them regularly. Might work without the Logitech software, might not.
For more advanced features, there are other tools. StreamDeck if you want special buttons, Keyboard Maestro if fn- or combo-keys are good enough, and so on. Maybe one of those will work better for you than the Logitech software. If you’re looking to avoid it, for any reason, or no reason at all.
I have been using MX Master 3 with my 16" 2019 MacBook Pro for around 14 months with the Options software. Catalina and now Big Sur.
Never seen that issue that you describe whatsoever. Maybe some underlying issue on your MacBook. Check their forums and try their support.
I have had other connection issues occasionally, but nothing making me want to scrap their Options software.
Quick update:
I installed the Logitech “G-hub” software for the new Big Sur update. This is Logitech’s gaming software but I purchased a g-series for the mechanical keyboard not for the gaming aspect. The software asked permission to record my screen in Big Sur. I did not allow access and the software is basically nonfunctional without the access. They did not provide any explanation to their need to record my screen. The Logitech forums did not have anything nice to say about this software and frankly made me more concerned. I’m not letting the software launch now and will most likely remove the software in the future. I only wanted to use this software for the Logitech specific buttons on my keyboard. I tried a free better touch tool software trial but it reads the Logitech specific keys as “function” keys instead of unique keys. The g613 is a well made product but I would’ve gotten a smaller keyboard if I would’ve known the sacrifices I would need to make to use the extra keys.
Just an FYI to those interested.
This might be another case of macOS warnings making things sound worse than they actually are. Screen recording just means it needs to see what is on your screen for some function it does. Logitech could of course explain it, but that won’t happen. I have seen a couple of small developer apps explain why they need permission and it’s always some little thing sounds worse than it is in Apple’s warnings.
On the other hand, a big corporation could be getting all the info they can about you and selling it…
