DragLock

DragLock is a tiny software application that gives you the possibility to temporarily restrict mouse movements to the vertical or horizontal axis while holding down a key or a combination of multiple keys which are available at a global level. It doesn't require installation.

Portable tool runs in the systray

Since it's wrapped in a portable package, you can drop the downloaded executable file in any part of the hard disk or on a removable storage unit, and directly run DragLock on any computer with minimum effort and no previous installers. It shouldn't make any modifications to the Windows registry.
Once launched, the utility creates an icon in the taskbar notifications area and sits there silently while providing you with global access to locking mouse movement. It doesn't show any balloon messages or play sound notifications, so it doesn't interrupt your regular PC activity.

Easily lock mouse movement

The main configuration panel is small and shows a predefined combination made from four keys. However, you can seamlessly change it into something else, just like editing lines of text in Windows Notepad.
When holding down the hotkeys, you can move the mouse horizontally or vertically to let DragLock know of the direction you want to be allowed too. From this point on, you'll not be able to return to the cursor's default movement scheme until releasing the hotkey. There are no other notable options available.

Evaluation and conclusion

The software tool worked well in our tests, without triggering the operating system to hang, crash or prompt error dialogs. As we expected, it had minimal impact on computer performance, running on low CPU and RAM. On the other hand, the interface and options make DragLock look like an unfinished project. You can test it for yourself, though, since it's free.