The dial controls an angle. The figure below shows a dial on a window background.
To operate a dial mouse down over the dial and drag the mouse. The angle indicator will rotate to follow the cursor and the angle value will show in the Cursor Aide. If you press the alternate key then the dial indicator moves in 45 degrees increments. If you press the control key then the dial indicator moves in 5 degree increments. By moving the cursor way from the dial center, while the mouse is down and the dial is active, you gain more angle resolution because the "lever" is longer so you must move the cursor more to affect a change in the angle. Thus, while the dial is being used, it is perfectly valid to move the cursor as far away from the dial as needed, even outside the control's display area.
| Key Modifier | Mouse Drag Description |
| None | Rotates by one degree |
| Alt | Rotates by 45 degrees |
| Control | Rotates by five degrees |
| Shift-Control | Rotates by ten degrees |
If you mouse click the dial then that dial is active and then you can use the arrow keys to affect a change in the angle. Left arrow rotates clockwise by one degree, right arrow rotates counter-clockwise by one degree, up arrow rotates counter-clockwise by five degrees, down arrow rotates clockwise by five degrees. If you depress the shift-key then that multiplies the resolution by five, while the alt-key multiplies the resolution by two.
For more control, a dial is often accompanied by a stepper control which brings forward a Number Selector. The number selector can be used to enter any angle in degrees.
The dial is used to specify angles for rotation in the Graphics and 3D Graph inspector editors, wedge angle in the Circle inspector editor and angles in other inspector editors. The angle unit is always in degrees.