If you've just switched to the Mac, you may find yourself a bit confused by how the Mac's mice and trackpad work.
For instance, to bring up a traditional right-click menu or to drag-and-drop an item, you'll need a little know-how. Click the touchpad with two fingers to open the right-click menu. The two-finger tap doesn't seem to work and it doesn't seem to support touchpad scrolling, either. Also, simply tapping the touchpad only works for left click, you actually have to push down on the lower right corner to perform a right click.
The Mac famously doesn't come with a mouse or trackpad that has a distinct right mouse button, but that doesn't mean you can't right-click on the Mac. Whether you use the built-in trackpad on your Mac laptop, a Magic Trackpad, a Magic Mouse, or a third-party mouse that has a distinct right button (such as the Logitech MX Master 3), here's how to enable right-click menus on your Mac.
How to right click on Mac
Regardless of how your Mac is set up, holding down the control key on the keyboard and pressing your primary mouse or trackpad button will open a shortcut or contextual menu, providing the same functionality that most Windows switchers are accustomed to seeing from a right-click.
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If you have a third-party mouse that has a right physical button, macOS should recognize the button and map it accordingly after you plug in the mouse. If you like having a different button as your right-click, you can customize which button is primary — left or right — in the Mouse system preference pane.
- If the right-click button on your mouse or trackpad is broken, you can use the keyboard as a replacement. Just press and hold the 'Control' key (not to be confused with the Command key) while pressing the left-click button on the mouse to register as a right-click.
- The right click is the action of pressing the right button on a mouse or touchpad. When you right click on an item in Windows, it will usually open a context menu, drop menu, or jump list for additional options for that item.
- It's only the right click that doesn't function. Left click works no matter where I click on the touchpad. I will try doing a custom test with Dell diagnostics since the issue still occurs in safe mode. Edit: Okay I know for sure it isn't a hardware issue, I booted into a live install of Linux and the right clicking was working perfectly fine.
You may also want to check your third-party mouse maker's website for Mac drivers. Some of the better ones, like Logitech, offer very sophisticated tools for programming not only buttons, but other great functionality like optic tracking speed and acceleration, scroll wheel motion, chording, and more.
How to turn right click on for a Magic Trackpad or MacBook trackpad
- Launch System Preferences from the Dock or by clicking the Apple button in the top left corner and clicking System Preferences.
Click on the Trackpad icon.
Source: iMore
- Select the Point and Click tab.
Choose the checkbox next to Secondary click.
Source: iMore
Once it's activated, you'll be able to right-click by tapping the trackpad with two fingers simultaneously. You can change the preference to click in the bottom left or right corners if you prefer.
How to turn right click on for a Magic Mouse
- Launch System Preferences from the Dock or by clicking the Apple button in the top left corner and clicking System Preferences.
Click on Mouse.
Source: iMore
Click the checkbox next to Secondary click, and choose either 'click on the right side' or 'click on the left side', depending on your preference.
Source: iMore
In the market?
There are lots of awesome MacBooks available now! Check out our favorite models of the year.
Can't live without right click on Mac?
Do you prefer using a trackpad when you're on your MacBook, or do you opt for the Magic Mouse? Let us know in the comments below!
Updated November 2020: Updated for macOS Big Sur.
Summary :
How Do You Right Click On A Trackpad On A Pc
If your laptop has a mouse, you can right click on it very easily. However, sometimes, you need to right click on a laptop without using a mouse. In this case, you need to use the touchpad or keyboards to give a right click. In this post, MiniTool Partition Wizard shows you how to right click on a laptop with the touchpad or keyboards.
Quick Navigation :
In general, most laptops have a built-in touchpad, which can be regarded as a replacement of the mouse. How to get save the world on mobile. You can use the touchpad to perform various operations, including right click. Apart from the touchpad, some operating systems allow you to use keyboards to perform a right click.
However, different operating systems require different gestures or key combinations to give a right click. Here, I will show you how to right click without a mouse (mainly on Windows, Chrombook, and Mac).
This post introduces Windows 10 vs. macOS vs. Chrome OS from 4 factors. Students can pick one from them.
How to Right Click on Windows Laptops
If your laptop uses the Windows operating system, here are some touchpad gestures for you:
- Clicking: Tap the touchpad.
- Right-clicking: Tap the right touchpad button. (Usually, there are right and left buttons on the bottom of the touchpad. These two buttons are separated by a vertical dividing line.)
- Clicking and dragging: Press the left touchpad button and drag your finger on the touchpad to drag the document.
- Scrolling: Place two fingers on the touchpad and slide it horizontally or vertically.
Of course, you can also right click with keys. Here is the guide:
- Click Start.
- Type Mouse Keys.
- Click on Turn Mouse Keys on or Off. Then, you can move the cursor around using the numerical keypad buttons. Now, '/', '*' and '-' act as the mouse buttons. With '-' acting as the right mouse button.
Apart from the above methods, you can also right click on the laptop by pressing a key like the following picture:
Or, you can try pressing 'Shift + F10 How to make my photo file size smaller. ' to give a right click.
How to Right Click on a Mac
Mac laptops don't have a right-click button on the trackpad, but there are other approaches you can use. Here are two ways for you:
- Hold down the 'Control' key while clicking the trackpad.
- Click with two fingers rather than one to right-click or hold two fingers down on the trackpad and click with your thumb.
How Do You Right Click On A Touchpad Surface
MacOS also has the mouse key feature. You can activate it through the following steps:
- Click the Apple menu button.
- Choose System Preferences.
- Choose Accessibility.
- Now click Pointer Control.
- Click Alternative Control Methods.
- Activate Mouse Keys.
You can also activate this feature quickly and easily by using Option-Command-F5. After activating the mouse key, you can press 'Control + I/5' to perform a right-clicking.
How to Right Click on Chromebook
Chromebooks also come with a touchpad. With the touchpad, you can perform various operations, just like the follows:
Mouse Pad Right Click
- Clicking: Click or tap the bottom half of the touchpad.
- Right-clicking: Click or tap the touchpad with two fingers.
- Scrolling: Place two fingers on the touchpad, move your finger up or down to scroll vertically, or move your finger left or right to scroll horizontally
- Dragging and dropping: Tap and hold the item you want to move with one finger, then drag the item to a new location, and finally release your finger.