How to right-click on a Mac
We’ll show you how to right-click on a Mac so you can shake things up
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• System:macOS• Tools:A working mouse• Skill level:Beginner
If you don’t know how to right-click on a Mac, you’re not alone. Back in the olden days ofApplecomputers, the idea of a separate right-click mouse button would have been strange given the simplicity of the graphical interface, but we’ve come a long way since then. Unfortunately, Apple has not, at least not directly.
Itsbest mouse, the Magic Mouse, only has one button, and there’s no real obvious way to perform a right-click on macOS. Even the best MacBooks only have a left-click function built into the trackpad.
You’d be forgiven if you thought it just wasn’t an option on Macs, but you’d be wrong. It’s easy to learn how to right-click on a Mac, and I’ll walk you through all the different ways you can do so and take advantage of macOS’s context menu, just like you would on Windows and ChromeOS.
Quick steps for how to right-click on a Mac
Step-by-step guide for how to right-click on a Mac - Method one
1. Press and hold the ‘Control’ key on your keyboard
Press down on the “Control” keyon your Mac keyboard.
2. Click the mouse or trackpad
Whilestill holding control,Click oneither the trackpad of your MacBook or the mouse button on your mouse. Acontext menu will pop uponce you do, its contents depend on what you clicked on or where. That’s it!
Step-by-step guide for how to right-click on a Mac - Method two
1. Use a mouse with a right mouse button
Many of thebest mice for Macshave more than one button, andusing one of these rather than a one-button mouseis the easiest way to right-click on a Mac. With these mice, it’s as simple toright-click as you would on a Windows PC.
2. Setting up your mouse with a Mac
Typically, your mouse should be detected automatically by your Mac, but if it doesn’t, you might need to allow the peripheral permission to connect. When the pop-up appears,click Allowto grant your mouse the necessary permission.
3. Set up your mouse settings by going into system settings
Click on the Apple iconon the menu bar andselect System Settings.
4. Select ‘Mouse’ from the left-side menu
Select the ‘Mouse’ optionfrom the selections on the left side of the system settings window.
5. Set your right-click preferences
Use the Mouse Settingsmenuto select your preferred right-click settings. That’s it!
Final thoughts
Now that you know how to right-click on a Mac, no matter your setup, you have access to a whole new context menu to improve the functionality of your Mac. You can use this menu to open files or programs, move them to the trash, and much more.
It’s as useful on a Mac as the right-click menu is on Windows, and now the difference between the two differentoperating systemsis just a little bit less pronounced.
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John (He/Him) is the Components Editor here at TechRadar and he is also a programmer, gamer, activist, and Brooklyn College alum currently living in Brooklyn, NY.
Named by the CTA as a CES 2020 Media Trailblazer for his science and technology reporting, John specializes in all areas of computer science, including industry news, hardware reviews, PC gaming, as well as general science writing and the social impact of the tech industry.
You can find him online on Threads @johnloeffler.
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