If you recently switched from a Windows PC to a Mac, you may be wondering how to right-click in macOS. Despite the wealth of two-button mice available for use with Macs and MacBooks, the question of how to right-click on a Mac or MacBook continues to be asked, so if you aren’t sure how to right-click on a Mac you’re not alone. Apple mice and trackpads have never had a secondary button, but there are actually several ways you can right-click on Mac, giving you access to a plethora of contextual menus and options throughout Apple’s desktop operating system.
However, we assume that Apple mice aren’t the only reason that the question of how to right-click is baffling so many Mac users. Most Mac users are likely to be using laptops without a mouse and are therefore trying to understand how to use Apple’s trackpad, which has no obvious way of indicating a left or right button click – it’s no wonder Mac users are unsure of how to right click on MacBooks. Other users could be unsure because they have moved from a PC to a Mac and aren’t clear about the key combos such as how to cut and paste on a Mac.
Right-click on Mac
On your Mac, a right-click is called a secondary click or Control-click. To open shortcut menus, Control-click an item (such as the desktop, icons, or files) using your keyboard and mouse or trackpad.
There are actually a few ways to right-click on a Mac, we’ll run through each below, but in summary, they are as follows:
- Press and hold the Control key while you click an item using your mouse.
- If you have an Apple Magic Mouse you can set up a corner for ‘Secondary Click’ in System Settings (or System Preferences).
- Press and hold the Control key while you click an item using your trackpad.
- Press your trackpad with two fingers.
- Assign a corner of the trackpad to be a right-click.
- Use a mouse with a right-click button.
Method 1: Press Control to right-click on a mouse or trackpad
One way to right-click on a Mac is to press and hold the Control key while you click an item using your mouse or trackpad.
Don’t confuse the Ctrl key with the Option (or Alt) key. The Ctrl key on a Mac is not the one next to the space bar, it’s at the far end of the keyboard, on either the right or left side.
Method 2: Use a mouse with a right-click button.
Surely the easiest solution, you can simply connect a mouse that has a right-click button built in. Whether wired or wireless and connected by USB dongle, a newer Mac will instantly recognize just about any mouse with two buttons, and map the secondary button to the system’s right-click functions without you having to do anything. macOS will respond when you click that right side button.
Method 3: Use right-click with an Apple Magic Mouse
If you have an Apple mouse (referred to as the Magic Mouse by Apple) you may be wondering how to right-click – the mouse has no buttons at all!
Apple’s mouse also uses many of the same multi-touch gestures as the trackpad, but essentially, where you click on the Apple Magic Mouse determines the kind of click you are performing.
Right-clicking on an Apple Magic Mouse is actually pretty intuitive – you can actually click on the right of the mouse.
If this doesn’t work then you may need to set it up in System Settings (System Preferences on older Macs).
- Open System Settings (either by clicking on the cog icon if it is in your Dock, or by clicking on the Apple icon at the top left of your screen and then System Settings – on older Macs it’s System Preferences.)
- Click Mouse.
- Click the “Secondary click” pop-up menu, then choose an option.
- You can choose Click Right Side (or left side).
The same steps apply if your two-button mouse isn’t allowing. you to right-click.
Method 4: Use two fingers on a Mac trackpad
If you have a trackpad and want to right-click, you can use two fingers to click.
If this doesn’t work you may need to set it up in System Settings. Here’s how:
- Open System Settings (or System Preferences).
- Click on Trackpad.
- Click the “Secondary click” pop-up menu, then choose an option.
- You can choose to Control-click by clicking with one or two fingers.
Method 5: Tap a corner of the trackpad
Perhaps two-finger tapping isn’t the most intuitive way for you to right-click. If that is the case you can choose to click on the corner of your trackpad when you want to right-click.
To set this preference up you need System Settings again.
This time, rather than selecting ‘Click with two fingers’ select either ‘Click in bottom-right corner’ or ‘Click in bottom-left corner’.
Right-clicking on a MacBook with Force Touch trackpad
The Force Touch trackpad uses haptic feedback to fool you into thinking that you can use various levels of pressure to achieve clicks.
In addition to the standard right-click functionality, a deeper click opens up a contextual menu with additional options.
If you want to right-click, you can tap with two fingers, or set it to tap in the right or bottom corner as above, or you can press and hold the trackpad to get the equivalent of a right-click.
Why right-click on a Mac?
Right-clicking on a Mac is useful for many reasons. When you right-click on a Mac’s desktop, you’ll see the option to create a new folder, change your view settings, and more.
Right-clicking on a document, image, or other file allows for easy copying, moving, renaming, or even deletion. When you right-click on a link, you can choose to open it then and there, to open it in a new tab or new window, to copy the link, and so on.
You can right-click on an open application’s icon in the Dock and choose to quit it.
Depending on the complexity of the program you are using the right-click options will likely add an extra layer of detail that you would be lost without.