How to Right-Click on a Mac: Trackpad, Magic Mouse, Keyboard and Every Other Way
If you've just moved from Windows to a Mac, the first thing you'll notice is that the trackpad has no right button and neither does the Magic Mouse. The right-click menu is still there; Apple calls it a secondary click, and there are five ways to open it, four of which need no setup at all. This guide covers every method with the exact path in current macOS settings, how to make it comfortable for left-handed users, how to fix it when it stops working, and how it works in Windows on a Mac. I set up and repair Macs every week at my shop in Somerville, New Jersey.
In this guide
- The quick answer: Control-click
- Right-click on a MacBook or Magic Trackpad
- Right-click with a Magic Mouse
- Using any two-button mouse
- Right-click from the keyboard
- Force click, tap to click and what they're not
- What's in the right-click menu (and what isn't)
- Right-click stopped working: fixes
- Right-click in Windows on a Mac
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources
The Quick Answer: Control-Click
Works on every Mac ever made, with no settings to change.
Hold the Control key (bottom left of the keyboard, labeled "control" or "ctrl"; it's not the Command key with the ⌘ symbol) and click the trackpad or mouse. The shortcut menu opens exactly as a right-click would. Apple's own help page describes it as "press and hold the Control key while you click an item using your mouse or trackpad."
That's the whole answer if you right-click a few times a day. If you do it constantly, holding a key with one hand while clicking with the other gets old, and the sections below turn on the one-handed methods.
Right-Click on a MacBook or Magic Trackpad
Two fingers, or one corner. Your choice.
Open System Settings
Click the Apple menu in the top left corner and choose System Settings. On macOS Monterey and earlier it's called System Preferences and looks like a grid of icons instead of a sidebar; the options are the same.
Choose Trackpad, then Point & Click
Scroll the sidebar to Trackpad. The Point & Click tab is selected by default.
Set Secondary click
Open the Secondary click menu and pick one of three options: Click with two fingers (the default on most new Macs, and what most people want), Click in bottom right corner, or Click in bottom left corner. A short animation next to the menu shows each gesture. Choose Off to disable it.
With two-finger click on, you don't need to press down if Tap to click is also on in the same tab: a light two-finger tap opens the menu. Corner click is worth trying if you find yourself opening menus by accident while scrolling with two fingers.
The setting applies to the built-in trackpad on a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro and to an external Magic Trackpad on a desktop Mac. If you use both, they share the setting. Apple's page on changing Trackpad settings lists everything else on that tab, including click pressure and tracking speed.
Right-Click With a Magic Mouse
The whole top surface is one button. macOS decides which side you clicked.
Open System Settings, then Mouse
Apple menu, System Settings, then Mouse in the sidebar. The Mouse entry only appears while a mouse is connected.
Set Secondary click
Under the Point & Click tab, open Secondary click and choose Click right side (for right-handed use) or Click left side (for left-handed use). Choose Off to disable it.
The Magic Mouse reads where your fingers are, not just where you pressed. To right-click, lift your index finger completely off the left side and press with your middle finger on the right. If both fingers are touching, it registers as a normal click. This is the number one reason people think the setting "doesn't work."
Right-Click From the Keyboard
Two options, one of which only exists on one keyboard.
Control-click is the keyboard-assisted method that works everywhere, covered above. Beyond that, Apple's current Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad (USB-C) has a dedicated Contextual Menu key, located below the F13 key, that opens the shortcut menu for whatever is selected. That's the closest a Mac gets to the Windows menu key. There is no built-in equivalent to Shift+F10 on other Mac keyboards.
If you need keyboard-only control for accessibility reasons, Full Keyboard Access (System Settings, Accessibility, Keyboard) lets you move focus and activate controls from the keyboard, and Mouse Keys (System Settings, Accessibility, Pointer Control) drives the pointer from the keypad; combined with Control and the click key, that gives you a right-click without a pointing device.
Force Click, Tap to Click and What They're Not
Three trackpad features that get confused with right-click.
- Force click (press harder, feel a second click) is a preview and lookup gesture, not a right-click. It shows a definition, a file preview or a map, depending on what's under the pointer. If it's getting in your way, it's a switch on the same Point & Click tab.
- Tap to click lets a light tap count as a click instead of a physical press. It changes how you click, not which button. With it on, a two-finger tap is your right-click.
- Two-finger scrolling uses the same two fingers as the secondary click, which is why people sometimes open a menu when they meant to scroll. Moving your fingers scrolls; pressing or tapping them clicks. If you keep tripping over it, switch Secondary click to a corner.
Right-Click Stopped Working: Fixes
In order of how often each one turns out to be the cause.
- The setting turned off. A macOS update, a settings reset or a migration from another Mac can set Secondary click to Off. Check System Settings, Trackpad, Point & Click (or Mouse) and turn it back on. This is the fix nine times out of ten.
- Magic Mouse finger position. Lift the left finger completely off before clicking the right side. Also check the battery; a Magic Mouse at 5 percent gets flaky before it dies.
- Two-finger click registering as scroll or zoom. Try a firm press rather than a tap, or switch to a corner click.
- Old third-party mouse software. Utilities from a previous mouse (or from years ago) can intercept button clicks. Remove them from System Settings, General, Login Items and uninstall, then let macOS handle the buttons.
- A dirty or worn trackpad. Grease, a case that presses on the edge of the trackpad, or a swollen battery pushing up from underneath (the trackpad stops clicking on one side, or the case bulges) all break clicks. A bulging MacBook is a battery job, not a settings job, and it shouldn't wait.
- Bluetooth. For a Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad, turn Bluetooth off and on, or plug the device in with its cable to re-pair it.
- Reset the settings. If nothing else works, a new user account (System Settings, Users & Groups) tells you whether the problem is your account's settings or the hardware. Right-click works in the new account: it's a settings file in yours. Still doesn't work: bring it in.
Trackpad won't click, MacBook won't sit flat, or the Mac is misbehaving in ways a settings change won't fix? Bring it to my shop in Somerville. The $75 diagnostic is credited toward any repair.
📞 Call (908) 428-955875 N Bridge St, Somerville, NJ. Mon to Fri 10 to 5, Sat 9 to 2. Walk-ins welcome.
Right-Click in Windows on a Mac
For Intel Macs running Boot Camp, and for virtual machines on any Mac.
On an Intel-based Mac running Windows through Boot Camp, Apple's guidance is to click the upper-right corner of a Magic Mouse to right-click. For the trackpad, the Boot Camp Control Panel (in the Windows system tray) has a Trackpad tab where you set the secondary-click gesture, the same two-finger and corner choices as macOS. Apple silicon Macs (M1 and later) don't support Boot Camp; Windows on those runs inside a virtual machine such as Parallels or VMware Fusion, and both pass a two-finger trackpad click through to Windows as a right-click by default, with their own settings if you want to change it.
If your Mac is one of the older Intel models, my post on factory resetting a MacBook Pro or Air and the Mac repair service page cover the upgrades and repairs that keep those machines useful.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you right-click on a Mac?
Hold the Control key and click. That works on every Mac with no setup. For a one-handed right-click, turn on Secondary click under System Settings, Trackpad, Point & Click (two-finger click or a corner click) or under System Settings, Mouse for a Magic Mouse. Any standard two-button mouse right-clicks as soon as you plug it in.
How do you right-click on a MacBook trackpad?
Click or tap with two fingers. If nothing happens, open System Settings, choose Trackpad, open the Point & Click tab, and set Secondary click to Click with two fingers. You can also choose Click in bottom right corner or Click in bottom left corner if you prefer a corner press.
How do you right-click with a Magic Mouse?
Click on the right side of the mouse's top surface with your left finger lifted off. If it doesn't work, open System Settings, choose Mouse, and set Secondary click to Click right side. Left-handed users can choose Click left side instead.
Is there a keyboard shortcut for right-click on a Mac?
Control-click is the closest thing. The Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad (USB-C) also has a dedicated Contextual Menu key below F13 that opens the right-click menu for the selected item. Other Mac keyboards don't have a Shift-F10 equivalent like Windows.
Why does right-click not work on my Mac?
The most common cause is that Secondary click got turned off in Trackpad or Mouse settings, often after a macOS update or a settings reset. Check those first. On a Magic Mouse, make sure your other finger is fully off the left side when you click the right side. On a third-party mouse, remove any old driver software and let macOS handle the buttons itself.
Does a Windows mouse work on a Mac?
Yes. Any USB or Bluetooth mouse with two buttons and a scroll wheel works on a Mac without software, and the right button acts as a secondary click automatically. Extra buttons may need the maker's Mac software to do anything.
How do I right-click in Windows on a Mac with Boot Camp?
With a Magic Mouse, click the upper-right corner of the mouse. With the trackpad, set the secondary click option in the Boot Camp Control Panel's Trackpad tab. Boot Camp applies only to Intel-based Macs; Apple silicon Macs don't support it.
Where can I get help with my Mac in New Jersey?
I repair and upgrade Macs and MacBooks at 75 N Bridge St in Somerville, New Jersey. Bring the machine in for a $75 diagnostic that's credited toward any repair, or call (908) 428-9558 first.
Sources
- Apple Support, Right-click on Mac (macOS User Guide)
- Apple Support, Change Trackpad settings on Mac
- Apple Support, How to force click and get haptic feedback on Apple trackpads
- Apple Support, Use Multi-Touch gestures on Mac
- Apple Support, Right-click in Windows with Boot Camp on Mac
Mac Acting Up Beyond a Settings Fix?
Trackpads, batteries, storage upgrades, slow MacBooks and data recovery, all done in-house at my Somerville shop. No appointment needed.
📞 (908) 428-9558Dave's Computers · 75 N Bridge St, Somerville, NJ 08876 · Mon to Fri 10am to 5pm, Sat 9am to 2pm · Serving Somerset, Hunterdon, Middlesex and Mercer counties