How to right-click on a MacBook
Engadget explains how to right-click, or "secondary click", on a MacBook using the trackpad or Apple's Magic Mouse. The feature, now enabled by default in macOS, is a routine part of using a computer but its trigger gestures on Apple hardware are not always obvious, particularly as a new Magic Mouse is reportedly on the way.
The simplest method works across both trackpad and mouse: hold the Control key while clicking. Alternatively, users can two-finger-tap the trackpad, or press the front-right corner of a Magic Mouse. These behaviours can also be customised in macOS settings under the Point & Click section's Secondary Click menu, where trackpad users can choose between two-finger tap, bottom-right click or bottom-left click, while mouse users can assign the right-click action to either side of the device.
- Hold Control and click to right-click on a MacBook.
- Two-finger tap the trackpad, or click a Magic Mouse's corner.
- Customise right-click gestures in macOS's Point & Click settings.
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Right-clicking is a common computer action that brings up extra menu options, such as copy, paste or rename, when you click on an item. On most computers this is done with a separate button on a mouse, but Apple's MacBook trackpads and its Magic Mouse do not have a distinct right-hand button, so the action has to be triggered in other ways.
Apple calls this a "secondary click" and the feature is switched on by default in macOS, the operating system that runs MacBook computers. Because the gesture needed to trigger it is not always obvious, especially to people new to Apple devices or switching from a Windows computer, guidance on how to do it is a frequently sought piece of practical help.
The topic has drawn fresh attention because Apple is reportedly working on an updated Magic Mouse, prompting renewed interest in how the existing right-click controls work on current Apple hardware.