The right mouse button on the Mac is not immediately recognizable as a function. But there are various ways in which you can use it.
Right mouse button Mac: Options on the MacBook
Right-clicking on the MacBook requires a bit of adjustment. In the standard version, you have to tap the trackpad with two fingers to right-click. We'll show you how to enable the right mouse button for the trackpad or mouse.
- In your dock, select System Preferences under the Apple icon.
- Scroll down the left bar to the item “Trackpad” (or “Mouse”) and click on it.
- Now you will see a few options to choose from on the right under “Secondary click”. The default setting is “Click with two fingers”. Go to the arrows and set it to “Click bottom right” instead. (Alternatively: “Click bottom left”.)
- If necessary, make further settings for the trackpad. Otherwise, you can close the system settings and now right-click on the bottom right of the trackpad of your MacBook or on the mouse.
- Alternatively, you can right-click by holding down the “control” key and simultaneously tapping your touchpad with one finger or using the mouse.
Right-click: What you can use it for
The right-click on the MacBook can be used in many different ways and allows you to work more efficiently, especially with an Apple Magic Trackpad for the Mac. The common right-click options are not always known.
- Faster file handling: Right-clicking offers you certain options for the selected object. This allows you to quickly access functions such as copy, cut, rename, split or delete.
- Edit files more efficiently: In Finder, you can right-click on a file to activate “Open With” or “Quick Actions”. You can also display “Info” for the file.
- Browsing the Internet: In the Safari browser, you can right-click to open links or add them to your reading list or bookmarks.
- Text formatting: When editing texts, right-clicking also gives you the option to make corrections and create links.