4 Ways to Right Click on a Mac

At first glance, it may not seem possible to right-click with your new Mac. How can you right-click if there's only one button? Luckily you don't have to forgo the convenience of right-click menus just because you don't have two mouse buttons. Stay productive when working with your Mac by following this guide to right-clicking.
STEPS
METHOD 1 OF 4: CONTROL-CLICK METHOD

1

PRESS THE CONTROL KEY. Press and hold the Control (Ctrl) key while you click the mouse button.
This is identical to right-clicking with a 2-button mouse.
You may release the Control key after clicking.
This method works for a 1-button mouse or MacBook trackpad, or with the built-in button on the standalone Apple Trackpad.

2

CHOOSE YOUR DESIRED MENU ITEM. When you Control-click, the appropriate contextual menu will appear.
The example below is a contextual menu in the Firefox browser.



METHOD 2 OF 4: TWO FINGER TRACKPAD RIGHT-CLICK

1

ENABLE 2-FINGER CLICKING.

2

OPEN YOUR TRACKPAD PREFERENCES. Under the Apple menu, click SYSTEM PREFERENCES, then click TRACKPAD.

3

CLICK ON THE POINT & CLICK tab. In that window, enable the SECONDARY CLICK checkbox, and from the menu, select CLICK OR TAP WITH TWO FINGERS. You will see a short video example of the proper way to click.

4

TEST IT OUT. Go to the FINDER, and as shown in the video, place 2 fingers on the trackpad. A contextual menu should appear.

5

THIS METHOD WORKS WITH ALL TRACKPAD SURFACES.
METHOD 3 OF 4: BOTTOM CORNER CLICK

1

OPEN YOUR TRACKPAD PREFERENCES AS DESCRIBED ABOVE. Under the Apple menu, click SYSTEM PREFERENCES, then click TRACKPAD.

2

CLICK ON THE POINT & CLICK tab. In that window, enable the SECONDARY CLICK checkbox, and from the menu, select CLICK IN BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER. (Note: you may alternately choose the bottom left corner if you prefer). You will see a short video example of the proper way to click.

3

TEST IT OUT. Go to the FINDER, and as shown in the video, press one finger on the bottom right of the trackpad. A contextual menu should appear.

4

THIS METHOD WORKS WITH THE APPLE TRACKPAD.
METHOD 4 OF 4: APPLE MIGHTY MOUSE METHOD

1

GET A MIGHTY MOUSE. Understand that any two button mouse can be programmed to work with a right click. Similarly, some seemingly one button mice manufactured by Apple such as the Mighty Mouse or the Wireless Mighty Mouse can be programmed respond to a click on the right side.

2

OPEN YOUR TRACKPAD PREFERENCES AS DESCRIBED ABOVE. Under the Apple menu, click SYSTEM PREFERENCES, SERVICES then click SERVICES PREFERENCES.

3

CHANGE THE SETTING on the right side of the mouse to be the "Secondary Button" as shown in the example below:
VIDEO
Want to get more from your Mac's one-button mouse? Hold down the Control button when you click to get the same effect as pressing the right-click on a two-button mouse. Ta-da!
TIPS
The Control-click 1-button mouse method works with OS X and should also work Mac OS 9.