macOS · How-To
How to Right-Click on a Mac
Macs absolutely can right-click — Apple just calls it a secondary click and doesn't put a dedicated right button on its hardware. The fastest way that works on any Mac, right now, is to hold the Control key and click. On a laptop trackpad you can also tap or click with two fingers, and on a Magic Mouse you can click the right side of the surface. All of them open the same shortcut menu a right-click gives you on Windows.
Coming from Windows, the missing right mouse button is the first thing that trips people up. The good news: nothing is broken, and once you pick a method (or set one up in System Settings), right-clicking becomes second nature. Here are the five ways to do it, from the one that always works to the ones worth configuring for everyday speed.
If you remember only one thing: hold Control and click. It needs no setup, works on every Mac ever made, and produces an identical menu to a hardware right-click. Everything below is about making it faster and one-handed.
1. Control-click (works on every Mac)
This is the universal method — no settings required, useful the moment you unbox a Mac. Apple's Mac User Guide page on right-clicking gives it as: press and hold the Control key while you click an item using your mouse or trackpad.
- Point at the item you want to act on (a file, a link, the desktop, and so on).
- Press and hold the Control key on the keyboard. On an Apple keyboard it's the key
labelled
control, in the bottom row. - While still holding Control, click once with your mouse or trackpad.
- Release the key. The shortcut menu (Apple calls it the contextual menu) appears.
Note this is Control, not the Command (⌘) key — a
very common mix-up for Windows switchers, since Command is the key you use for copy and paste.
2. Two-finger tap or click on a trackpad
On any MacBook, or a Magic Trackpad, the everyday way to right-click is with two fingers. It's usually enabled out of the box.
- Rest two fingers slightly apart on the trackpad.
- Tap (or press down and click) with both fingers at the same time, over the item you want.
- The shortcut menu opens at the pointer.
If two fingers do nothing, tapping may simply be switched off — see how to turn it on in the settings section below.
3. Turn on (or change) the trackpad secondary click
You can pick exactly which gesture triggers a right-click, and this is also where you re-enable it if it isn't responding. Apple's trackpad settings documentation lists Secondary click among the Point & Click options, described as choosing a gesture to use for a secondary click.
- Open the Apple menu (
) → System Settings. On current macOS this app is called System Settings; older releases named it System Preferences. - In the sidebar, click Trackpad (you may need to scroll down).
- Select the Point & Click tab.
- Open the Secondary click pop-up menu.
- Choose the gesture you want — clicking or tapping with two fingers, or clicking in a bottom corner of the trackpad.
If two fingers never quite feels natural, set Secondary click to a bottom corner instead. Then a single click in that corner behaves like the right button on a Windows touchpad — one finger, one spot, every time.
4. Right-click with a Magic Mouse (or any mouse)
The Magic Mouse has one smooth top surface with no visible buttons, but it senses where your finger is — so clicking the right side can act as a secondary click.
- Open the Apple menu (
) → System Settings. - Click Mouse in the sidebar (scroll down if needed).
- Open the Secondary click pop-up menu.
- Choose Click Right Side so the right of the surface right-clicks — or Click Left Side if you're left-handed.
- Now click that side of the mouse over any item to open its shortcut menu.
If you use an ordinary third-party USB or Bluetooth mouse with two physical buttons, there's nothing to configure — the right button simply works as a right-click, exactly as it does on Windows.
5. The Contextual Menu key (Magic Keyboard with Touch ID)
Some recent Apple keyboards add a dedicated key for this. On a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, there's a Contextual Menu key that opens the shortcut menu for whatever is currently selected — a keyboard-only right-click, handy for accessibility. Apple's right-click guide describes the Contextual Menu key on a Magic Keyboard as sitting below the F13 key.
Holding Command (⌘) and clicking does not right-click. In many apps it
selects multiple items or opens a link in a new tab instead. For the shortcut menu, always use
Control. Likewise, don't confuse a right-click with a Force click (a firmer press on a
Force Touch trackpad) — that's a separate gesture for previews and look-ups, not the contextual menu.
Where to configure right-click in System Settings
Everything above lives in two places, both reached from the Apple menu
() → System Settings:
- Trackpad → Point & Click → Secondary click — for MacBooks and the Magic Trackpad.
- Mouse → Secondary click — for the Magic Mouse and Apple's older mice.
If you ever land on a Mac where nothing right-clicks, open one of those panes, confirm Secondary click isn't set to Off, and pick a gesture. Until then, Control-click always bails you out. For more first-week basics, browse our macOS guides.
Quick reference
The five ways to secondary-click, at a glance:
Control-click ......... Hold Control, then click (any Mac, no setup)
Two-finger tap ........ Tap trackpad with two fingers (MacBook / Magic Trackpad)
Corner click .......... Click a bottom corner (trackpad, if enabled)
Magic Mouse ........... Click the right side (set in Mouse settings)
Two-button mouse ...... Press the right button (any standard mouse)Pick whichever fits your hardware and habits — then the rest of macOS opens up, because almost every menu of useful actions in the Finder, Safari, Mail and beyond hides behind that same secondary click. See more starting points on the macOS hub.
Frequently asked
Why doesn't my Mac have a right mouse button?
Macs do support right-clicking — Apple just calls it a secondary click and doesn't rely on a separate physical button. A trackpad and the Magic Mouse both have a single smooth surface, so the secondary click is produced by a gesture (two fingers, or a designated corner) or by holding Control while you click. Every method opens the same shortcut menu you'd get from a right mouse button on Windows.
How do I right-click on a MacBook trackpad without a mouse?
The quickest way is to tap or click the trackpad with two fingers at once. If that isn't working, open System Settings, click Trackpad, and check the Secondary click pop-up menu on the Point & Click tab — it should be set to a two-finger click or a bottom corner. You can also hold the Control key and click with one finger, which always works regardless of settings.
Can I change which side of a Magic Mouse right-clicks?
Yes. Open System Settings, click Mouse in the sidebar, then use the Secondary click pop-up menu to choose whether the right side or the left side of the mouse acts as the right-click. Left-handed users often switch it to the left side. The Magic Mouse senses where your finger touches its top surface, so no physical button moves.
Is Control-click exactly the same as a right-click on a Mac?
For opening shortcut (contextual) menus, yes — holding Control and clicking produces the same menu as a secondary click. It's the universal fallback that works on any Mac, any mouse, and any trackpad, even before you've configured anything. The only practical difference is that Control-click needs two hands, so most people set up a trackpad gesture or the Magic Mouse for everyday use.
New to the Mac after years on Windows? Browse all macOS guides for more switch-over basics, or head back to the Windows Now home.