Right-Click on a Mac
To right-click on a Mac, hold Control and click the mouse or trackpad, or tap the trackpad with two fingers. Both open the same context menu that the right mouse button opens on Windows.
| Action | Mac | Windows | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Control-click (any mouse) | Control + click | Right mouse button | |
| Trackpad two-finger tap | Two-finger tap | — | |
| Trackpad corner click | Click bottom-right corner | — | |
| Context menu from keyboard | — | Menu key (☰) or Shift+F10 |
The two everyday methods
On a Mac the fastest right-click is Control + click — hold the Control key and click once. It works with any mouse or trackpad and opens the same context menu Windows shows on a right mouse click.
On a trackpad, the more natural way is a two-finger tap: rest two fingers and tap. This is on by default on modern MacBooks.
Turn on trackpad right-click
If two-finger tap does nothing, open System Settings › Trackpad › Point & Click and enable Secondary click. You can choose two-finger tap or clicking the bottom-left / bottom-right corner.
Coming from Windows
There is no dedicated right mouse button on an Apple mouse or trackpad, but any USB or Bluetooth two-button mouse works — the right button behaves exactly like on Windows. The Windows Menu key has no Mac equivalent; use Control-click instead.
FAQ
How do I right-click on a MacBook trackpad?
Tap the trackpad with two fingers, or hold Control and click. If nothing happens, enable Secondary click in System Settings › Trackpad.
What is the right-click equivalent on a Mac?
Control + click. Hold the Control key and click the mouse or trackpad to open the context menu.
Can I use a normal PC mouse to right-click on a Mac?
Yes. Any two-button USB or Bluetooth mouse works, and the right button right-clicks exactly as it does on Windows.