Can't right click on your brand new Mac?

[smurfy]

When I first got my Mac a month ago, I was confused - I knew Macs could right click, but constantly trying it did nothing!

I don't know if it happens all the time, but on my iMac, right clicking was disabled. So are you having problems right clicking on your Mighty Mouse?

Open up System Preferences (the grey box with the Apple logo on it in the Dock), under Hardware, click on Keyboard & Mouse. Click the Mouse tab at the top. You should see a picture of an Apple Mouse with labels all over it. The first (highest up) one will say Dashboard. The one on the left, under it, will say Primary Button. See the one to the right of it? Click on that and select Secondary Button.

Now close System Preferences and try right clicking again. It should work now. If not, remember that if you apply any pressure, even resting your hand, on the left side of the mouse, it will simply left click instead. Take your fingers off the left button and right click like that.

It should now work. I have no idea why right clicking is disabled.

Remember that holding down control (the button with the Apple logo on it) and clicking will also replicate a right click.

 

[baggss]

Good Info!

 

[iKitten]

Very good!

I'm looking for the equivalent of the two button click with your average mouse. I can find nothing under system prefs. A search on the forum for "two button click" only returned right click info because search ignores the word "two." Even a google search resulted in only right click info! Is it just not possible to do this?

(I also did a search on Apple's site = nada)

 

[dtravis7]

Yes, Very good info indeed! I still do not understand why Apple has it set to one button out of the box with so many switchers buying the new Intel Macs. All are going to want Right Click enabled.

Thanks for posting all of that. It will make it easy for the switchers here.

Good Job!

 

[smurfy]

Very good!

I'm looking for the equivalent of the two button click with your average mouse. I can find nothing under system prefs. A search on the forum for "two button click" only returned right click info because search ignores the word "two." Even a google search resulted in only right click info! Is it just not possible to do this?

(I also did a search on Apple's site = nada)

fraid so. The Mighty Mouse is pressure sensitive - if you rest your fingers on the left side and click the right side, it will do a left click anyways. i don't get why....i have to lift my fingers up to right click...

also no two button clicking

 

[snoslicer8]

If you guys are using the mighty mouse, the trackball is also touch sensitive, much as the rest of the surface of the mouse is. If you are used to two-button clicking, you can assign this "two button" function to the trackball. Then, put just your finger on the trackball (and nowhere else on the surface of the mouse), and click the mouse...voila, another button!

 

[jonnyd]

Heh. When I got my new Mac, I took one look at the 'one buttoned' mighty mouse and threw it in a drawer with the rest of the Apple mice I have collected with various machines.

It was only about 2 months later when I had to use it as my wife pinched my trusty MS mouse that I realised it actually had a right click. It's not obvious from just looking at it, is it?

I suppose if I had read the manual, I'd have found out, but then who ever does that?

 

[dtravis7]

Heh. When I got my new Mac, I took one look at the 'one buttoned' mighty mouse and threw it in a drawer with the rest of the Apple mice I have collected with various machines.

It was only about 2 months later when I had to use it as my wife pinched my trusty MS mouse that I realised it actually had a right click. It's not obvious from just looking at it, is it?

I suppose if I had read the manual, I'd have found out, but then who ever does that?

I found out it had the hidden buttons right here on Mac Forums when the MM first came out. I never read manuals either. Not when I have Mac Forums to do a search on!

 

[paulrussoo]

in your original post it says that you can hold down control and click, which is true, except you said control is the button with the apple logo on it, but it isn't.. that's command.. just a little thing i noticed

 

[smurfy]

in your original post it says that you can hold down control and click, which is true, except you said control is the button with the apple logo on it, but it isn't.. that's command.. just a little thing i noticed

i think a mod edited my post but missed that. originally i said you could do command and click, so i was right. but of course command and click doesnt do much, so a mod musta changed the post. strangely, the edit button is gone for me...

 

[christm]

gd post. i knew this although it did take me a bit for figure it out when i first saw it

thanks.

 

[iKitten]

You can only edit a post in the 24 hrs after originally submitting it.