How to Right Click on a Laptop

Right-clicking opens up more options than the standard left-click, but figuring out how to right-click on a laptop isn't always easy. This is especially true for laptops that don't have physical clicking buttons below the trackpad, Mac laptops and those with intuitive designs where nothing is clearly labeled. However, learning how to right-click on a laptop is straightforward, and you can even do it using the keyboard if you prefer.

If you're wondering "how do you right-click on a laptop," the answer depends on your specific laptop. The simplest laptops to right-click on are those with two buttons below the trackpad for the mouse. The left button is for left-clicking, and the right button is for right-clicking.

Many laptops don't have physically separate buttons, but the pad has a clicking section at the bottom, which is separated by a vertical dividing line. Click to the left of the dividing line to left-click and to the right of it to right-click. If there is no dividing line, chances are the clicking works in the same way. Click at the bottom of the trackpad on the left side to left-click and on the right side to right-click.

Mac laptops don't have a right-click button on the trackpad, but there are other approaches you can try if you're wondering how to right-click on a Mac laptop. The simplest approach is to hold down the "Control" key while clicking the trackpad. You can also click with two fingers rather than one to right-click or hold two fingers down on the trackpad and click with your thumb. If you prefer a more traditional approach, go to "System Preferences" from the Apple menu and then click "Trackpad." Go to the "Point & Click" tab and change the setting under "Secondary click" to your preferred option. You can set this to the bottom right corner or the bottom left corner.

If you want to right-click on a laptop without using the trackpad, you can do it using a keyboard shortcut. Position the cursor and hold down "Shift" and press "F10" to right-click. Some laptops also have a specific key called a "Menu" key that can be used for right-clicking. The Menu key usually has a symbol of a cursor clicking a menu.

If you have a touch-screen laptop, you can still right-click relatively easily. Touch your finger on the relevant part of the screen and hold it there for a couple of seconds before releasing it to right-click.