Right-Click Not Working on Mac Mouse/Trackpad? 6 Quick Fixes

The right-click on Mac is also called the secondary click. It is convenient for users to get quick access to the context menu as well as some often-used features like copy-and-paste.

However, the right-click not working on Mac issue is disappointing. It may even get in the way of the normal usage of your Mac.

Don't worry! In this post, you will learn 6 helpful skills to fix this tackle issue. Read on to learn more.

Why Is Right-Click Not Working on Mac?

Although it's hard to find out the main cause of the right-click on Mac not working issue, the common reasons behind it are mainly:

• Unstable mouse connectivity.
• Wrong mouse setting.
• Wrong trackpad setting.
• System glitches.
• Incompatible applications.
• Hardware issues of trackpad or mouse.
• Wireless interference.

How to Fix Right-Click Not Working on Mac

After figuring out the main reasons for the right-click not working on the Mac mouse or trackpad, it's time to learn some effective fixes and alternative ways of the right-click on Mac.

Use Keyboard Shortcut

Besides the trackpad, the keyboard shortcut - Ctrl + 0 is also an alternative way to Mac right-click. But the premise is that you must enable the Mouse Key.

This method works perfectly if both your Mac mouse and trackpad not working.

Here is how to use a keyboard shortcut to right-click on Mac:

1. Turn on the Mouse Key:

• Go to Apple Menu＞System Settings＞Accessibility＞Pointer Control＞Mouse Key.

• Or open the Mouse Key window via the shortcut: Command+Option+F5.

2. Press the shortcut: Control + 0

Check Mouse/Trackpad Settings

While the "right-click not working on Mac Mouse/Trackpad" issue happens, it's important to check the Mouse/Trackpad settings. The wrong settings can lead to the right-click not working on Mac issue.

Go to Apple Menu＞System Settings＞Mouse＞Select Click Right Side next to the Secondary click.

Here is how to check MacBook Trackpad Settings:

1. Go to Apple Menu＞System Settings＞Trackpad.
2. Check whether you have selected the right Secondary click option.

How to Fix Right-click Not Working on Mac Mouse/Magic Mouse

There are mainly 2 ways to fix the right-click on Magic Mouse not working issue. Read on.

Use Trackpad

The first method is suitable for fixing right-click not working on Mac mouse issue.

As the Mac mouse/Apple Magic Mouse right-click not working, you can use your trackpad as a temporary and alternative method of right-click on Mac.

Here is how to perform Mac right-click without the mouse using the trackpad:

Go to Apple Menu＞System Settings＞Trackpad＞Secondery click.

Select the way of Secondary click for your preference: Click with Two Fingers/Click in Bottom Right Corner/Click in Bottom Left Corner.

Charge and Reconnect Your Mac Mouse

For the Apple Magic Mouse/Bluetooth mouse, the low battery can lead to unstable mouse connectivity. In this case, disconnect your Mac mouse, charge it (or replace the battery of your mouse), and then reconnect it.

How to Fix Right-Click Not Working on Mac Trackpad

In the case that it's your Mac trackpad right-click not working rather than Magic Mouse, follow the methods below.

Restart Your Mac

For the occasional system errors, one of the best and simplest solutions is to restart your Mac. After a restart, some error settings could be refreshed.

Or, if you don't want to restart, you can turn your mouse off and on or unpair the mouse and pair it again instead.

Update Your Mac

If the Mac right-click not working on Mac issue happened after the macOS Sonoma update, there may be an update software issue.

Check whether your macOS Sonoma is the Beta version or early version. If yes, update it to the latest official release version.

If you are running old macOS versions, it is also recommended you update it to the latest available and compatible macOS versions since the new macOS version always includes bug fixes.

Besides what was mentioned above, you can also try the method of resetting SMC, checking the wireless interference, contacting Apple Support, etc.

Bonus: How to Optimize Your Mac Performance to

Besides the reasons we mentioned above, another item you need to pay attention to is your Mac space.

Not enough space for your Mac may increase the risk of the right-click not working on Mac issue and, even worse, the risk of a frozen Mac.

To clean up your Mac in an effort-saving and time-saving way, you can have a try at BuhoCleaner. It can speed up your Mac and monitor your Mac performance in real time.

Here are its main features:

• Large files, junk files, and duplicate files cleaning.
• App uninstall without leftovers.
• Disk space analyzer.
• Startup items management.

Conclusion

In this post, alternative ways of Mac right-click and Mac right-click not working fixes are introduced in detail.

Take these measures as a temporary remedy if there is a Mac mouse hardware issue before you bring it to the Apple Store or as fixes for the software issue.