Matt Cone March 6, 2007 TutorialsMacHardware
- I work with both a PC and Mac at work, recently I installed Synergy so I could get a keyboard/mouse set off my desk. I greatly prefer the mac keyboard and mouse and have found the only problem I have is that the mac mouse does not have a right button. Now I know on the Mac holding down the control key while clicking simulates a right click, however that doesn't work on the PC.
- Apple's home button may have been iconic, but its flaws eventually forced the company to design around it, bringing about a better version of the product than the one that the button itself had.
Magic Mouse 2 is completely rechargeable, so you'll eliminate the use of traditional batteries. It's lighter, has fewer moving parts thanks to its built-in battery and continuous bottom shell, and has an optimized foot design — all helping Magic Mouse 2 track easier and move with less resistance across your desk. With the single button mouse design established for almost 25 years, the history of the Apple Mouse is basically a museum of design and ergonomics. The original mouse was essentially a rectangular block of varying beige and gray color and profile for about a decade.
For as long as anybody can remember, the Mac mouse has had one button and the PC mouse has had two. Why? Apple presumably felt that a one-button mouse was simpler and more efficient, and nearly every other hardware manufacturer thought that more functionality could be crammed into additional mouse buttons.
Apple com update. Battle of the buttons? A standard two-button mouse and the Apple ADB Mouse II.
That is, until Apple released the Magic Mouse - a mouse with four programmable buttons. This was a major milestone for Apple and Mac users everywhere, but truth be told, the Mac OS supported right-clicking for years before that - even back in the days of Mac OS 9! If you have a Mac, you need to know how to right-click whether you have a two-button mouse or not. We'll show you how.
What Can Right-Clicking Do For Me?
If you have a Mac, and you haven't been right-clicking, you've been missing out on a lot of cool functionality. There are loads of options in the 'contextual menus' - menus that appear when you right-click - that you just can't find anywhere else. Here are some examples:
When you're typing an email message in Apple's Mail application and you misspell a word, Mail underlines it in red to indicate that it thinks it's misspelled. But how do you correct it? When you right-click on the misspelled word, Mail provides correct spelling suggestions. Simply select one of the correct spellings to substitute.
Software to modify pictures. If you've found a file on the Internet that you want to save to your Mac, you can right-click on the link to save it.
There are lots of shortcuts hidden in the Desktop contextual menu. For example, if you'd like to change your desktop, all you have to do is right-click on the Desktop and select Change Desktop Background.
20 Button Mouse
Apple Single Button Mouse Logitech
How to Do It
The easiest way to right-click is to hold down the ctrl key before you click your mouse button. This works on any Mac!
Apple Single Button Mouse Logitech
How to Do It
The easiest way to right-click is to hold down the ctrl key before you click your mouse button. This works on any Mac!
But holding down the ctrl key gets old, especially when you're an old-hand at right-clicking. If you're serious about right-clicking, you'll need to get a mouse with more than one mouse button. All of Apple's new desktop computers (except the Mac mini) ship with the Mighty Mouse. To configure the right mouse button on the Mighty Mouse, select System Preferences from the Apple menu, and then select Keyboard & Mouse. Select the Mouse tab.
Make sure the right mouse button is set as the Secondary Button, as seen in the screenshot above. If you don't have Apple's Mighty Mouse, you can always pick up an inexpensive, two-button USB mouse at your local electronics store. Kensington's Mouse-in-a-Box comes with a 5 year warranty and costs a mere $8.
For Apple Laptop Owners
If you own a Macbook or Macbook Pro, you can configure your trackpad for right-clicking. (Some older iBooks and Powerbooks also provide this feature.) Simply open the Trackpad options in System Preferences and make sure the Place two fingers on trackpad and click button for secondary click button is checked.
Best 3 Button Mouse
After checking this box, you'll be able to right-click by placing two fingers on the trackpad and clicking. If you have an older Apple portable which doesn't support this feature, you may want to look into iScroll2, a free application that may add this functionality to your trackpad.
Multi Button Mouse
No matter how you decide to right-click, you should definitely start doing it on a regular basis. It'll save you a lot of time!
Subscribe to our email newsletter
Sign up and get Macinstruct's tutorials delivered to your inbox. Wireless mouse compatible with macbook air. No spam, promise!
