Nicole writes: In your article about changing a default program you say, “The first step is to right-click a PDF on your desktop.” But how do I right-click by tapping the trackpad of my MacBook Pro?

Hi Nicole! Yep, it’s a little weird that Mac users are constantly being asked to right-click (or “secondary” click) when their trackpads don’t have actual right-click buttons.

Never fear, though: there are actually several different ways to right-click on the MacBook’s trackpad, which (nowadays, at least) is essentially one big button.

For starters, you can…

Method No. 1:

Press and hold the CONTROL key, then click, or…

Method No. 2:

Click the trackpad with two fingertips at once instead of just one.

There are, in fact, a few different ways to right-click on a Mac trackpad.

That’s a good start—but what if you want more ways to right-click?

No problem, provided you’re willing to take a few extra steps first.

Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of the screen, select System Preferences, click the Trackpad icon, then make sure the “Point & Click” tab at the top of the window is selected.

Now, see the “Secondary click” heading? Click the “Click or tap with two fingers” setting to reveal…

Method No. 3:

Click in bottom-right corner of the trackpad, or…

Method No. 4:

Click in the bottom-left corner.

Looking for more Mac tips? Click here!