Mac Mouse and Trackpad Actions

Part of the Macs All-in-One For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Using your Mac’s mouse or trackpad can be a real drag — in a good way! That’s because drag (as well as click and Control-click) describes how you use your Mac’s mouse and trackpad to do things with windows, icons, and other items on the screen. The following table lists Mac mouse and trackpad action terms and what they mean.

Action	How to Do It	Purpose
Click	Press the mouse button down and release. Press the trackpad bar or the lower part of the trackpad if there is no trackpad bar. On a Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad, tap anywhere on the surface.	Select an item or menu command.
Double-click	Press the mouse or trackpad button down twice in rapid succession. Tap twice on the surface of a Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad.	Select and open an item. Also used in word processors to select an entire word.
Triple-click	Press the mouse or trackpad button down three times in rapid succession. Tap three times on the surface of a Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad.	Used in many word processors to select an entire paragraph.
Drag	Point to an item, hold down the mouse or trackpad button, and move the mouse or drag your finger across the trackpad, and then release the mouse or trackpad button. Point to an item, and then drag three fingers across the trackpad.	To copy or move an item from one location to another. Also used to select multiple items or draw a line in a graphics application.
Control-click (right-click, if your mouse has two or more buttons)	Hold down the Control key, press the mouse or trackpad button, and release. With a Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad, hold down the Control key and tap the surface.	Point to an item and view a shortcut menu of commands for manipulating that item.
Scroll	Roll the wheel or ball near the front and middle of the mouse. On a Magic Mouse, move one finger up and down or left and right on the surface. On a trackpad, move two fingers up and down or left and right on the surface.	To scroll a window up/down or right/left.