How to Right-Click With No Mouse

The mouse is a vital component to getting work done on your PC. But when you’re stuck with a faulty mouse, you can run into a few problems including the inability to right-click. But the good news is that there are definitely ways to execute a right-click without no mouse. In this article, we’ll take you through a few of them.

The Many Ways to Right-Click With No Mouse

If you’re looking to perform the second most popular function on the mouse (sorry, left-click still leads), then the keyboard is your new best friend. Here are some of the major ways to get it done.

Keyboard Shortcuts

There are many different combinations and keys that can help you navigate different interfaces that are handy in a pinch to keep the workflow smooth.

If you’re looking to bring up the context menu in Windows or any program, there’s a handy key on most QWERTY keyboards perfect for the job: the Context key. You can usually find it on the bottom row of your keyboard, on the right side of the Spacebar. It’s typically next to the Alt or Windows key. Simply press this and you’ll have access to any context menu, no right-click is needed.

If you can’t find (or don’t have) the Context key, you can also use another combination (Shift + F10) to achieve the same result.

Here are some other keyboard shortcuts and their functions:

• The Alt key – This is a handy way to open any menu. In Microsoft Office, using this key will reveal keyboard shortcuts for accessing menu items without a mouse.
• The Tab key – A quick way to cycle through menu items, options, and Desktop icons. Simply hit Tab until you come to your desired option or shortcut, then Enter.
• The Win key – This is a quick way to open the Windows menu.
• Alt + Tab – These two keys allow you to cycle through and switch between different programs and Explorer windows.

Mouse Keys

If you’ve ever wondered what those arrows are for on the numpad, your prayers are about to be answered. Providing, you have a numeric keypad, you can enable Mouse Keys and use it as a rudimentary mouse. Here’s how:

1. Type “Mouse Keys” into the Search Bar and click the option that says “Turn Mouse Keys on or off.”

2. In the window that pops up, drag the “Turn on Mouse Keys” slider to “On.”

3. With Mouse Keys turned on, you can then choose from a few different options to control speed, acceleration, and direction. Using the mouse keys while the Num Lock is on ensures you won’t input random numbers instead of having a mouse.

4. With Mouse Keys enabled the “5” key becomes your mouse click. To change between left and right-click, press the “/” key to switch to left-click and the “-“ key to switch to right-click. The “+” key will double-click and “0” enables drag and drop.

The other directions (including diagonal movement) can be controlled via the number keys.

Using the Trackpad

This may seem like an obvious one, but if you’re using a laptop and don’t have or want to use a mouse, use the trackpad instead. The lower right of the trackpad will usually do the trick, either with a dedicated button, or touch area.