How to Right Click Using the Keyboard on a Mac 1

How to Right Click Using the Keyboard on a Mac

Macs come with a bunch of cool keyboard shortcuts and bindings that make it really easy to perform many tasks on the system. However, if there’s one important keyboard shortcut that has been missing from macOS all these years, it’s that you can’t right-click on a selected item using the keyboard. This particular feature has been available on Windows keyboards since time immemorial, and it’s too bad it’s not on MacBooks. So if you’re looking for a way to right-click from a Mac keyboard, we’ve got you covered.

Right Click Using Keyboard on Mac

Mostly, there has Ways to configure keyboard shortcuts to perform right-click on macOS, but these ways perform right-click wherever the mouse cursor is, rather than the file, folder, URL, or word you select. So, after surfing the web for quite some time, I was able to find three separate ways to right-click on a highlighted item without having to move the mouse cursor there.

note: I tried these methods on my 2017 MacBook Pro running macOS Mojave Developer Beta and they all worked perfectly.

Using Apple Script and Automator

The first (and only free) method of right-clicking on a Mac using a keyboard requires some Apple Script work and some playtime with Automator – both incredibly useful tools Apple has bundled with every Mac. Here are the steps you should follow:

  • Open Automator and create a new Service By selecting ‘Contextual Workflow’.

  • in the drop-down box next to “Workflow purchases” choose “No entry” and make sure the next popup box reads “any application.”

How to Right Click Using the Keyboard on a Mac

  • Use the search box in Automator to search for “.run AppleScript” Drag and drop into Automator workflow.

How to Right Click Using the Keyboard on a Mac

  • Paste the AppleScript code below Modify the comment that says “your script will go here” to add it to the workflow.

tell application "System Events" to set frontApp to name of first process whose frontmost is true
tell application "System Events"
tell application process frontApp
set _selection to value of attribute "AXFocusedUIElement"
tell _selection to perform action "AXShowMenu"
end tell
end tell

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right click mac keyboard automate step 4

  • When you’re done, save the workflow I use “Right Click” with a proper name.
  • Now System Preferencesgo Keyboard -> Shortcuts -> Services. Scroll down and find the service you just created.

How to Right Click Using the Keyboard on a Mac

  • Click ‘Add shortcut‘ to set a keyboard shortcut to the service. I use command+shift+. For this. You can use any keyboard shortcut that is easiest for you to remember. Make sure it’s not a system keyboard shortcut like “command+space” or “command+control+Q”.

How to Right Click Using the Keyboard on a Mac

  • After doing this, go System Preferences -> Security & Privacy -> Privacy -> Accessibility.

How to Right Click Using the Keyboard on a Mac

  • Here, click on the Plus icon to add a new app. Select ‘Automator’ and add it to the list of applications allowed to control your computer.

How to Right Click Using the Keyboard on a Mac

    • You will also have to add each app where you want to use it this keyboard shortcut to the list. I added Finder to make sure the shortcut works when using the Finder app with my keyboard.

After doing all this, you will be able to select any file or folder in Finder and press the keyboard shortcut to open the right-click menu for that file or folder.

Using the Better Touch Tool

If you’re uncomfortable with having to add every single app you want to use the right-click shortcut to to the list of apps allowed to control your Mac, you can use the Better Touch Tool (45-day free trial; license starts at $6.50) additionally. The app is paid but offers a free trial and offers many features. Here’s how you can use the Better Touch Tool to right-click a selected item on a Mac.

  • Launch Script Editor on your Mac and paste the following AppleScript into it. Save the file (I saved it as a right-click script on my Desktop).

tell application "System Events" to set frontApp to name of first process whose frontmost is true
tell application "System Events"
tell application process frontApp
set _selection to value of attribute "AXFocusedUIElement"
tell _selection to perform action "AXShowMenu"
end tell
end tell

How to Right Click Using the Keyboard on a Mac

  • Next Better Tap Tool preferencesgo to Keyboard tab.

How to Right Click Using the Keyboard on a Mac

  • Click “Add New Shortcut or Key Sequence,” choose “Key Sequence” and select the key combination you want to use.

How to Right Click Using the Keyboard on a Mac

  • Click the box under “Trigger Predefined Action“and Select”Launch Application / Open File / Launch Apple Script
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How to Right Click Using the Keyboard on a Mac

  • From the pop-up, Select the Apple Script file you just saved.

That’s it, you can now use your chosen keyboard combination to right-click on your Mac.

Using Alfred

If you don’t want to write and save an Apple Script, you can use a pre-built Alfred workflow. Alfred (free trial; license starts from £19) is a productivity app for Mac and the only paid Mac app outside of BTT that I recommend people check out. There is a free version available, but you will need to purchase Alfred Powerpack to use Workflows.

  • Download Right Click workflow.
  • Open the downloaded file and it will be automatically added to Alfred.
  • you will probably have to install update to the workflow. To do this, open Alfred and type “update”.
  • After the update is installed, navigate to: Alfred Preferences and go “Workflows.”

How to Right Click Using the Keyboard on a Mac

  • choose Right Click workflowand set your preferred hotkey to use for right-clicking.

That’s it, you will now be able to use the hotkey to right-click any selected item on your Mac.

SEE ALSO: Top 10 New macOS Mojave Features You Should Know

Use Your Mac Like a Pro with Keyboard Control

It’s quite possible to use a Mac with just the keyboard, and in most cases it’s easier not to use the trackpad (no matter how good) or the mouse to navigate your Mac. Personally, I’m more of a keyboard oriented person and this shortcut really helps a lot for me. Now that you know how to right-click on a Mac with the keyboard, go ahead and start using your Mac like a keyboard pro. If you run into any issues or know any other method to do this, let me know in the comments section below.

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