How to Right-Click on Chromebook

What to Know

Using a Chromebook keyboard: Hover the cursor over the item you want to right-click, press and hold the Alt key, and tap the touchpad with one finger.
On a Chromebook Touchpad: Hover the cursor over the item you want to select and tap the touchpad using two fingers.

This article explains how to right-click on Chromebook to copy and paste text or access hidden menus. Instructions in this article apply to laptops with Chrome OS.

How to Right-Click on the Chromebook Touchpad

Most Chromebooks have a rectangular touchpad with no extra buttons. Tapping or pressing anywhere on the touchpad with one finger results in a left-click. To perform a right-click, hover the cursor over the item that you wish to select and tap the touchpad using two fingers.

If you connected an external mouse to your Chromebook, you should be able to use the right mouse button.

How to Right-Click With the Chromebook Keyboard

You can right-click using the touchpad in combination with the keyboard. Hover the cursor over the item you want to right-click, press and hold the Alt key, and tap the touchpad with one finger.

Why Use Right-Click on Chromebook

Right-clicking serves many purposes that vary depending on the application. Often, right-clicking an object displays a context menu that presents options that aren't offered in other areas of the program. For example, right-clicking in a web browser displays options to print the current page or view its source code, among others.

A few Chromebook extensions, such as CrxMouse Chrome Gestures, add advanced touchpad functionality to Google Chrome.

To paste an item from the clipboard, right-click the destination and select Paste or use the Ctrl+V keyboard shortcut.

How to Disable Tap-to-Click Functionality

If you prefer an external mouse, you may want to disable tap-to-click functionality to avoid accidental clicking while typing. To turn off tap-to-click:

Select the Chrome OS taskbar in the lower-right corner of the screen and select the Settings gear from the menu.
Select Device in the left menu pane and then select Touchpad.
Locate Enable tap-to-click and use the toggle switch next to it to turn the tap-to-click feature on and off.

Changes take effect immediately, so you must press down on the touchpad to turn tap-to-click back on.

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