Right-clicking (R-click)

• Definition: depressing and releasing the secondary mouse button a single time. The secondary mouse button is the right-most button on the top of the mouse.

• Most PC mice have two buttons: a left and a right. As opposed to left-clicking, which is used to accomplish most actions (e.g. opening files, dragging files, opening menus, selecting objects), right-clicking on something usually brings up a context sensitive menu that has options which change depending on what you right-clicked on. For example, right-clicking on the My Computer icon brings up a context-sensitive menu with the following options:
  • Open - Opens My Computer. This action is identical to double left-clicking on the icon.
  • Explore - Opens Windows Explorer (not to be confused with Internet Explorer), which is basically just a different way of displaying file trees than the traditional My Computer interface.
  • Search... - Opens the Microsoft searching menu. Also reachable through Start > Search.
  • Manage - Opens the general system tools wizard which bundles a bunch of administrative tools into one menu package.
  • Map Network Drive - Allows you to add a network drive (such as your Pomona userspace) to My Computer as if it were a normal hard drive.
  • Disconnect Network Drive - Removes a network drive that you had previously mapped from My Computer.
  • Show on Desktop - If selected, a My Computer icon will be displayed on your desktop.
  • Rename - Don't like seeing "My Computer" all the time? Change it to something else with this.
  • Properties - Opens the System Information menu, where you can check all sorts of nifty things (like how much RAM you have, etc.).
• But: r-clicking on an empty section of the desktop brings up a totally different menu (nifty, ain't it?).
• R-click menus are common and very useful. Explore!

For lefties

• If you're left-handed and prefer to use your mouse on the other side of your keyboard, you can switch the functions of the two main mouse buttons:
  • PC: Go to Start > Control Panel > Switch to Classic View (left sidebar - ignore if already in Classic view) > Mouse. Under the Buttons tab, select Switch primary and secondary buttons.
    • NOTE: Exact layout of menu will vary by mouse brand.
  • Mac: Default Mac mice only have one button (although you can simulate r-clicking by holding CTRL and clicking). If you bought a special mouse, consult your manual for information on how to change the button configuration (It's probably somewhere in the System Preferences).