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How to Right Click on an iPad with Touch or a Mouse Download Article Right-click with a long press, mouse, trackpad, and more Co-authored by Chiara Corsaro and Megaera Lorenz, PhD
Last Updated: February 25, 2026 Fact Checked
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This article was co-authored by Chiara Corsaro and by wikiHow staff writer, Megaera Lorenz, PhD. Chiara Corsaro is the General Manager and Apple Certified Mac & iOS Technician for macVolks, Inc., an Apple Authorized Service Provider located in the San Francisco Bay Area. macVolks, Inc. was founded in 1990, is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) with an A+ rating, and is part of the Apple Consultants Network (ACN). This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 44,058 times.
Just like a desktop computer, your iPad allows you to open context menus or perform special actions with a secondary click. If you have an external mouse or trackpad paired with your iPad, you can literally right-click or assign another preferred secondary click in Settings. If you don’t have a mouse, press and hold the item you want to right-click. In this article, we’ll talk you through how to right-click on an iPad, what you can do with right-click, and how to adjust your click or touch settings.
How to Right-Click on iPad with or Without a Mouse
Press and hold items to right-click without a mouse or trackpad.
If you have a mouse connected to your iPad, click the right button or (touch the right surface on a Magic Mouse) to right-click.
Click with two fingers on an external trackpad.
Steps
Method 1 Method 1 of 2:
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1 Touch and hold the item you want to right-click. The touch-and-hold or long-press gesture acts similarly to a right-click on the iPad. It opens Quick Action menus (similar to desktop context menus) and performs other special secondary actions. To do this, touch and hold the item you want to right-click instead of tapping it and immediately letting go. Here are some situations where you can use long press to perform special actions:[1]XResearch source
Touch and hold an image in your Photos library to see a larger preview and open a menu of quick options (including Share, Delete, Copy, Duplicate, and more).
Touch and hold a message in your Mail inbox to preview the message and open a menu of quick options (including replying to or forwarding the message, turning notifications on and off, and more).
Touch and hold app icons on the Home Screen to open a menu of options, including Share App, Require Touch ID, and Remove App.
Touch and hold items in the Control Center to see additional options.
Touch and hold notifications in the Lock Screen to respond to them or see a more detailed preview.
Touch and hold the spacebar on your iPad’s onscreen keyboard to turn it into a virtual trackpad.
2 Adjust your long-press settings in Accessibility. If you want to change the duration of your long press, go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch and select Haptic Touch. Choose between Fast, Default, and Slow. You can test the speed of the touch by long-pressing the image of a flower under the Touch Duration Test header.
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With a Mouse or Trackpad
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1 Connect an external mouse or trackpad to your iPad. You can use a mouse or trackpad with your iPad just like you can with a computer. Most modern Bluetooth mice and trackpads are compatible with iPad, even if they aren’t Apple brand. You will need to have iPadOS 13.4 or later installed on your iPad. To connect your mouse or trackpad:[2]XResearch source
Turn on the mouse or trackpad. You might need to press a button or flip a switch to activate pairing mode.
Open the Settings app on your iPad and select Bluetooth from the sidebar. Make sure the switch next to Bluetooth is toggled on.
Locate your mouse or trackpad under Other Devices and tap it, then tap Pair. You might be prompted to enter a PIN, which should be listed in the documentation that came with your accessory.
If you’re using an Apple Magic Mouse, the pin is “0000”.
Wait for the mouse or trackpad to connect.
You can also connect a wired mouse or trackpad with a USB cable or adapter. Check the manual that came with your device for instructions on connecting it to your iPad.
2 Right-click the mouse or trackpad if it has a right button. If your mouse or trackpad has a right button, it will typically be enabled by default as the “secondary click” button. Using “secondary click” on an iPad brings up special context menus, just like it does on a desktop computer.[3]XResearch source
If you have a Magic Mouse, you can right-click by pressing on the right side of the mouse, even though it doesn’t have separate “buttons”. If right-clicking doesn’t work, you might need to enable Secondary Click in Settings (see the last step in this method).
3 Click with two fingers if you have a trackpad without buttons. With buttonless trackpads, you can typically right-click by pressing the trackpad with two fingers at once.[4]XResearch source If this doesn’t work, you might need to enable “Two-Finger Secondary Click” in Settings (see the next step).
4 Set your secondary click gesture in Settings. If you’re using an Apple Magic Mouse or a trackpad with no right button, you can adjust your secondary click settings in the Settings app on your iPad.
With your mouse or trackpad connected to your iPad, go to Settings > General > Trackpad or Trackpad & Mouse.
Click or tap Secondary Click.
If you’re using a mouse, select Right or Left as your secondary click button. If you have a Magic Mouse, you’ll also see the option to turn secondary click off.[5]XResearch source
If you’re using a trackpad, make sure Two-Finger Secondary Click is enabled.
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Co-authored by: Chiara Corsaro Certified Apple Technician This article was co-authored by Chiara Corsaro and by wikiHow staff writer, Megaera Lorenz, PhD. Chiara Corsaro is the General Manager and Apple Certified Mac & iOS Technician for macVolks, Inc., an Apple Authorized Service Provider located in the San Francisco Bay Area. macVolks, Inc. was founded in 1990, is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) with an A+ rating, and is part of the Apple Consultants Network (ACN). This article has been viewed 44,058 times. How helpful is this? Co-authors: 7Updated: February 25, 2026 Views: 44,058 Categories: Featured Articles | Technology HacksArticle SummaryX
1. Find a link or tab. 2. Tap and hold on the link or tab. 3. The right-click menu will appear. Did this summary help you?YesNo
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Download Article Right-click with a long press, mouse, trackpad, and more Co-authored by Chiara Corsaro and Megaera Lorenz, PhD 
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Co-authored by: Chiara Corsaro Certified Apple Technician This article was co-authored by Chiara Corsaro and by wikiHow staff writer, Megaera Lorenz, PhD. Chiara Corsaro is the General Manager and Apple Certified Mac & iOS Technician for macVolks, Inc., an Apple Authorized Service Provider located in the San Francisco Bay Area. macVolks, Inc. was founded in 1990, is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) with an A+ rating, and is part of the Apple Consultants Network (ACN). This article has been viewed 44,058 times. How helpful is this? Co-authors: 7 Updated: February 25, 2026 Views: 44,058 Categories: Featured Articles | Technology Hacks Article SummaryX
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1 Touch and hold the item you want to right-click. The touch-and-hold or long-press gesture acts similarly to a right-click on the iPad. It opens Quick Action menus (similar to desktop context menus) and performs other special secondary actions. To do this, touch and hold the item you want to right-click instead of tapping it and immediately letting go. Here are some situations where you can use long press to perform special actions:[1] 
2 Adjust your long-press settings in Accessibility. If you want to change the duration of your long press, go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch and select Haptic Touch. Choose between Fast, Default, and Slow. You can test the speed of the touch by long-pressing the image of a flower under the Touch Duration Test header. Advertisement 
1 Connect an external mouse or trackpad to your iPad. You can use a mouse or trackpad with your iPad just like you can with a computer. Most modern Bluetooth mice and trackpads are compatible with iPad, even if they aren’t Apple brand. You will need to have iPadOS 13.4 or later installed on your iPad. To connect your mouse or trackpad:[2] 
2 Right-click the mouse or trackpad if it has a right button. If your mouse or trackpad has a right button, it will typically be enabled by default as the “secondary click” button. Using “secondary click” on an iPad brings up special context menus, just like it does on a desktop computer.[3] 
3 Click with two fingers if you have a trackpad without buttons. With buttonless trackpads, you can typically right-click by pressing the trackpad with two fingers at once.[4] If this doesn’t work, you might need to enable “Two-Finger Secondary Click” in Settings (see the next step). 
4 Set your secondary click gesture in Settings. If you’re using an Apple Magic Mouse or a trackpad with no right button, you can adjust your secondary click settings in the Settings app on your iPad.