This App Gives MacBook a Middle Click
Apple no longer places a middle-click button on its mice. Instead, the company now makes two types of mice for its Mac devices—the trackpad (available for desktops through Magic Trackpad ) and the trackpad-like Magic Mouse . But even if you use one of the touch options that Apple ships with your computer, you can still add the middle-click feature to speed up your workflow.
What can you do with a middle click?
Anyone who’s ever used a mouse on a PC knows that the middle-click button is part of the scroll wheel that current Apple mice don’t have. You can click the scroll wheel to perform certain functions, which vary depending on how the mouse is programmed. Macs still have access to these features because they can use third-party mice, and they include:
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Open links in the background in your browser
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Close browser tabs
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Paste the selected text into your Mac’s terminal.
These things can save you a lot of time and they are really convenient. If you’re switching to a Mac from Windows, you’ll be disappointed by Apple’s lack of focus on the middle click.
How macOS allows you to default to middle-clicking
Although Mac computers don’t come with a middle-click button, you can use the Command shortcut while holding down the left mouse button to perform a middle-click. This works very well, but is a little awkward compared to pressing a single button.
There’s a better way to middle-click on your Mac
If your Mac uses a trackpad or Magic Mouse, you can add a simple, free utility called MiddleClick-Sonoma to give it the middle-click functionality. The app associates middle-clicking with a simple three-finger tap gesture that’s easy to perform on any device. It will open links in the background in all browsers and also close tabs. You can select any text in Terminal, and a three-finger tap will also quickly paste it into the application. In my experience, all these features always work perfectly.
To install MiddleClick-Sonoma, go to its GitHub page and download the zip file. Open it and drag the app into your Mac’s Applications folder using Finder, which will complete the installation. You may see a security warning from Apple, but the app is safe. Go to System Preferences > Privacy & Security on your Mac and click Open Anyway to launch the app.
It will ask for the accessibility permissions required for the application to work. Once this is provided, the final step is to ensure that the application starts when your Mac boots. To do this, go to System Preferences > General > Login Items on your Mac and click the + button under Open at Login . Use the search bar to find MiddleClick and add it. Now the application will work as long as your Mac is running.
Don’t forget to turn off the “Search Up” gesture.
By default, the three-finger tap gesture on your Mac is reserved for search. It allows you to select text and find its meaning, definition, or other information about the term online. I’ve always found this gesture a little annoying since I always accidentally trigger it when I don’t need it.
Since MiddleClick uses the same gesture, it is better to disable “Search Up” to ensure that the middle click does not get interrupted. You can do this on your Mac by going to System Preferences > Trackpad > Point and Click . Now disable search and data detectors . That’s all you need to do so you can middle-click with peace of mind.
Paid alternative with more features.
While MiddleClick-Sonoma is great and free, it does require some setup, and the app usually forks once a year when someone updates it to work with new versions of macOS. This means you may have to reinstall the app annually and set it up again if you update your Mac regularly (you should).
For some this is a big problem. You can avoid this by opting for a paid app, and I think Middle is worth the $8 asking price. Its developer also created Rectangle , a window management application that we ‘ve recommended several times . Middle is easier to install and configure, and it has the benefit of automatic updates (as long as the developer decides to support it).
It also allows you to customize other middle-click gestures. If you don’t like three-finger tap, you can use three-finger snap, four-finger tap, or one-finger force tap instead. This app also allows you to disable the middle click action in some apps, which is nice.