Many Mac owners have complained about the Apple Magic Mouse right or left click button not working in the system. The Mac owners have shared the experience online. The mouse buttons are not functional, and the owners have performed basic troubleshooting. We have compiled a list of solutions that counters software problems.
Why is Apple Magic Mouse not working?
Let’s look at several reasons why Magic Mouse or third-party manufactured mouse does not work in the macOS machine. I have mentioned a few contributing reasons why the wireless or wired mouse is having problems in the system.
macOS Shortcomings:
Apple software is known for optimization and butter-smooth experience. No one can deny that the software has shortcomings since the word “perfection” doesn’t exist in the universe. There must be a bug or glitch in the macOS or drivers causing the problem.
Mouse Settings:
Apple has worked on the macOS ecosystem for a long time. The in-house developers have added many options for the physical mouse users. You must have turned off or altered the setting in the system. The altered mouse setting could be the reason for the button issue.
Bluetooth Module Issue:
The BT module and driver might be having some unknown clashes. We can rectify the problem by following traditional solutions. You may have to use the terminal to take action and fix the BT driver.
Mouse Saved Form Data:
The macOS saves data related to the connected wireless mouse and wired mouses. A corrupted mouse data file can cause hardware problems. The spare mouse might work, but the primary mouse still faces the issue.
USB Device Driver:
Many MacBook Pro and Mac owners connect to third-party vendor wireless devices. The USB receiver placed in the port might be the issue. We can verify the USB port failure and address the situation.
Battery Power:
Wireless devices require power to function the chip. The Magic Mouse or any wireless mouse requires an AA battery. I haven’t replaced a wireless mouse battery in the last two years. The battery might have run out of juice, and replacement is required.
FIX: Apple Magic Mouse Right or Left Click Button Not Working
We cannot ignore Magic Mouse hardware failure at this point. Apply all solutions that I have mentioned below to fix the Magic Mouse problems. Then you can consider booking an appointment with the Apple authorized service center for an inspection.
Restart MacBook or Mac
Millions leave the macOS machine in sleep mode and turn on the laptop tomorrow to resume work. I Tuadapted to the sleep mode feature saving me minutes in loading the webpages, accessing the dashboard, programs, and much more. You should end the session and let the macOS software dump the temporary files in the bin.
1. Close all programs and save the documents.
2. Click on the Apple logo.
3. Choose the “Shut Down” button.
4. Click “Shut Down” to turn off the machine.
5. Let the macOS machine sleep for a minimum of five minutes.
Turn on the macOS machine, and the software loads the drivers, background processes, programs, and others in the boot-up. The operating system restarts the BT driver and related functions.
Replace AA Batteries
The Magic Mouse or other wireless mouse has batteries resting on the backside. The power resource may have run out, and you should replace the battery. Of course, the mouse user may have forgotten about the power source since we don’t frequently replace the batteries. I haven’t removed the wireless mouse battery in two years.
1. Buy two AA batteries from the store.
2. Choose Duracell (not sponsored) for a long-lasting result.
3. Flip the mouse and remove the cover.
4. Remove the batteries.
5. Use a dry microfiber cloth and clean the insides.
6. Place the new AA batteries in the mouse.
Put the protective cover back in place. You can restart the macOS machine and start testing the mouse.
Charge Magic Mouse
Apple moved on with the battery replacement technology and implemented a built-in battery system in the modern Magic Mouse. You have to charge the Magic Mouse using a Type-C cable charger. I request the readers to procure a spare Type-C charger from an Apple vendor or MFI Certified cable.
1. Click on the Apple logo.
2. Click “System Preferences” to view more options.
3. Choose the “Mouse” option.
4. Check the wireless mouse battery percentage.
The macOS displays the mouse battery charge in the form of a percentage. Monitor the battery percentage pattern and find out if the battery reached the end cycle.
Turn Off/On Mouse
All wireless mice have a physical turn-on/off button. Turn off the wireless device for a few minutes. The hardware will disconnect the connection and take time to cool off the heating components. Give a minimum of five minutes rest and turn on the mouse. Check the mouse performance and learn if the solution fixed the issue.
Remove & Pair Magic Mouse
Apple Magic Mouse and Mac machines have BT modules installed in the system. We have experienced BT technology in smartphones, tablets, iPad, iPhones, Windows, macOS, Linux, etc. I appreciate the backward wireless compatibility technology, but it has had the same connection problem for a long time. The connection stability is a big question with Bluetooth technology, but it occurs occasionally. Remove the BT device and pair again.
1. Click on the Apple logo.
2. Click “System Preferences” to view more options.
3. Choose the “Bluetooth” settings.
4. Find your Magic Mouse or wireless mouse from the connected devices.
5. Click on the X mark beside the Magic Mouse.
6. You have removed the wireless mouse.
7. Re-pair the Magic Mouse from scratch.
You can restart the macOS and turn off the mouse after removing the device from the Bluetooth settings. A new session can give hope of life to the Bluetooth module in the mouse device and MacBook/Mac computer.
Right-Click Not Working
Apple ecosystem is different from Windows and Linux operating systems. The company calls the right-click “secondary click” to sound unique. Users have to enable the secondary click manually in the settings and bring the functionality in the Magic Mouse. Let me show you how to enable the right-click on the wireless mouse.
1. Click on the Apple logo.
2. Click “System Preferences” to view more options.
3. Choose the “Mouse” settings.
4. Locate the “Point & Click” option from the upper menu.
5. Choose the “Point & Click” option.
6. Select the “Secondary click” option.
Close the System Preference window and click the right button on the mouse.
Left-Click Not Working
Did the left click stop working after the earlier changes? You must have selected the wrong option accidentally. The left click is not working because the system assigned the button to the right side. We can correct the mistake and fix the primary button with the right click.
1. Click on the Apple logo.
2. Click “System Preferences” to view more options.
3. Choose the “Mouse” settings.
4. Locate the “Point & Click” option from the upper menu.
5. Choose the “Point & Click” option.
6. Select the “Secondary click” option.
7. Click the “Click on the right side” or “Click on the left side” option.
8. Choose the “Click on the right side” option.
Now, the primary button and the secondary button on the Magic Mouse should work fine. You can back and disable the secondary button option to revert the changes.
Reset Bluetooth in macOS
We don’t know what’s preventing the BT module from creating a stable connection with the Magic Mouse or wireless mouse. It’s a common issue with many BT devices. We can fix the connection problems by resetting the Bluetooth module in the MacBook or Mac computer.
1. Press & hold the Shift and Options keys together.
2. Click on the Bluetooth icon from the status bar
2. Choose the “Reset Bluetooth module” from the drop-down menu.
3. Click the “OK” button to confirm the action.
macOS will reset the software and dump the connection data from the system. The Monetary or later software doesn’t show any signs of reset progress. Meanwhile, you can confirm the BT reset sequence by monitoring the disconnecting and reconnection of Bluetooth devices in real-time.
Delete Bluetooth Saved Form Data
The macOS creates Bluetooth (.plist) file in the system. The plist file might be corrupted, and dump the file in the trash can. You don’t have to worry about the deleted file because the macOS software creates a new one in the next boot.
1. Open “Go to Folder” from the Launchpad.
2. Type the “/Library/Preferences” in the empty field and press the Enter key.
3. Search for the “apple.Bluetooth.plist” file from the folder.
4. Select the plist file and dump it in the trash can.
You can move the file to the desktop for backup purposes.
5. Turn off the Mac computer.
Turn on Mac/MacBook a few minutes later. The software creates a new Bluetooth plist file in the system. You can move back the original file to the location if you want to revert the changes.
Update macOS
I recommend the readers update the macOS operating system. However, I want you to follow a few rules before updating software to prevent errors from your end.
1. Don’t update the software on the first day.
2. Read online news related to the new update.
3. Read reviews or news about the new update. It should be specific to your Mac computer.
4. Create a backup.
I don’t update the operating system on the first day and wait a few weeks.
Bottom Line
Follow the solutions to fix Apple Magic Mouse right or left-click button in the latest macOS operating system. Book an appointment with the Apple service center because the manufacturer offers a warranty on the peripherals. Let us know what happened to your Magic Mouse or wireless mouse and how you solved it.