Not seeing how to disable right-click menu release click

[madihavu]

This has caused countless accidental clicks in my Mac usage, from Sierra to Big Sur. For the life of me I can't figure out how to disable right-click menu release click.

For instance: I right-click (using mouse, I don't use trackpad) somewhere, a menu opens up, which I want, but then if I accidentally release right-click while the mouse pointer is hovering on a menu item, it selects that menu item. This is driving me crazy.

This doesn't happen on Windows; releasing right-click while hovering on a menu item doesn't activate it, I have to left-click it. This seems like sensible, and accident-proof, behavior. I'm seeing nowhere on Mac or online how to just turn off right-click release activation.

 

[TonyAguila]

Try System Preferences -> Mouse -> Point & Click. Then uncheck “Secondary click.”

 

[madihavu]

Try System Preferences -> Mouse -> Point & Click. Then uncheck “Secondary click.”

Point & Click where?

I'm on macOS Big Sur Version 11.6.1. Which version are you on?

 

[TonyAguila]

Point & Click where?
View attachment 4110
I'm on macOS Big Sur Version 11.6.1. Which version are you on?

Hmm… I’m running macOS Monterey 12.1. Next chance I get, I will boot into Big Sur to try and find that setting.

 

[TonyAguila]

Okay, here is my Mouse preferences window in Big Sur 11.6.2.

I don’t have 11.6.1 installed, so that might be the issue. Is your mouse Apple-branded or third-party? Is anyone else running 11.6.1? Maybe they can check to see…

 

[madihavu]

here is my Mouse preferences window in Big Sur 11.6.2

I don't know why your Mouse settings are so different; did a x.x.1 version difference really add that much of a change?

I don't even have the option to upgrade to 11.6.2...

Here's the Advanced button pop-up:

I'm not using Apple's mouse, I've had too many issues with it. Most other mice I've used (wired, wireless USB, or Bluetooth) have worked far better with far less (or no) finagling. I'm currently using a Logitech Bluetooth mouse (I've tried 6 different Bluetooth mice from various manufacturers, this one has been the best).

It's possible that your option is only there with Apple's mice, which is ridiculous. There's zero logical or technical user-based reason that any mouse with a right-click shouldn't have that option to disable its release select. I don't know why Apple seems to insist on forcing that default on anyone at all. Right-click on mice is right-click regardless of manufacturer. If they're doing it to try to push you into buying their mouse, I find that completely user-hostile and anti-consumer choice; yes I consider options being logical and not manufacturer-arbitrary to force avoidable purchases a consumer rights issue. If that's what they're doing, I consider that rigging the market. Sorry if that sounds political haha, but fixing this shouldn't require me shelling out another $100 to a company that's smart enough to make this disableable on any mouse right-click.

Anyway, sorry to rant. I'm so sick of being artificially pushed into buying more overpriced crap I don't need and don't like just to deal with an inconvenience or problem easily fixable through software. It's exploitative, and a big loss to consumers for a minor gain to already-rich corporations. Maybe there's a hack to adjust this, but that of course risks the integrity of my system.

 

[madihavu]

Oh, I forgot to mention that I'm not upgrading to Monterey, because upgrading to Big Sur when it came out broke some apps I rely on, that took weeks or months to get fixed when the app makers upgraded their software to be compatible with Big Sur.

I'm just gonna wait on Monterey, but the solution for my mouse already exists on Big Sur, I just can't access it for some reason, probably because I don't have an Apple mouse, and there's no good user-based reason that option should be hidden on other mice with right-click.

You know what, Apple's mice don't even have a visible right-click button HAHAAAA... so why should that option only show for those mice?!

 

[madihavu]

Point & Click. Then uncheck “Secondary click.”

Doing some further research on this, I think disabling that option doesn't fix the issue I have (right-click release selecting a menu item)... and Apple just doesn't have a way to disable that.

"The Mac uses a ‘secondary click’ in lieu of a right-click, this is largely because Macs have long kept things simple by keeping a single mouse button – or even no buttons at all on the mouse or trackpad. While the two finger tap mimics the right-click action on Mac and is very intuitive for most of longtime users, newcomers to the Mac world don’t always remember it, or it may too difficult to replicate consistently." - https://osxdaily.com/2012/01/28/change-or-disable-the-secondary-click-in-mac-os-x/

I think the option to disable right-click release select just doesn't exist by default on macOS, and is only even an option as a way to compensate for trackpads having no right-click release physically... so this whole situation has become hilariously ironic. Apple wants right-click release select... I don't. They consider it a convenience, whereas it just causes accidents for me.

The problem is them forcing their convenience on me; so OK, maybe they're not trying to force me to buy their mouse, but they are forcing their counter-productive "convenience" on me, which I do consider user-hostile, even if unintentional. Refusing to add the option to disable right-click release after people have pointed out valid real-world problems with it is intentional.

 

[TonyAguila]

Oh, I forgot to mention that I'm not upgrading to Monterey, because upgrading to Big Sur when it came out broke some apps I rely on, that took weeks or months to get fixed when the app makers upgraded their software to be compatible with Big Sur.

I'm just gonna wait on Monterey, but the solution for my mouse already exists on Big Sur, I just can't access it for some reason, probably because I don't have an Apple mouse, and there's no good user-based reason that option should be hidden on other mice with right-click.

You know what, Apple's mice don't even have a visible right-click button HAHAAAA... so why should that option only show for those mice?!

You can look for 3rd-party utilities to set up your mouse, if the manufacturer doesn’t provide one. I used to rely on USB Overdrive a lot, but I can’t even remember if it can control individual buttons.

You can download older versions of macOS from here:

How to download and install macOS - Apple Support

Download and install current or previous versions of the Mac operating system on compatible Mac computers.

support.apple.com

but I don’t think you can select incremental update levels.

 

[madihavu]

You can look for 3rd-party utilities to set up your mouse

Thanks.

I think the issue is that Apple considers their "magic" mouse to just be a touchpad in the shape of a mouse :/ so it gets the touchpad options.

You can download older versions of macOS

I think this will just add problems because I've never seen the option to disable right-click release select on previous versions of Mac.