How to Swap Left and Right Mouse Buttons on a Mac

macOS Hero Image

Most mice have two main buttons: the primary button and the secondary button. The primary button is usually on the left side of the mouse, but some users prefer to swap them if they are left-handed or have a different preference. Here’s how to do that on your Mac.

First, open System Preferences by clicking on the Apple logo on the menu bar then selecting “System Preferences.”

Open System Preferences on Mac

In System Preferences, locate “Mouse” and click on it. This will open the mouse options.

Open System Preferences and Click Mouse

In Mouse options, find the “Primary Mouse Button” section, then select either Left or Right depending on your personal preference. The default primary mouse button is Left, but some right-handed users use the Right button as primary.

The secondary button is usually used for what many people call “right-clicking,” which is another way to bring up contextual menus or other options with the mouse.

Select Primary Mouse button in macOS

Now you can close System Preferences, and your option will be saved. You can always change it back at any time by visiting System Preferences > Mouse again. Happy clicking!