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Those who use both computer platforms, Windows and Macintosh, sometimes find themselves wishing their Mac could do some of the things available with a right-click of the Windows mouse. A Windows user recently helped me discover that many right click features are available on a Mac. The secret to making your Mac learn to right-click is:

control + click (hold down the control key as you click)
Note: This works with OS 8.5 and higher

 

 

Desktop
Windows view
Similarities
Macintosh view

Windows offers a richer menu of choices but many of the same functions are available on a Mac.

  • One of the things you can do in Properties is to Change the Desktop Background.
  • Active Desktop offers features similar to Mac's View choices.
  • Arrange, Line Up and Refresh accomplish the same things as View, Clean Up and Arrange.
  • Mac's New Folder option is also available in Windows New menu. However Windows offers the ability to launch recent applications from this menu as well.

Alias/Shortcut
Windows view
Similarities
Macintosh view

The Windows right-click menu is customized and may not appear exactly like yours.

  • Create Shortcut is similar to Add to Favorites, an alias is added to the favorites list in the Apple Menu Items.
  • Windows Delete is exactly like Move to Trash
  • Open works exactly the same on each platform
  • Get Info is similar to Properties.

Mac offers two choices not available in Windows

  • The Help menu is found in all Control + click windows
  • Show Original allows you to find the application icon, from which the alias was made

My Computer/Hard Drive
Windows view
Similarities
Macintosh view

The Mac control + click window is weak. It offers some standard choices, some of which don't really apply to a hard drive- Put Away, for example. Put Away is used to remove a floppy disk. Sure hope you can't remove the hard drive with that command!

  • Make Alias and Create Shortcut perform the same functions
  • Get Info and Properties can be used to find specifics about the object.

A list of files
Windows view
Similarities
Macintosh view

In each screen shot you see, a group of files were highlighted so they could be discarded. More choices are available on a Windows computer, but the more common actions can be found in each menu:

  • Delete = Move to Trash
  • Copy = Duplicate
  • Create Shortcut = Make Alias
  • Open = Open

Recycle Bin/Trash
Windows view
Similarities
Macintosh view

If you have cut a document from a directory or from the desktop, you can Paste it into the Recycle bin. That is one of the primary differences between these two windows.

Excel, right/control clicking within a cell
Windows view
Similarities
Macintosh view

Any of the right click features of Excel can be accessed on a Mac by using control + click. All that I know of work exactly the same in Office 97 for Windows or Office 98 for Macintosh.

Word, right/control clicking on a misspelled word
Windows view
Similarities
Macintosh view

Any of the right click features of Word can be accessed on a Mac by using control + click. All that I know of work exactly the same in Office for Windows or Office for Macintosh.

Thanks to Susan Brooks for pointing out this way to make a Macintosh right-click.

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