Right-clicking on a laptop running Windows 11 isn’t always as straightforward as just clicking the right mouse button — especially if you’re coming from a desktop setup. If you’re using a touchpad, it can be a bit different, and it might even be a tad frustrating when it’s inconsistent. Usually, you do it with two-finger taps or by pressing a specific corner of the touchpad, but if that’s not working, it can really mess with your workflow. That’s why it’s worth having a quick dig around to get it sorted. Once you’re set up, you’ll be bringing up context menus for files, apps, or settings without breaking a sweat. The tricky part is, Windows and different laptop models can have varying touchpad behaviours, so a bit of tweaking sometimes helps. And finding the right settings isn’t always obvious, so here’s the lowdown on how to get it working smoothly — especially if things feel a bit off or unresponsive.
How to Fix Right-Click Issues on a Windows 11 Laptop Touchpad
Use Two-Finger Tap Instead of a Single Tap
Many laptops recognise a two-finger tap on the touchpad as a right-click. If it’s not working straight out of the box, make sure this gesture is turned on. Jump into Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Touchpad. Under the “Taps” section, look for options like “Secondary tap” or “Right-click” and switch them on. Sometimes, this feature gets turned off with a Windows update or after a driver reset. Once enabled, just tap with two fingers at the same time, and the context menu should pop up just like a right-click on a mouse.
Honestly, on some setups, it takes a couple of goes to get the gesture recognised properly. Not sure why it needs a toggle, but turning that setting on or off usually sorts it out. Expect the context menu to show up when you do the two-finger tap — way quicker than fiddling with corners all the time.
Enable Pressing the Bottom-Right Corner of the Touchpad
If your touchpad has a dedicated right-click zone, pressing down on the bottom-right corner should do the trick. To double-check it’s enabled, head over to Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Touchpad. Under “Taps” or “Additional settings,” see if “Right-click area” or “Corner right-click” is turned on. Sometimes, this setting’s disabled, and that’s why clicking the corner doesn’t work. Turning it on makes that method reliable. It might seem a bit weird, but some laptops depend on this for right-click detection.
Pro tip: Sometimes, you need to restart your laptop after changing these settings — Windows can be a bit funny like that. On some models, the touchpad might be a tad flaky at first, but it’ll settle down after a reboot.
Update or Reinstall Touchpad Drivers
If neither the gestures nor corner clicking is doing the trick, it could be that your driver’s out of date or wonky. Head to Device Manager (press Windows key + X, then select Device Manager) and expand “Mice and other pointing devices.” Find your touchpad — it’s often labelled as Synaptics or ALPS, depending on your hardware. Right-click it and choose Update driver. Select “Search automatically for drivers” and see if Windows finds an update. If it doesn’t, try visiting your laptop’s website and grabbing the latest driver from there, just to be safe.
Sometimes, uninstalling the driver and rebooting prompts Windows to reinstall a fresh version, which can fix issues with unresponsive gestures or missed clicks. It’s not glamorous, but it often gets things working smoothly again. If you’re comfy with PowerShell or Command Prompt, you can also uninstall the driver with a quick command, but usually, device manager does the job just fine.
Adjust Touchpad Sensitivity and Advanced Settings
Sometimes, the touchpad’s sensitivity is set too low, so taps don’t register properly. Go back to Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Touchpad and look for “Sensitivity.” Set it to “Most sensitive.” Also, check out the “Additional Settings” or “Related Settings” links at the bottom — there, you can switch on features like “Tap with two fingers to right-click.”
If you’re after a bit more control, explore the advanced options in your touchpad driver’s control panel, like enabling “Ignore accidental touches” or tweaking “Drag and scroll” behaviours. A few adjustments here and there can make all the difference for a smooth right-click experience.
Test and Confirm the Fix
Once you’ve tweaked those settings, give it a go in File Explorer. Right-click on a file or folder and see if the menu pops up reliably. If it does, nice one — you’re all set. If it’s still acting up, double-check that the driver updates lodged properly and that the settings stuck after rebooting. Sometimes, Windows doesn’t save changes properly or resets some configs with updates.
If you normally use a mouse plugged in, try unplugging it for a bit and see if the touchpad gestures improve. Likewise, if your device supports multi-touch gestures, make sure those are up to date — Windows 11 leans on those for full gesture support.
The Windows way can be a bit fiddly sometimes, but with a bit of patience, right-clicking on a laptop can become second nature. Keep tinkering with your settings and updating your drivers until everything feels just right.