How to Fix Right-Click Not Working on GNOME Touchpad (Complete Guide)

Jonas

• 6 min read
How to Fix Right-Click Not Working on GNOME Touchpad (Complete Guide)
Photo by Joshua Tsu / Unsplash

If you've recently installed or updated a Linux distribution with GNOME desktop and suddenly found that clicking the bottom-right corner of your touchpad no longer triggers a right-click, you're not alone. This isn't a bug or hardware malfunction—it's actually an intentional change in how GNOME handles touchpad clicks. The good news is that fixing this issue is straightforward, and you have multiple options to restore the familiar right-click behavior.

Understanding the Issue

What Changed in GNOME

Starting with GNOME 3.28, the default touchpad click method was changed from "areas" to "clickfinger". This change affects devices called clickpads—touchpads where the entire surface acts as a button when pressed down. Unlike traditional touchpads with separate physical buttons, clickpads determine which type of click you want based on either the location of your finger or the number of fingers pressing down.

The new clickfinger method works like Apple MacBooks: clicking with one finger produces a left-click, two fingers produces a right-click, and three fingers produces a middle-click. While this approach has its advantages, many users prefer the traditional area-based method where the bottom-right portion of the touchpad triggers right-clicks.

Who Is Affected

This issue primarily affects users with clickpads on distributions using GNOME 3.28 or later. If your laptop has a touchpad with separate physical buttons below the touch surface, you won't be affected by this change. The change is most noticeable on Dell, Lenovo, HP, and other laptops manufactured in recent years that use buttonless clickpad designs.

Quick Fix Using GUI (Easiest Method)

The simplest way to restore area-based right-clicking is through GNOME Tweaks, a graphical tool that provides access to additional GNOME settings.

Installing GNOME Tweaks

If you don't already have GNOME Tweaks installed, you can get it from your distribution's software center or by running this command in the terminal:

sudo apt install gnome-tweaks

For Fedora users, use:

sudo dnf install gnome-tweaks

For Arch-based distributions:

sudo pacman -S gnome-tweaks

Changing the Click Method

Once GNOME Tweaks is installed, follow these steps:

  1. Press the Super key (Windows key) to open the application menu
  2. Search for and open Tweaks or GNOME Tweaks
  3. Navigate to Keyboard & Mouse in the left sidebar
  4. Locate the Mouse Click Emulation section
  5. Select Area instead of Fingers

The change should take effect immediately. You can now test by clicking the bottom-right corner of your touchpad—it should register as a right-click. If it doesn't work immediately, try logging out and back in, or restart your system.

Command Line Fix (Advanced Users)

If you prefer using the terminal or don't want to install GNOME Tweaks, you can change the click method using the gsettings command.

Viewing Current Settings

First, check your current touchpad configuration by running:

gsettings list-recursively org.gnome.desktop.peripherals.touchpad

This displays all touchpad-related settings. To see only the click method setting:

gsettings get org.gnome.desktop.peripherals.touchpad click-method

Changing to Area Click Method

To enable area-based clicking (bottom-right corner for right-click), run:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.peripherals.touchpad click-method 'areas'

The change should apply immediately without requiring a restart. Test your touchpad by clicking in the bottom-right corner to verify right-click functionality has been restored.

Reverting to Default

If you want to return to the finger-based method or let the system choose automatically, use one of these commands:

For clickfinger method:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.peripherals.touchpad click-method 'fingers'

For system default:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.peripherals.touchpad click-method 'default'

Understanding Click Methods

Area Method

The area method divides the bottom portion of your touchpad into distinct zones. Clicking with one finger in the bottom-left generates a left-click, clicking in the bottom-right generates a right-click, and clicking in the bottom-center can generate a middle-click. The button area typically spans about 10mm in height from the bottom edge of the touchpad.

This method is intuitive for users transitioning from traditional touchpads with physical buttons and allows precise control over which type of click to generate based on finger placement.

Clickfinger Method

The clickfinger method ignores where on the touchpad you click and instead counts how many fingers are pressing down. One finger equals left-click, two fingers equals right-click, and three fingers equals middle-click. This is the method Apple has used on MacBooks for over a decade.

Clickfinger can be more ergonomic for some users since you can click anywhere on the touchpad surface. However, it requires changing your muscle memory if you're used to area-based clicking.

Which Should You Choose

The best choice depends on your personal preference and workflow. You can use both methods simultaneously—area-based clicking and multi-finger taps work together in most configurations. This gives you flexibility: use the bottom-right corner when precision is needed, and use two-finger clicks when your hand is already in position.

Adjusting Right-Click Zone Sensitivity

If you find the right-click area too small or too large after enabling area mode, you can adjust its size, though this requires more advanced configuration.

Why Sensitivity Matters

The default right-click zone occupies approximately half the width of the touchpad at the bottom. Depending on your touchpad size and hand position preferences, you might want to make this zone larger or smaller for more comfortable use.

Modifying Zone Size

While GNOME doesn't provide a GUI option for adjusting zone sizes, the underlying libinput driver does support customization. However, specific zone size adjustments typically require creating custom configuration files or using distribution-specific tools.

For most users, the default zone size after enabling area mode works well without further adjustment. If you require fine-tuned control, consider consulting your distribution's documentation or community forums for libinput configuration guidance.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Settings Don't Take Effect

If changing the click method doesn't work immediately, try these steps:

  1. Log out and log back in to your GNOME session
  2. Restart your computer to ensure all settings are reloaded
  3. Update your system to get the latest touchpad drivers and GNOME packages
  4. Verify you're using a clickpad by checking if your touchpad has physical buttons below it—if it does, the click method setting won't affect it

Right-Click Still Not Working

If area-based right-clicking still doesn't function after making changes:

  1. Check that you're clicking in the correct location (bottom-right corner, not middle-right)
  2. Apply slightly more pressure when clicking—clickpads require a firm press to register
  3. Ensure tap-to-click settings aren't interfering by checking Settings > Mouse & Touchpad
  4. Verify the setting persists by running the gsettings get command again to confirm it shows 'areas'

Using Wayland vs Xorg

GNOME on Wayland uses different configuration methods than Xorg. The gsettings commands and GNOME Tweaks work correctly on Wayland, but older Xorg configuration files (like xorg.conf.d snippets) will have no effect. If you need Xorg-specific touchpad customization, you'll need to switch to an Xorg session at login.

Tap-to-Click Alternative

If you can't get area-based clicking to work, you can still use tap gestures as an alternative:

  • One-finger tap: Left-click
  • Two-finger tap: Right-click
  • Three-finger tap: Middle-click

Enable tap-to-click in Settings > Mouse & Touchpad by toggling the "Tap to Click" option.

Additional Touchpad Customizations

Once you've fixed the right-click issue, you might want to explore other touchpad settings available through gsettings:

Useful Touchpad Settings

Enable natural scrolling (scrolling direction matches finger movement):

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.peripherals.touchpad natural-scroll true

Enable tap-to-click:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.peripherals.touchpad tap-to-click true

Disable touchpad while typing:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.peripherals.touchpad disable-while-typing true

Adjust touchpad speed (range from -1.0 to 1.0):

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.peripherals.touchpad speed 0.5

These settings can be combined with your click method preference to create a touchpad configuration that perfectly matches your workflow.

Why GNOME Made This Change

GNOME developers implemented the clickfinger default to align with modern touchpad usage patterns seen in popular operating systems like macOS. The rationale was that multi-finger gestures provide more consistent behavior across the entire touchpad surface and reduce reliance on finding specific zones for different click types.

However, the GNOME team recognized that user preference varies significantly, which is why they kept the area-based method as an easily accessible option. By providing both methods, GNOME accommodates users with different backgrounds and preferences while still encouraging adoption of contemporary input methods.

By following this guide, you should now have your touchpad right-click functionality working exactly how you prefer it. Whether you choose the traditional area-based method, embrace the modern clickfinger approach, or use both simultaneously, GNOME provides the flexibility to match your workflow. Remember that you can always switch between methods if you want to try a different approach—the settings are easily reversible and require no system restart to take effect.