Much like how you might not realize how significant the handy copy-paste functionality in Windows is until it stops working, you might not realize the same when it comes to the right-click menu or the context menu in Windows. Microsoft released its newest firmware for PCs and laptops in the form of Windows 11. However, after upgrading to the latest platform, many users have reported that the right-click is not working on their PCs and laptops.
So, if you are one of the few users who are experiencing the right-click not working in Windows 11 issue on their PCs and laptops, you have come to the right place. In this in-depth guide, we will discuss some of the best fixes for the right-click not working issue in Windows 11. Stick around to find out more!
Now, when we usually press the right mouse button on any screen in Windows 11, the OS is designed to show a pop-up context menu with shortcut actions like copy, paste, new, and others. However, for some users, the context menu is not opening with the right-click on their Windows 11 PCs and laptops.
Below you can find some of the top solutions that could fix the right-click not working issue in Windows 11 with just a few clicks. Be sure to try them all out on your device one by one to see which one works for you.
1. Restart Your Windows 11 PC or laptop
Oftentimes, system-level issues such as the right-click not working issue could arise due to conflicts with background applications or processes. In this case, a quick restart of your Windows 11 device can help you resolve the right-click not working issue as a restart force-closes all the running apps and processes in Windows, and also clears out the RAM.
So, head over to the Power options menu in Start and hit the Restart button to perform a quick restart of your Windows 11 PC or laptop. Following the restart, check whether the right-click not working issue is fixed or not.
2. Check Your Hardware and Connection
If restarting your PC or laptop did not fix the right-click not working issue in Windows 11, check the physical mouse that you are using and test whether or not the right mouse button is actually broken. If you are using a wired mouse, check the connection points and see if they are properly inserted.
And if you are using the touchpad on your laptop, check for touchpad damage as well. In the case of Bluetooth-enabled, wireless mice, you might want to reconnect your mouse to your Windows 11 PC or laptop to check if it fixes the right-click not working issue.
3. Check the Touchpad Settings in Windows 11
Now, if you are using a Windows 11 laptop, chances are that you single-tap with two fingers to open the context menu. So, if you see that the right-click gesture is not working via the touchpad of your Windows 11 laptop, you might want to check the Touchpad settings on your device.
In Touchpad settings in Windows 11, you have to make sure that the Tap with two fingers to right-click option is enabled. Follow the steps right below to enable that on your laptop:
1. Use Windows + I to launch the Settings app on your Windows 11 laptop.
2. Under the Bluetooth & devices tab on the left nav bar, click the Touchpad option.
3. On the following page, click the Taps section to expand it and make sure that the checkbox for Tap with two fingers to right-click is marked.
Now, you can use the two-finger gesture to open the right-click context menu on your Windows 11 laptop.
4. Restart Windows Explorer in Windows 11
The Windows Explorer background process is an essential operation that is responsible for handling various system functions such as JPG and PDF previews. Hence, minor issues in the Windows Explorer background process can cause the right-click not working issue on your device.
In this case, follow the steps below to restart the Windows Explorer process in Windows 11 and hopefully, fix the right-click not working issue on your device:
1. Use the Ctrl + Shift + Esc shortcut to launch the Task Manager in Windows 11.
2. Click the Processes tab on the left navigation bar.
3. Search for Windows Explorer using the search bar.
4. Select the said Windows Process and click the Restart task button above.
After that, close the Task Manager window and check whether the context menu is showing up or not when you right-click.
5. Update the Mouse Driver in Windows 11
Outdated drivers for the mouse that you are using can also cause issues like right-click not working in Windows 11. In this case, you can update the mouse driver on your PC or laptop to get rid of unwanted bugs and glitches that could be causing the said issue. Follow the steps below to update the mouse driver on your Windows 11 PC or laptop:
1. Use Windows + X to open the Quick Links menu in Windows 11.
2. Click on Device Manager to open the program.
3. In the Device Manager window, click the arrow beside the Mice and other pointing devices option to expand it.
4. Now, double-click on your primary mouse driver.
5. Go to the Driver tab and click the Update Driver button.
6. Select the Search automatically for drivers option in the following window.
7. Wait for Windows to automatically install the latest available updates.
8. Restart your Windows 11 PC or laptop.
6. Re-Install the Mouse Driver in Windows 11
If updating the mouse driver on your Windows 11 PC or laptop did not fix the right-click not working issue, the next thing you can try is to reinstall the driver on your device. Follow the steps right below to do that:
1. Open the Device Manager in Windows 11 as explained in the previous method (Fix #5).
2. Expand the Mice and other pointing devices section and double-click on your primary driver.
3. Under the Driver tab, click the Uninstall Device button.
4. Confirm your action on the following prompt.
5. Wait for Windows to uninstall the driver.
6. Restart your Windows 11 PC or laptop.
Following the restart, Windows 11 will automatically detect the hardware change in the system and will re-install the mouse driver. So, after restarting your device and logging into Windows, check whether the right-click not working issue in Windows 11 has been fixed or not.
7. Run the Bluetooth Troubleshooter in Windows 11
Now, if tweaking the mouse driver in Windows 11 did not help fix the right-click not working issue, you might want to run the Bluetooth troubleshooter in Windows 11. This solution, however, is applicable only to those who are using a Bluetooth-enabled, wireless mouse with their PC or laptop as it resolves Bluetooth-related issues in Windows 11. So, follow the steps below to run the Bluetooth troubleshooter in Windows 11:
1. Use Windows + I to launch the Settings app in Windows 11.
2. Under the System tab on the left nav bar, go to the Troubleshoot menu.
3. Click the Other troubleshooters button on the following page.
4. Next, click the Run button beside the Bluetooth option.
5. Wait for the troubleshooting process to complete and make the suggested changes, if there are any.
6. Restart your Windows 11 PC or laptop.
Following the restart, check whether the right-click not working issue with your wireless mouse has been fixed or not.
8. Change Power Management Settings for USB Root Hub in Windows 11
Now, unlike the above fix that is only applicable to wireless mouse users, this fix is exclusive to those using wired mice. In this solution, you can change the power management settings of the root USB hub on your Windows 11 device to try and fix the right-click not working issue. Follow the steps right below to do that:
1. Launch the Device Manager in Windows 11 as explained in Fix #5.
2. Now, click the arrow beside the Universal Serial Bus Controller option to expand it.
3. On the list, find the USB Root Hub (USB 3.0) option and double-click to open its properties.
4. Go to the Power Management tab on the top nav bar and uncheck the box for Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.
5. Click the OK button to save the changes.
6. Restart your Windows 11 PC or laptop.
9. Run SFC Scan in Windows 11
For system issues such as the right-click not working issue in Windows 11, the System File Checker scan, popularly known as the SFC scan, can be really helpful. The SFC scan is essentially a command-line tool that scans the system file directory on your PC or laptop and replaces corrupt or missing system files.
So, if the right-click not working issue is being caused by issues in system files, the SFC scan can actually fix it. Follow the steps right below to run it on your Windows 11 device:
1. Use Windows + S to open Windows search and search for cmd.
2. Click the Run as administrator button for the Command Prompt tool on the search results page.
3. Click Yes on the following User Account Control prompt.
4. In the Command Prompt window, type in the following command and press Enter:
sfc /scannow
5. Wait for the scan to complete.
6. Restart your Windows 11 PC or laptop after completion.
10. Run DISM Scans in Windows 11
If the SFC scan did not work for you, try the Deployment Image Servicing and Management scan in Windows 11 to try and fix the right-click not working issue. The DISM scans are a set of SFC scan-like command-line tools that helps resolves issues in Windows disk images. Hence, these scans can also fix the right-click not working issue. Follow the steps right below to run the DISM scans in Windows 11:
1. Open the Command Prompt tool as an administrator as explained in the previous solution (Fix #9).
2. Once the tool opens, type in the following commands and press Enter one by one:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealthDISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealthDISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealthNote: Do not run the above commands simultaneously in Command Prompt.
3. Wait for the scans to complete.
4. Restart your Windows 11 PC or laptop.
11. Scan for Viruses/ Malware in Windows 11
Other than issues in system files, hardware, and misconfigured settings, the right-click not working issue can also arise due to viruses and malware residing in your system. In this case, you can use the built-in Windows Security tool to scan your Windows 11 PC or laptop and remove the threat actors that might be causing the issue. Follow the steps right below to do that:
1. Use Windows + I to open Windows Settings.
2. Go to the Privacy & security tab on the left nav bar and click the Windows Security option.
3. Next, select the Virus & threat protection option.
4. Click the Quick scan button on the following page to initiate the scan.
5. Wait for the scan to complete.
Note: You might have to remove/ uninstall third-party applications that contain the threat actors.
6. Restart your Windows 11 PC or laptop.
12. Update Windows 11
Now, if all the above methods fail to fix the right-click not working in Windows 11 issue on your device, you are probably running an outdated Windows version. In this case, a minor bug or glitch can cause issues like right-click not working and a quick update could fix that right away. So, follow the steps right below to update your Windows 11 PC:
1. Use Windows + I to launch Settings in Windows 11.
2. Under the Windows Update tab on the left nav bar, click the Check for updates button.
Note: You must be connected to an active internet network at this point.
3. Once the updates show up, click the Download and install button to install them on your device.
4. After the update process is complete, restart your Windows 11 PC or laptop.
Following the restart, the right-click not working issue in Windows 11 should be fixed on your device.
FAQs
Why is the right-click not working on my Windows 11 laptop?
The right-click not working issue is quite common amongst Windows 11 users and can be caused by a variety of factors, including damaged hardware, outdated drivers, misconfigured settings, issues in system files, and a few others.
How to enable right-click on my Windows 11 laptop?
On Windows 11 laptops, you can go to the Touchpad settings under the Bluetooth & devices tab and check the box for Tap with two fingers to right-click option. This way you can use the two-finger tap gesture on your laptop touchpad to open context menus in Windows 11.
If the right-click is not working on your Windows 11 PC or laptop, you can use the left click to select the file, app, or link for which you want to open the context menu. With the relevant app or file selected, press the Shift + F10 shortcut on your keyboard to open the context menu without right-clicking.
Wrapping Up
So, this was all about fixing the right-click not working issue on Windows 11 PCs and laptops. Try all the above-listed solutions on your device and let us know in the comments which one worked for you in fixing the right-click not working issue on your Windows 11 device. You can also check out similar guides to fix other Windows 11-related problems on your PC or laptop using the link right here!
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