Yelp:Mouse Button Conventions

Mouse Button Conventions
Introduction to the Desktop \ Basic Skills \ Mouse Skills

The instructions in this manual are for three buttoned, right handed mouse devices, the most common type. If you use another type of mouse or pointing device, you should take care to locate the corresponding buttons on your mouse. If you use a left-handed mouse see the paragraph on setting mouse orientation below.

Some mice lack a middle button. If you have a two-button mouse device,then your system may be configured to use chording to allow middle button simulation. If chording is activated, you press the left and right mouse buttons simultaneously, to simulate the the middle mouse button. A middle mouse button is by no means necessary to use GNOME.

The mouse button conventions used in this manual are as follows:

Left mouse button


 * The button on the left side of a mouse device. This is the main mouse button, used for selecting, activating, pressing buttons etc... When you are told to "click" it is implied that you should click with the left button, unless specifically stated.

Middle mouse button


 * The middle button of a mouse device. On many mice with a scroll wheel, the scroll wheel can be pushed down for a middle mouse button click.

Right mouse button


 * The button on the right side of a mouse device. Often, this button displays a context menu for the object under the pointer.

Use Mouse Preferences to reverse the orientation of your mouse device. You will then need to reverse the mouse button conventions used in this manual and other GNOME documentation. See Section 8.4.2 ― Mouse Preferences for more information about settingyour mouse preferences.