How to setup and use Force Click on the Mac

Posted April 13, 20159 yr

The 2015 versions of the MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro come with Apple's all-new Force Touch Trackpad, and that comes with Force Click.

A Force Click lets you not only click like you would on a traditional, mechanical trackpad, but press harder to engage a second click, or a range of pressure-sensitive clicks. For example, click on an icon and then Force Click to get a QuickLook, or click on a word and then Force Click to get a dictionary definition. All of this comes enabled by default on the new MacBook and on the 2015 13-inch MacBook Pro but you can toggle it off or back on in System Preferences.

How to enable or disable Force Click on OS X

Launch System Preferences.
Click on Trackpad.
Check or uncheck Force Click and haptic feedback.

How to adjust Force Click firmness on OS X

Launch System Preferences.
Click on Trackpad.
Select between Light, Medium, and Firm.

"Light" makes it easy to engage the deeper Force Click while "firm" needs you to put even more muscle behind it.

How to assign Force Click on OS X

Launch System Preferences.
Click on Trackpad.
Click on Look up & data selectors
Set it to Force Click with one finger to use Force Click, or Tap with three fingers to disable Force Click.

Force Touch and Force Click are brand new, and Apple has only just begun experimenting with them. No doubt other functionality, and third party app implementations, will follow.

MacBook