To right-click without a mouse in Windows 11, select the item with the keyboard and press Shift + F10. If your keyboard has an Application key (often called the Menu key), pressing it does the same thing. On a laptop, you can also tap the touchpad with two fingers.
Applies to: Windows 11.
What you need
A right-click opens a context menu, which is a short list of commands for whatever you clicked, such as Copy, Rename or Properties. The keyboard version works the same way, with one difference: there is no pointer to aim, so Windows opens the menu for the item that is currently selected. That means every keyboard right-click has two parts. First you select the item, then you open its menu.
- Any keyboard: Shift + F10 works with the keys every keyboard has.
- A keyboard with an Application key: one key press instead of two. Not every keyboard includes this key.
- A numeric keypad: only needed for Mouse Keys, which moves the pointer itself with the keyboard.
Right-click with Shift + F10
Shift + F10 displays the context menu for the selected item. It’s the method to learn first because it needs no setup.
- Select the item. In File Explorer or on the desktop, press Tab to move forward between areas of the window and Shift + Tab to move back, then use the arrow keys to move the selection to the file, folder or icon you want. The selected item is highlighted.
- Press Shift + F10. Hold Shift, press F10, then let go of both. The context menu for the selected item opens next to it.
- Move through the menu. Press the Down arrow and Up arrow keys to highlight a command.
- Choose a command or back out. Press Enter to run the highlighted command. Press Esc to close the menu without doing anything.
If nothing is selected, Windows has no item to open a menu for, so you may get the menu for the folder or window instead. Press Esc, select the item again and repeat step 2.
Use the Application key
Some keyboards have a dedicated key for this job. Its official name is the Application key, and it opens a menu of commands related to a selection, the same as right-clicking the selection. Many people call it the Menu key.
- Select the item with Tab and the arrow keys, the same way as in the first method.
- Press the Application key once. The context menu opens.
- Use the arrow keys and Enter to pick a command, or Esc to close the menu.
Compact and laptop keyboards often leave this key out. If you can’t find it, use Shift + F10, which gives the same result.
Windows 11 has two versions of the context menu for files and folders. A normal mouse right-click shows a short menu, with a Show more options entry that opens the longer, older-style menu. Shift + F10 and the keyboard menu key load that longer menu directly. In practice this means a keyboard right-click may show more commands than you are used to seeing after a mouse right-click, which is helpful when the command you want comes from an older app.
If you do have a working mouse and want the longer menu, Shift + right-click displays the Show more options menu for the selected item. That menu gets its own walkthrough in opening the full right-click menu in Windows 11.
Right-click on a touchpad or touch screen
If the mouse is the only thing that stopped working, a laptop still gives you two right-click gestures.
- Touchpad: tap the touchpad with two fingers, or press down in the lower-right corner of the touchpad.
- Touch screen: press and hold the item until the menu appears, then lift your finger.
Touchpad options live in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad. If the two-finger tap does nothing, open that page and check the tap options there.
Right-click with Mouse Keys
Mouse Keys is a Windows accessibility feature that lets the numeric keypad move the pointer and click. Use it when you need to right-click a specific spot on the screen that you can’t select with Tab and the arrow keys, such as a point on a map or a drawing. It needs a keyboard with a numeric keypad.
- Select Start > Settings > Accessibility. Without a mouse, press the Windows key to open the Start menu, then move with Tab and the arrow keys and press Enter to open an item.
- Scroll down to the Interaction section and select Mouse.
- Turn on the Mouse keys toggle. You can also press Left Alt + left Shift + Num lock to turn Mouse Keys on or off from anywhere.
- Move the pointer over the item with the keypad: 8 is up, 2 is down, 4 is left and 6 is right. 7, 9, 1 and 3 move diagonally.
- Press the minus sign (-) on the keypad to make the right mouse button the active button.
- Press 5 on the keypad. Windows performs a right-click at the pointer and the context menu opens.
- Press the forward slash (/) on the keypad to switch back to the left button, so that 5 performs a normal click again.
The button you choose stays active until you change it. If every press of 5 keeps opening a menu, you are still in right-button mode, so press the forward slash.
| Keypad key | What it does with Mouse Keys on |
|---|---|
| / | Selects the left mouse button |
| – | Selects the right mouse button |
| * | Selects both buttons |
| 5 | Clicks with the selected button |
| + | Double-clicks (with the left button selected) |
| 0 | Starts dragging the item under the pointer |
| . | Drops the item |
If the pointer moves too slowly, the same page has a Mouse keys speed setting. Microsoft’s full key list is on its Use Mouse Keys to move the mouse pointer page.
Shortcuts that replace common right-click jobs
Sometimes you don’t need the menu at all, because Windows has a direct shortcut for the command you were going to pick. The complete list is in Microsoft’s keyboard shortcuts in Windows reference.
| Instead of right-clicking to… | Press |
|---|---|
| Open the Start button’s right-click menu (the Quick Link menu) | Windows key + X |
| Open Properties for the selected item | Alt + Enter |
| Rename the selected item | F2 |
| Open the jump list for a pinned taskbar app | Windows key + Alt + the app’s position number |
| Move to the icons in the taskbar notification area | Windows key + B |
| Move through the apps on the taskbar | Windows key + T |
| Show the desktop so you can select an icon | Windows key + D |
How to confirm it worked and how to undo it
A keyboard right-click worked if a menu appears next to the selected item and the arrow keys move a highlight through it. Opening a context menu changes nothing by itself, so there is nothing to undo: press Esc and the menu closes.
Mouse Keys is the only method here that changes a setting. To turn it off, press Left Alt + left Shift + Num lock again, or go back to Settings > Accessibility > Mouse and turn off the Mouse keys toggle. The numeric keypad then goes back to its normal behavior.
Troubleshooting
Shift + F10 does nothing
Check that an item is actually selected, then try again. On some laptops the top row of keys performs other actions unless you hold the Fn key. If yours works that way, hold Fn as well while you press the shortcut. How that behavior is controlled is explained in using the function keys without pressing Fn in Windows 11.
The menu opens for the wrong thing
The menu always belongs to the selected item, not to the place where the pointer happens to be. Press Esc, move the selection with Tab and the arrow keys, and open the menu again.
Holding two keys at once is difficult
Turn on Sticky keys by pressing Shift five times. With it on, you can press Shift, let go, then press F10. When you no longer need it, turn off Sticky keys in Windows 11.
The keypad doesn’t move the pointer
Confirm that the Mouse keys toggle is on, and that you are using the numeric keypad rather than the number row above the letters. If it still doesn’t respond, press Num Lock once and test again, because that key changes how the keypad behaves.
A command is missing from the menu
If you opened the short Windows 11 menu with a touchpad or touch screen, choose Show more options to see the longer list. On a work or school computer, your organization can also remove menu commands or block settings pages, and only your IT administrator can change that.
Frequently asked questions
What is the keyboard shortcut for right-click in Windows 11?
Shift + F10. Select an item first, then press the shortcut to open its context menu. The Application key does the same job on keyboards that have one.
How do I right-click on a laptop without a mouse?
Tap the touchpad with two fingers or press down in its lower-right corner. If the touchpad is not working either, select the item with the keyboard and press Shift + F10. The settings behind those gestures are covered in right-clicking on a laptop in Windows 11.
Can I right-click the desktop with the keyboard?
Yes. Press Windows key + D to display the desktop, select an icon with the keyboard, then press Shift + F10 to open that icon’s menu.
Can I right-click the Start button with the keyboard?
Press Windows key + X. It does the same thing as right-clicking the Start menu and opens the Quick Link menu.
Does Mouse Keys work on a keyboard without a numeric keypad?
Mouse Keys is built around the numeric keypad, so a compact keyboard without one is not a good fit. Use Shift + F10 or the touchpad instead.
Does Shift + F10 work in apps as well as File Explorer?
It works in File Explorer and in dialog boxes. Many apps follow the same convention, but each app decides for itself, so a few may ignore the shortcut.
Once Shift + F10 feels natural, try the direct shortcuts in the table above for the commands you use most, since they skip the menu completely.
Related: how to change right-click options in Windows 11.
Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.
His work can be found on many websites and focuses on topics such as Microsoft Office, Apple devices, Android devices, Photoshop, and more.