Point and click with the mouse or touchpad

Everything on a PC starts with pointing at something and clicking it. This step is pure practice. Nothing you do here can break anything.

The pointer

The small white arrow on the screen is the pointer. It goes where your finger or hand goes.

• On a laptop, slide one finger across the touchpad, the smooth rectangle below the keyboard.
• With a mouse, slide the mouse across the desk.

Lift your finger and put it down again to keep moving. The pointer stays where it was. If you lose it, wiggle your finger fast from side to side and watch for movement. Some PCs make the pointer bigger for a moment when you do this, but not all.

Click

To click means to press once and let go.

• Mouse: press the left button once.
• Touchpad: tap once with one finger, anywhere on the pad. On most Windows laptops a light tap counts as a click. You can also press down until the pad clicks, near its bottom-left corner.

Clicking selects things and presses buttons. It is the most common action on a computer.

Double-click

A double-click is two clicks, fast, without moving the pointer between them. It opens things: a file, a folder, an app icon on the Desktop. If it does not work, click faster. Both clicks must land within about half a second.

Right-click

A right-click opens a small menu of extra choices for the thing you are pointing at.

• Mouse: press the right button once.
• Touchpad: tap with two fingers at the same time, or press down near the bottom-right corner of the pad.

On Windows 11 the menu is short. If the choice you want is missing, click Show more options at the bottom of the menu for the long version.

Drag

To drag: press down on something, keep holding, move the pointer, then let go. With a mouse, hold the left button down while you move. On a touchpad, hold down near the bottom-left corner with one finger and slide with another. Dragging moves files and windows.

Scroll

To scroll is to move a page up or down. On a touchpad, slide two fingers up or down together, without pressing. On a mouse, roll the wheel between the buttons.

Practice

1. Move the pointer to an empty part of the Desktop and right-click. A small menu appears.
2. Press Esc, the top-left key of the keyboard. The menu closes.
3. Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on the Desktop. A window opens.
4. Scroll inside the window with two fingers or the wheel, then close it by clicking the X at its top-right corner.