How to Click Things on a Mac Without a Mouse or Trackpad

You can click almost anything on a Mac without a mouse or trackpad. Turn on Full Keyboard Access to move between buttons with Tab and press them with Space, turn on Mouse Keys to steer the pointer with the number keys and click with I, or use Voice Control and say "Show numbers" to click by number. All three are built into macOS 26 Tahoe, under System Settings > Accessibility.

Here is how to set up each one, what it is good at, and where it falls short.

#Way 1: Full Keyboard Access

Full Keyboard Access highlights the item that has focus and lets you move around and press things with the keyboard alone.

1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Accessibility in the sidebar.
2. Under Motor, click Keyboard.
3. Turn on Full Keyboard Access.

The keys, from Apple's Full Keyboard Access guide:

Key	What it does
Tab / Shift-Tab	Next or previous element
Space bar	Select (click) the focused item
Arrow keys	Move within a group, such as a sidebar or file list
Fn-Control-F2	Move to the menu bar
Fn-A	Move to the Dock
Tab-H	Open Commands Help, the full list of commands
Control-Option-Command-P	Pass-Through Mode, which pauses Full Keyboard Access for apps that need those keys

If you only want Tab to reach every button, not the whole Full Keyboard Access set, there is a lighter switch: System Settings > Keyboard, then turn on Keyboard navigation.

What it can't do: Tab visits controls one at a time, in order, so a button in the middle of a busy toolbar can take many presses. It can't click a spot that isn't a control, like a point on a photo or a design canvas, and it can't drag.

#Clicking links in Safari

By default, Tab on a web page jumps between fields and pop-up menus and skips links. Apple's Safari shortcuts list Option-Tab for the next field, pop-up menu or clickable item, such as a link. To make plain Tab reach links too, open Safari > Settings > Advanced and turn on Press Tab to highlight each item on a webpage. Press Return to follow the highlighted link.

#Way 2: Mouse Keys

Mouse Keys turns part of the keyboard into a pointer, so it reaches things Full Keyboard Access can't.

1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Accessibility.
2. Click Pointer Control.
3. Turn on Mouse Keys.

The keys, from Apple's Mouse Keys guide:

Action	Keyboard	Numeric keypad
Move the pointer	7 8 9 U O J K L	7 8 9 4 6 1 2 3
Click	I	5
Press and hold (start a drag)	M	0
Release	. (period)	. (period)

What it can't do: in Apple's words, "When Mouse Keys is on, you can't use the keyboard or numeric keypad to enter text." So you switch it off every time you need to type. The pointer also moves in steps, and crossing a large screen takes a while.

#Way 3: Voice Control

If you would rather speak, Voice Control can put a number or a name on every item on screen and click it for you.

1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Accessibility.
2. Click Voice Control and turn it on.

Apple's Voice Control setup page notes that the first time, your Mac must be connected to the internet for a one-time download from Apple. After that, it works offline.

Then, from Apple's list of Voice Control commands:

• Say "Show numbers" or "Show names" to label the items on screen.
• Say "Click" followed by a number or name to press it. Saying the number on its own works too.
• Say "Show grid" for a numbered grid over the whole screen, or "Show window grid" for the front window, to reach places that aren't buttons.
• Say "Hide numbers", "Hide names" or "Hide grid" to put them away.

What it can't do: it needs you to talk for every click, which is slow over a full workday and awkward in a shared office or on a call.

#Which built-in way to use

• Your trackpad stopped working today: Full Keyboard Access for buttons and menus, plus Mouse Keys for the odd spot that needs a pointer.
• You'd rather not type or can't: Voice Control.
• You want to stay on the keyboard all day: the built-ins work, but the Tab order and the typing lock add up. That is the gap the next section is about.

#The faster way: No Mouse Mode

No Mouse Mode is a menu bar app that lets you click anything on screen by typing two letters. Press ⇧⌘Space and every button, link, tab, menu and Dock icon gets a small label. Type the letters and it's clicked, in any app. Hold ⇧, ⌘ or ⌥ with the last letter to right-click, open in a new tab or double-click.

It covers the places the built-ins struggle:

• Type to click. Press ⇧⌘/, type a few letters of a button's name and press Return. First letters work, so "dd" finds Desktop & Dock.
• A pointer that doesn't lock your keyboard. Press ⇧⌘M and W A S D glide the pointer. Space clicks, holding it drags, and Return right-clicks. Shortcuts with ⌘, ⌃ or ⌥ still reach your app, and clicking into a text box switches it off so you can type.
• A jump grid. Press E and a 3×3 grid covers the screen and zooms in with each key, so two or three presses reach any point, even in games or design canvases where labels can't.
• Scroll areas. ⇧⌘J numbers every scrollable pane, so you can scroll the one you mean.

Labels work in apps that describe their buttons to macOS, which covers Finder, Safari, Chrome, Mail, System Settings and most Mac apps. For the few that don't, you can turn on reading on-screen text, which uses Apple's text recognition on your Mac. It needs macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon or Intel and the Accessibility permission. Keystrokes are never stored or sent. It's a one-time purchase from $19.99 for one Mac, and setup ends with nine short hands-on lessons.

#FAQ

#How do I click on a Mac without a mouse?

Turn on Full Keyboard Access in System Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard (under Motor), then press Tab to move to a button and Space to click it. For spots that aren't buttons, Mouse Keys in Accessibility > Pointer Control lets you move the pointer with the number keys and click with I.

#How do I right-click on a Mac with only the keyboard?

The built-in tools above don't make it easy. With an app like No Mouse Mode, hold ⇧ as you type a label's last letter, or press Return while steering the pointer with W A S D.

#Why can't I type when Mouse Keys is on?

Mouse Keys takes over the letter and number keys it uses to move the pointer, so Apple notes you can't enter text while it's on. Turn it off in System Settings > Accessibility > Pointer Control before typing.

#Can I click links in Safari with the keyboard?

Yes. Press Option-Tab to move to the next link, or turn on "Press Tab to highlight each item on a webpage" in Safari > Settings > Advanced so plain Tab reaches links. Press Return to open the highlighted one.

#Does Voice Control need the internet?

Only the first time you turn it on, for a one-time download from Apple. After that, Voice Control works without an internet connection.