My trackpad works but it won't click, and the right clicker doesn't work either

In my case, I guess it's the battery is swelling up.

I have a MacBook Air, using the trackpad I can still 'tap to click' to select something on the screen, but a real physical click is not possible anymore. You need this for example to drag and drop something, to move a map in Google Maps etc etc.

No external mouse in the neighbourhood here.

If I push the touchpad very hard, I can still 'feel' a small physical click (nothing happens though), however I checked on a newer MBA, there the physical click feeling was still clearly there.

I guess I'll have to replace the battery (myself). It's almost 3 years old...

So I had the same problem just today and I found the following forum post which solved my issue.

Macbook Pro TrackPad not clicking

Also the Kb article on the Apple support pages mentions how to reset the SMC controller, interestingly enough it doesn't mention the trackpad as a symptom but I can vouch for this as being so

Reset the System Management Controller (SMC) on your Mac - Apple Support

Hope this helps!

THANK YOU SO, SO MUCH!!
I hope you realize what an awesome dude you are and how many people you proberbly have stopped from throwing their computers out of the window.

Thank you so much tterrace! This was exactly what my issue was as well. I will admit, it had me stumped for a good 20 minutes as I powered my macbook on and off over and over....so glad i found this thread and your post!

My MacBook Pro (2010) just started doing this a couple of days ago. It works on the forum (weirdly) but when I go to any site with a button to click (i.e. Amazon, Yelp, TripAdvisor, etc) it won't click - I get the little "spinney" coloured ball that spins and spins and spins, but doesn't do anything. I don't think I can remove the battery without unscrewing the whole bottom, which I don't want to do, and I don't have an external mouse. Any suggestions? Thanks for the responses.

My Mac Air started to exhibit this behavior after a few months. I would come back from a meeting plug my notebook in and mouse and trackpad click was dead. I could move them all over but no click. Close lid for 45 seconds - reopen - fixed. But ... What a bore doing that 4 times a day.

Genius bar guy notes he sees this problem once a year and the reliable fix he uses is two step.

1 - Ensure your power cord is using the long extension cord they supply versus being plugged in from the square adapter plug option.

2 - If that fails have your power adapter checked out.

He notes there is a problem with charging that causes this intermittently.

#1 fixed my issue.

THANK YOU! I had even attached a corded mouse and reset the PRAM to no avail. I was about to have my daughter shut it down and take it to Apple tomorrow. I luckily found your post and then found my wire mouse, on and under my daughter...she was sitting on my mouse. I turned if off and problem solved. I am still not sure why connecting a wired Apple mouse would not override the apple wireless, but it work! Thank you again and thank you for saving me from having to make an appointment at the Apple Store only to find that the issue was not able to be duplicated. My daughter would not be sitting in the mouse at the Apple Store!

I started having this problem with my new MacBook Pro a couple hours ago. I tried restarting it, plugging in a mouse, and messing with trackpad options but nothing was helping. There was no wireless mouse nearby.

I shut it down for a few hours and just rebooted it back up and now it's working again! Maybe this happened because I kept it plugged in well after it was fully charged, but I'm not too sure. Happy it's fixed now, though! 🙂

2016 June 1

I am now on the 2nd 'magic' schlockpad that has failed after about 12 to 18 months of use (conveniently exactly after the warranty lapses).

Same problem both times. The trackpad works in every respect except that it won't mouseup. That is, I can click down, or mousedown, but the trackpad never releases. So if I was dragging something in the desktop window, I can never release the thing being dragged.

Second time in just over 2 years this has happened with the schlockpad. What happened to Apple build standards?

Really helped! Thank you!

tterrace, that was it for me. (So simple, too!)

Thanks!

Thanks tterrace, you are a genius.

OMG, This is soooo funny..... you're the man tterrace!! this thread will live forever.... long live tterrace!!

haha no way it was a mouse jammed against something, thanks man. I just upgraded to el capitan recently too so I was positive it was that...I was just about ready to downgrade back to mavericks haha

Thank you! I moved things around on my desk and never use the mouse. Good the the IT guy wasn't around or else he would've really hated me.