While laptops often lack a dedicated middle-click button on their touchpads, the middle-click functionality is just as valuable as the left and right clicks. From scrolling through lengthy documents to efficiently managing browser tabs, enabling the middle-click can enhance your productivity on Windows 11. This guide provides several methods to activate middle-click on your laptop touchpad.

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For opening links in another tab in browsers
If you're using Chrome or Edge and want to open a link in a new tab using your touchpad, you can press and hold the CTRL key while tapping the touchpad. This will open the link under the cursor in a new tab without needing to enable middle-click functionality.

Assign Three-Finger Tap Gesture to Middle Click

If your laptop touchpad supports multi-finger gestures, you can easily set up a three-finger tap to mimic the middle-click action. Here's how to do it:

  1. Open Settings by clicking the Start menu and selecting Settings, or press Windows+I.
  2. In the Settings window, select Bluetooth & devices from the left sidebar, then click on the Touchpad tile on the right.
  1. Under the Touchpad settings, scroll down to the Gestures & interaction section and click on Three-finger gestures.
  1. In the Three-finger gestures menu, find the Taps drop-down menu and select Middle mouse button.

Once you've made this selection, the settings will save automatically. You can now tap the touchpad with three fingers to perform a middle-click.

Assign Four-Finger Tap Gesture to Middle Click

If you prefer using a four-finger tap for the middle-click function, follow these steps:

  1. Open Settings by pressing Windows+I, then select Bluetooth & devices on the left and click on Touchpad on the right.
  1. In the Touchpad settings, click on Four-finger gestures to expand the options.
  1. From the Taps drop-down menu, select Middle mouse button.

You can now use a four-finger tap on your touchpad to perform a middle-click.

Assign Three-Finger Tap Gesture Using Registry Editor

If the above methods don't work, you can use the Registry Editor to assign the middle-click function to a three-finger tap:

  1. Press Windows+R to open the Run dialog, type regedit, and press Enter to launch the Registry Editor.
  1. Navigate to the following path:
    Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PrecisionTouchPad
  1. In the right pane, double-click on the ThreeFingerTapEnabled DWORD to edit it.
  1. Change the Value data to 4 and click OK.
  1. Restart your computer to apply the changes.

After restarting, you can use a three-finger tap on the touchpad to perform a middle-click. If you wish to disable this functionality later, set the Value data back to 0 in the same registry entry.

Add Middle Click on a Regular Touchpad

If your laptop doesn't support multi-finger gestures or doesn't have a Precision Touchpad, you might still enable middle-click functionality:

  • Check your touchpad settings in the Control Panel or your laptop's manufacturer software to see if there's an option to enable middle-click.
  • Some laptops allow you to simulate a middle-click by pressing both the left and right touchpad buttons simultaneously.
  • If you have a Synaptics touchpad, update its drivers and look for middle-click options in the Synaptics control panel.

Use AutoHotkey to Enable Middle Click

If the above methods aren't available, you can use AutoHotkey to simulate a middle-click when pressing both touchpad buttons at the same time:

  1. Download and install AutoHotkey on your Windows 11 computer.
  2. Right-click on your desktop, select New, and choose AutoHotkey Script to create a new script file.
  1. Rename the file to something meaningful, ensuring it ends with the .ahk extension (e.g., MiddleClick.ahk).
  1. Right-click the script file and select Show more options, then choose Edit Script.
  1. Erase any existing text and paste the following script: ; Shortcut to middle click on Touchpad in Windows 11 ~LButton & RButton::MouseClick, Middle ~RButton & LButton::MouseClick, Middle return
  1. Save the script and close the editor.
  2. Double-click the script file to run it.

You can now perform a middle-click by pressing both the left and right touchpad buttons simultaneously.

Use Middle Click for Advanced Shortcuts

Enabling the middle-click function can unlock several useful shortcuts in Windows 11:

  • Scrolling: Middle-click on a scroll bar to move the scroll position one page at a time in the desired direction.
  • Open new app instances: Middle-click an app icon on the taskbar to open a new window of that app.
  • Manage browser tabs: Middle-click links to open them in new tabs, or middle-click tabs to close them quickly.
  • File Explorer navigation: Middle-click folders to open them in new tabs or windows.
  • Auto-scroll: Middle-click on a page and move the cursor to automatically scroll in that direction.

By activating middle-click functionality on your laptop touchpad, you can enhance your navigation and multitasking capabilities in Windows 11.