In this guide, we will show you various methods to fix the issue of mouse clicks not working on macOS Sonoma. As has been the case with every OS released by the Cupertino giant, the fourteenth iteration follows the same path- one on hand, you’ll be greeted with a truckload of goodies and new features, but on the flip side, you are going to come face to face with a few bugs as well.
In this regard, the latest one to make its way is the inability of the mouse click to work along the expected lines in macOS Sonoma. For some users, both the left and right mouse clicks are affected and hence their usage experience is completely ruined, whereas for others, it’s just the right click that seems to be giving them a tough time.
Moreover, the Magic Mouse, Trackpad as well as the third-party mouse all seem to be affected by this bug. So this all but confirms that the culprit is indeed the OS itself instead of the mouse. With that said, if you are also currently facing this issue, then this guide will help you out. Follow along for the fixes.
Table of Contents
Fix Mouse Click not working in macOS Sonoma
Before starting with the below fixes, we recommend you enable the Mouse keys accessibility shortcut. This will allow you to control the mouse cursor and perform left/right clicks directly from your keyboard which in turn will come in handy while executing the below workarounds. So press the Option (⌥), Command (⌘), and F5 shortcut keys, checkmark Mouse Keys, and hit OK to enable it.
FIX 1: Toggle Mac Bluetooth
First and foremost, you should consider disabling and re-enabling the Bluetooth on your Mac. This will disable the existing connection and would create a new one, which in turn might rectify the underlying issue as well. So let’s give it a try and check out the results.
- Click on the Control Center icon and select Bluetooth.
- Then turn off the toggle next to Bluetooth.
- Now wait for a few seconds and then re-enable Bluetooth.
- Your mouse will now automatically connect to your Mac.
- If that doesn’t happen, then select it from the Devices section.
- Check if it fixes the issue of the mouse click not working on macOS Sonoma.
FIX 2: Turn Off/On Mouse
As the sarcastic saying goes in the troubleshooting domain- “have you tried turning off and on the device”? Well, let’s now put this fix to the test on a serious note and check out the results.
- Flip over your mouse and toggle off the switch.
- Then wait for a few seconds and toggle it back on.
- After that, let it connect to your Mac via Bluetooth.
- You may also do so manually as instructed in Fix 1.
- Now check if it fixes the issue of mouse click not working on macOS Sonoma.
FIX 3: Recharge/Replace Battery
While both the iteration of the mouse are wireless but they have a major differentiating factor when it comes to their recharging. Whereas the first one requires the changing of the battery once it is depleted, the second generation could directly be recharged just by plugging it onto your Mac. So if you own Mouse 1, then replace its battery whereas Mouse 2 users should connect their mouse to their Mac via the lighting port for at least half an hour and then check out the results.
FIX 4: Pair your Mouse Again
Next up, you should consider removing your mouse from the paired devices section of your Mac and then pairing it back again. Here’s how it could be done:
- Click on the Control Center icon and select Bluetooth.
- Then click on Bluetooth Preferences.
- After that, right-click on your Mouse and select Remove.
- Now turn off your mouse and then turn it back on.
- It will now appear in the list of devices. So right-click on it and select Connect.
- Now check if it fixes the mouse click not working issue on macOS Sonoma.
FIX 5: Tweak Mouse Preferences
If your mouse is not performing along the expected lines, its cursor movement is quite slow or laggy, or its gestures are not working, then its underlying settings might be conflicting with the proper functioning of the mouse. Therefore, you might need to tweak them a little bit, as instructed below.
- Click on the Apple logo and select System Preferences
- Then select your Mouse from the menu. It will bring up the gesture list.
- Try disabling/enabling certain gestures under the Point and Click and More Gestures tab.
- Likewise, change the tracking speed to make it in sync with your requirements.
- Once done, check if it fixes the mouse click not working issue on macOS Sonoma
FIX 6: Reset Bluetooth Module
In some instances, your mouse might not be able to establish a successful connection with your Mac due to the latter’s Bluetooth module being corrupted. In such cases, you will have to reset the Bluetooth module on your Mac, using the instructions given below.
- Open Launchpad and go to Other > Terminal.
- Now execute the below command in the Terminal window
sudo pkill bluetoothd
- Once done, re-pair your mouse with your Mac [see Fix 4].
- Check if it fixes the mouse click not working issue on macOS Sonoma.
FIX 7: Reset NVRAM
Both M1/M2 and Intel-based Macs come with NVRAM [Non-Volatile Random Access Memory) which holds information about the configuration of your Mac. They store information related to your desktop settings, mouse, keyboard, time zone, and display resolution, among others. So if this stored data gets corrupted, then its associated hardware or software component might not be able to perform as expected. Therefore, you will have to reset the NVRAM, using the instructions given below:
- If you have an M1 or M2 Mac, then just a normal restart will reset the NVRAM.
- For an Intel-based Mac, you should first turn off your PC.
- Then before the gray screen appears, press the CMD, Option, P, and R keys together.
- Keep on pressing these keys until your Mac restarts and you hear the startup sound.
- Once that happens, you may release the keys and the NVRAM reset is now complete.
- Now reconnect your Apple Magic Mouse and check if it is working or not.
FIX 8: Temporary Disable Anti-Virus
There are a few anti-virus that are yet to be made compatible with the latest OS build. So if you have them installed, then it might conflict with the proper functioning of your Mac and its associated devices, including the keyboard and mouse. Therefore, it is recommended that you temporarily disable your antivirus and check if you can use the mouse or not. If you can, then you should keep it disabled and instead look out for another antivirus app that is in sync with Sonoma.
FIX 9: Delete Mouse Configuration Files
If none of the aforementioned methods managed to work out in your favor, then it might be the case of your mouse’s preferences and configuration settings getting corrupted. To rectify it you will have to delete its config file [Property List-PLIST] and let the OS recreate it from scratch. Here’s how it could be done:
- Launch Finder and press Shift+Command+. keys to show hidden files.
- Then go to Library > Preferences folder and delete the following files:
com.apple.AppleMultitouchMouse.plist com.apple.driver.AppleBluetoothMultitouch.mouse.plist com.apple.driver.AppleHIDMouse.plist
- Once done, restart your Mac and the files will be re-created.
- Now reconnect your Mouse and check out the results.
FIX 10: Use a Wired Mouse
When the issue first came to light in Sonoma, many users were only able to get this issue rectified by switching over to a wired mouse. They had to use this for a few weeks until Apple addressed this bug and ultimately rolled out a fix. So if the above-listed workarounds didn’t spell out success, then you could consider using a wired mouse until the issue is rectified by the OEM.
That’s it. These were the ten different methods that should help you fix the issue of mouse clicks not working on macOS Sonoma. If you have any queries concerning the aforementioned steps, do let us know in the comments. We will get back to you with a solution at the earliest.
