<page xmlns="http://projectmallard.org/1.0/"
      type="topic" style="task"
      id="mouse-middleclick">

<info>
 <desc>Use the middle mouse button to open applications, paste text, open tabs, and more.</desc>

 <link type="guide" xref="tips" />
 <link type="guide" xref="mouse#tips" />

 <revision pkgversion="3.2.1" date="2011-10-06" status="final"/>
 
 <credit type="author">
  <name>Tiffany Antopolski</name>
  <email>tiffany.antopolski@gmail.com</email>
 </credit>
 <credit type="author">
   <name>Shaun McCance</name>
   <email>shaunm@gnome.org</email>
 </credit>
    <include href="legal.xml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude"/>
</info>

<title>Middle-click</title>

<p>Many mice and some touchpads have a middle mouse button. On a mouse
with a scroll wheel, you can usually press directly down on the scroll
wheel to middle-click. If you don't have a middle mouse button, you
can press the left and right mouse buttons at the same time to
middle-click.</p>

<p>On touchpads that support multi-finger taps, you can tap with three
fingers at once to middle-click. You have to
<link xref="mouse-touchpad-click">enable tap clicking</link> in the
touchpad settings for this to work.</p>

<p>Many applications use middle-click for advanced click shortcuts.</p>

<list>
  <item><p>One common shortcut is to paste selected text. (This is sometimes
  called primary selection paste.) Select the text you want to paste, then go
  to where you want to paste it and middle-click. The selected text is pasted
  at the mouse position.</p>
  <p>Pasting text with your middle mouse button is completely separate
  from the normal clipboard. Selecting text does not copy it to your
  clipboard. This quick method of pasting only works with the middle
  mouse button.</p></item>

  <item><p>On scrollbars and sliders, a regular click in the empty space moves by a set
  amount (such as one page) in the direction you clicked. You can also middle-click in
  the empty space to move to exactly the location you clicked.</p></item>

  <item><p>In the <gui>Activities</gui> overview, you can quickly open a new
  window for an application in its own new workspace with middle-click. Simply
  middle-click on the application's icon, either in the dash on the left, or in
  the applications overview.</p></item>

  <item><p>Most web browsers allow you to open links in tabs quickly with the
  middle mouse button. Just click any link with your middle mouse button, and
  it will open in a new tab. Be careful clicking the link in the <app>Firefox</app>
  web browser, though. In <app>Firefox</app>, if you middle-click anywhere except
  on a link, it will try to load your selected text as a URL, as if you used
  middle-click to paste it to the location bar and pressed <key>Enter</key>.</p></item>

  <item><p>In the file manager, middle-click serves two roles. If you
  middle-click a folder, it will open in a new tab. This mimics the
  behavior of popular web browsers. If you middle-click a file, it
  will open the file, just as if you had double-clicked.</p></item>
</list>

<p>Some specialized applications allow you to use the middle mouse
button for other functions. Search your application's help for
<em>middle-click</em> or <em>middle mouse button</em>.</p>
</page>
