OS X :: Double Clicking Doesn't Do What It Used To (highlight Text)?
Dec 7, 2008
For some reason, double clicking the trackpad button or with one finger on the trackpad itself (tap-tap, essentially), does not do what it used to.
For instance, if I go to the URL box/bar on the top of Safari double clicking no longer highlights the entire URL string so I can delete it. I manually have to drag from one side to the other, or click the little website icon in the left of the box.
In every single application, double clicking (or tapping) no longer highlights text. It's a pain to always have to drag all the time.
My work computer id acting up. I am running Mac OS X, using a standard, single-button mouse. The problem is, it doesn't want to simply click once and double clicks at random times. I'm not sure when it will happen next, but it's getting annoying. Also, it seems the computer is having trouble highlighting text. When I scroll over text to highlight, it will not stay highlighted. This makes quick copying and pasting impossible.
Keep in mind, this is a work computer and I would not be able to directly manipulate files. Also, our "IT" person usually guesses until she gets it right.
Note: I know that there are probably threads related to this topic, but I did not find any in my searches. I guess the forums match the machines when it comes to not finding what you need.
I have googled this question and followed the instructions, to no avail.I am unable to underline, cross out text and highlight. All other functions under Annotate work.
A couple of months ago, my favorite web browser was Firefox, but as soon as I tested Google Chrome, I changed my choice. I lived happily with it until...
One day, out of nowhere (maybe since Chrome 5.0 update?), I was not able anymore to highlight text. What I mean is that I can highlight the first line or the first three letters (depending on how fast I move on my trackpad). It seems like there is a timer. I have like 500 ms to highlight text and then it stops.
I thought it was Chrome because it seems I am not the only one :
But yesterday, I realised that the bug extended to Microsoft Word!
I don't know what to do anymore... is it a core problem?
I used to be able to click then while holding down my finger highlight an area of text to either copy and paste or to search. Not any more! Also my trackpad will not allow me to click hold and move things. I do not want to have to use a mouse.
Stange one this ( or really obvious and I just can't see the answer ).
I have transfered a CAD program to another computer so I can leave it up and running to do a really long render - several days worth.
So I transfered all relevant files to the new machine ( 17" MBP 2.8 ) - and the programs and files run fine. However the programs control windows were collapsed to a single bar - no problem I thought, I'll just double click them to uncollapse them. But that didn't work, either with the trackpad or the mouse.
I then tried double clicking in windows on other programs, and this didn't work.
So the nub of the problem is that on the new machine the double click feature doesn't work.
How do I turn it on? I've tried looking at System Preferences / Trackpad etc. and can't see the answer.
After I reinstalled Snow Leopard I cannot double click on top of a window to minimize it. What do I do to re-activate that? I used to double click at top of any window/app and it would minimize.
When i double click the HD icon on my desktop the screen flashes real quickly and the window pops open and closes. If i use the 'Go' option in the menu bar i can only view in column mode. when i chose list mode the window flashes and closes immediately.
ALSO when i got to view options.. i do not have all the choices. the bottom half of the window is missing (ie:show items, snap to grid etc)
Anyone know WHY? i have tried trashing the finder plist from preferences.. to no avail. i have zapped PRAM. i have used disk util to repair. Any other ideas?
I have an iMac 21,5 purchased in October 2011. My clicks have gone mad for 2 or 3 days now. It came out of the blue. Whenever I click, it acts like a double click. I've been looking for information on internet but I couldn't find anything conclusive.I have tried a trick in the System Preferences > Mouse > Double click speed, but it hasn't changed anything (I can go extreme slow or quick, same thing happens).Â
I have a Magic Mouse, a random and ultra super plain Logitech mouse (wired) and a common wireless Logitech mouse; the problem is the same for all mice. I also tried my roomate's mouse, and it does the same thing.Â
when I delete email I delete 2 of them. Opening a new tab? Here you go 4 of them. Clicking on a document? Oh no you can't rename it and it opens. Have an important text to type? it's impossible de move the cursor without selecting an entire word or phrase or row. It took me 3 hours to clic on "Categories - Using your iMac Intel" because the box was instantly checked-unchecked.Â
Info: iMac (21.5-inch Mid 2011), Mac OS X (10.7.3)
when i try to highlight text to move it... the highlight disappears... it won't stay.. is that a Mouse problem or a Lion problem..... my imac is pretty old.... 5-6 years?
title says it all really. Every time I touch, even lightly the button below the trackpad I get a double click. It's making it impossible to highlight text and windows automatically go into the dock if I try to move them. Is it something serious or could I just try and fix it by dismantling and cleaning it? I'd rather not take it apart, to be honest.
Why some of my application cannot be open by double clicking the Icon ? and I also tried by right clicking it, the Open it< but still won't work. I tried this with Onyx, photoshop and vuze application.
I have this really annoying issue where my mouse will randomly double click in OS X when i didn't actually double click my mouse. I had this problem before in Leopard (with different mouse) but now it seems the problem has returned with snow leopard. has anyone else had this problem? I checked the mouse properties and there's nothing strange there. I also don't have custom drivers installed. Just default snow leopard drivers.
My perfectly wonderful Mini has started doing the following, in this order:
First, I could no longer double click on a word but the right button functions still worked (and yes, I did try another mouse and had the same problem, then I switched the mouse preference to double click with the right button, but had the same problem). This started two evenings ago.
Second, the next morning, I suddenly couldn't drag the cursor across a word, or a sentence, etc. Now it was really getting annoying, because in my work I paste and copy a lot, and this caused me much, much extra work, so it's not a minor gripe.
Then, by that afternoon, I had a complete system crash. The whole screen froze. I tried turning off my Mini with the power button (which I hated because I know you're not supposed to), but the screen remained frozen.
At that point, done disk repair thing from my original instal DVD. Well, it unfroze the screen, but did not fix the mouse/cursor problem. Clear the PRam. That still didn't work. The next morning (today), it crashed almost immediately. Again, totally frozen. This time, I reinstalled the entire system from the instal disk. No luck.
I came across an app I'd bought the last time I'd had bad Mini problems (and had forgotten), called Disk Warrior, so I tried that. Well, it did find three unfixable, corrupt .plist files that it said could cause system disruption. I thought I'd found the problems. So I deleted all of them AND their apps, downloaded fresh copies of the apps, and restarted. Still same problems.
So, I ran Disk Warrior again, and it reported those same three corrupt plist files. Then I realized it was reporting the ones in the trash, so I emptied the trash, ran Disk Warrior again, and it said NO problems. Restarted and tried to highlight some text, and it worked! But it still wouldn't double click.
Info: Mac mini (Mid 2010), Mac OS X (10.6.8), Mac lover since the SE
Double clicking an icon in my Desktop no longer enables it to open to give the pertinent information available on the icon or folder.Have been unable to figure out what to do to remedy the problem. Did try shutting down computer, but that was ineffective.
Mac screen resolution is getting higher and higher, which is nice, but the downside is that we seem to have lost "what you see is what you get." I have set the default document size of Text-Edit to about the size of an 8 1/2 x 11 document, which fits easily on the screen. I have what appears to be a single page of text. It all easily fits in the document window. The headline fits across the width of the page. But when I choose Print, the print preview shows that the text is going to spill out onto two sheets of paper.  I exit out of the print document and reduce the text size so that it all prints out on one sheet of paper. The problem is, the size of the text onscreen is now TINY! It looks like it's about 6 point while the printed text looks like it's about 12 point! No WYSIWYG!  When I revert the document to the way it was originally, where it was going to print out on two sheets of paper, and then hold my printed document up next to the screen, the printed size matches the onscreen size almost perfectly, even though, if printed out at this size, the text would spill out onto two pages and be huge. In other words, 18 point size text prints out at about 12 points and 12 pt text prints out at about 6pts, so there's about a 6pt difference in how text looks onscreen and how it prints out. Again, No WYSIWYG! My older Macs had much lower-resolution screens, but text printed out at about the same apparent size on screen. I know the original Macs had 72dpi screens so that they would closely match the printed size of text, and I like the fact that monitors keep getting better, but is there a way around this problem of printed text not matching the size of onscreen text?
I cannot play a song on itunes by double clicking the song. I can only play a song by fast forwarding or fast backing from the original song played to the next song I want to play. I can then hit play and the song will play. what is my problem other than general ineptitude?
this is weird. I just installed a new HDD with SL and now my program(s) don't minimize when I double tap them. what did I miss here? is there a setting I don't know about? I have tap to click enabled in the settings tab. but for some reason, my open programs won't minimize when I double tap them.
my mbp i7's double tap doesn't save when i set it to a certain "double-click speed" so when i put my mbp to sleep or restart it, i'm forced to go back to the settings and set my double-click speed again. The point of me doing this is because for some reason, my double-click doesnt register or hi-light the text in the URL or text in essays etc. when its set up to the fourth notch on the slide bar. so i have to put it down to 0 on the bar in order for my double tap to register. Its really annoying to have to redo this every time i come back to my mbp.
Double-click to edit a rule does not respond. It will allow me to create a new rule but I cannot edit it once created. I am using Outlook Mac 2011 Version 14.4.6. My operating system is OS X 10.9.5.Â
i have and aluminum macbook 2.0 but recently i have notice that my trackpad dosent really workS sometimes it wont click when i do it or when i try to drag a windows i have to press it really hard and if i try to drag it only one finger its really hard what should i do?
Just purchased a Magic Mouse to use with my Macbook Pro. When I left click on a Bookmarked Website in Safari it does not open the website it gives me the option to rename the website. Very frustrating. I have to either click on the screen shot above the bookmarks or I have to right click and choose open.
Despite checking the box "place signature above quoted text" in Mail preferences signatures, my signature continues to appear at the bottom of the reply. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. I keep hoping a software update will fix this problem. Do I need to trash my preferences or trash all of my signatures and start over. OS 10.9.3
