Context Menu (Right Click) keyboard shortcut in Mac OS X

Question

Is it possible to invoke a context menu using a keyboard shortcut instead of clicking the right/alt mouse button in OS X? In particular, I would like a menu-key-like feature in OS X. I am wondering whether there is additional third-party software that provides such functionality.

Please note that the Mouse Keys feature is not an option as I don't want to depend on the position of the mouse cursor.

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For Finder (at least), a user has made [a workflow for Alfred](http://www.alfredforum.com/topic/3147-rightclick-%E2%80%94-do-a-right-click-on-finder-files-with-the-keyboard/) to do it successfully without requiring the mouse to hover over the current selected file/folder! I've tested it in Mavericks 10.9.4 and it works even on the Desktop, despite what people say on that Alfred thread. (that may be because I have XtraFinder installed, or because Apple fixed the bug in one of the recent Mavericks revisions) :). So just open the .alfredworkflow file, assign a hotkey to it, and away you go! — , Jul 19 '14 at 02:02

score 20 · Accepted Answer · edited Nov 05 '16 at 15:50

20

After doing extensive research on this topic, I can confirm that there is no built-in mechanism that enables context menu either by direct shortcut or right mouse click simulation. This is due to technical limitations of the operating system, which prevents from determining coordinates of the current selection (e.g., selected element).

Fortunately, in some applications it is possible to use Apple Script to facilitate such action, but this is a strictly application-specific approach.

edited Nov 05 '16 at 15:50

Scott - Слава Україні

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answered Oct 19 '13 at 21:25

czerwin

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How can it be they call the OS the most friendly but can't make some obvious expected things? – Sergei Basharov Sep 12 '14 at 21:19
Excellent question. I wish I could know then answer to this one... I think Apple does not bother because there is no 'magic' (specific) question to perform this action. – czerwin Sep 14 '14 at 11:58
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Mac is NOT the most friendly O/S. Ask any keyboardist. It is hogwash. – WestCoastProjects Oct 19 '14 at 15:47
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I use a mouth stick, physically can't use a mouse. There's a few things I wish were there, but still OS X is leagues better than Windows, Gnome or KDE, trust me. – dazonic May 10 '15 at 06:25
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And than they are saying mac has good UX.... – Shachar Har-Shuv Aug 14 '20 at 09:06
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Any tip on how to do this for Chrome? -Alex – avernet Jun 17 '22 at 20:45

score 5 · Answer 2 · edited Sep 02 '20 at 16:26

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It appears that every post I can find online is either wrong or merely outdated.

In Catalina, you can use System preferences -> Accessibility --> Pointer Control --> Alternate Control methods --> check Enable alternate control methods.

You can reassign the shortcut by clicking on the corresponding options button.

Update by another writer: here is that Dialog Box: this is brilliantly useful for me!

F12 brings up the context menu very close to the cursor (though not precisely as in Windows). This is great.

edited Sep 02 '20 at 16:26

WestCoastProjects

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answered Jul 01 '20 at 23:02

OrthogoNull

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Question reads: I don't want to depend on the position of the mouse cursor. – Forethinker Jul 03 '20 at 21:30

score 2 · Answer 3 · answered Aug 23 '20 at 06:56

User vitor on the Alfred forums wrote this AppleScript which works in Finder on Catalina:

tell application "System Events" to set frontApp to name of first process whose frontmost is true

if (frontApp = "Finder") then
    tell application "System Events"
        tell application process "Finder"
            set _selection to value of attribute "AXFocusedUIElement"
            tell _selection to perform action "AXShowMenu"
        end tell
    end tell
end if

You can save it as a service and set it to activate with a keyboard shortcut.

score 2 · Answer 4 · answered Nov 14 '14 at 13:20

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While the contextual activation is lacking, in OS X you can activate and access the top menu bar using the keyboard, which will give you access to all of the commands in the contextual menu, and more

http://www.cnet.com/news/access-menus-via-the-keyboard-in-os-x/

answered Nov 14 '14 at 13:20

danny80

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Which doesn't help when the context menu is provided by an app inside another app, e.g. websites with custom context menus :/ – Pat May 13 '16 at 18:56

score 1 · Answer 5 · answered Aug 11 '20 at 21:35

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Some applications such as Power BI on a browser will use the combination Shift + F10

answered Aug 11 '20 at 21:35

kiewic

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`Shift-F10` is a typical Windows way to do this, and it seems on MacOS this works only in Microsoft apps. – jakub.g Jan 26 '22 at 21:13

Context Menu (Right Click) keyboard shortcut in Mac OS X

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