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MacBook Pro Trackpad not physically Clicking? 5 Ways to Fix

It is a common problem where the MacBook Pro trackpad not clicking or working at all. There are many contributing reasons for why the trackpad is not working, and it doesn’t matter if you are using a Hackintosh laptop or MacBook. Of course, there are two possibilities, and they are hardware-related problems and software-related problems. The good part is that you can identify the culprit and resolve it to prevent further failure.

Solved: Why is MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Trackpad not working?

A MacBook lasts a long time, which leads to tear & wear, and there is a lifespan of every component. Apple cannot guarantee that it will work for ten years, but they do inform the consumers that it can register 1,000,000 clicks per life cycle. However, the Cupertino-based company was never informed about the trackpad lifespan, which means that it will last till the warranty period.

The American manufacturer equipped MacBook with high-grade components, so it won’t break or stop working randomly. You should consider software in mind because it is a well-known fact that functions don’t work when software & hardware communication is interrupted. We had many laptops that had keyboard & trackpad stopped working and resolved it using software-related solutions.

Connect External Mouse

The latest macOS edition may have bugs & glitches that are causing the problems, and you cannot solve it until or unless the official developers release an update. Of course, you can take one step towards solving the bug or glitch from time-to-time, but it’s a temporary solution. You can connect an external mouse-like Magic Mouse or a third-party product from Logitech. All 2.0 & wireless mouse work flawlessly on MacBook as long as it has a USB port & Bluetooth connectivity.

  • You can use any wired mouse that supports the USB 2.0 interface.
  • Apple went ahead to add support for USB-C, so you can purchase a converter to connect the old mouse interface.
  • Your MacBook edition may support Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), but it might be difficult to find an adapter in the region. In such cases, you can connect a wireless mouse that costs less than $10, and it will replace the trackpad.

There are many regions where smaller components are not available because Apple products are not a demanded product in the region. However, we consider that a wireless mouse is a much viable solution as the Apple laptop lacks ports.

Software Updates

You have to keep the software up-to-date or to the latest edition as possible because Mac OS X or macOS is not stable throughout the first few releases. We have seen greater impact performance and identified bugs & glitches throughout the new releases. You should update the software from time-to-time to patch up the loopholes and shortcomings.

You have to keep the system up-to-date to avoid further software-related problems. Remember, the trackpad may seem like one component and a single driver, but there’s a lot of things that go on to make it work. One driver failure is enough for trackpad not clicking issue.

Turn on Trackpad – Tap-to-click

There might be a problem in drivers or the trackpad itself, but we can resolve the problem by enabling the “tap to click” option. You no longer have to use the buttons and rely on the tap system, which works flawlessly. The process takes less than a minute to do, so this isn’t a complication.

You need an external mouse to select the options, so connect a wireless mouse or wired mouse for navigation.

  • Press the “Command + Space” buttons to open “Spotlight”.
  • Look for “Trackpad” from the options and then press-enter to open the “System Preferences.”
  • The “Trackpad” window will show up on the screen, and then click to select “Tap-to-click” to turn on the function.

Close the window and then check if the tap-to-click function is working or not. You no longer need the buttons to select or enter, which makes life easier for the consumers. Of course, it’s going to take a few hours to get used to it, but it is handy that function that we prefer.

Reset NVRAM and PRAM

NVRAM (nonvolatile random-access memory) and PRAM (parameter random-access memory) are small amounts of memory used for settings on your MacBook Pro. They store things like your screen brightness, sound volume, and time zone.

MacBook Pro is unique in many ways, and Apple developed software that allows NVRAM & PRAM to store small amounts of settings configuration. The random storage is designed to store small amounts of configuration like Sound Volume, Brightness, Current Time, Session information, and more.

You can reset the information to remove trackpad data from it, and it will begin fresh session to collect new information.

  • Go to Apple and then click on Shut Down to turn off the MacBook. Make sure the laptop is fully turned off, so you can proceed to apply the resetting process.
  • Now, press the power button and then press & hold “Option + Command + P + R” to launch the command.
  • Wait for 20 seconds and then release all keys at once, and you will hear the second startup sound, and then the Apple logo will appear on the screen.

Remember, you may hear the startup sound two times, and then the Apple logo will appear on the screen. The MacBook is no longer holding a previously-stored configuration, which gives room for the trackpad to set a new configuration.

Delete Plist Files

macOS works a lot different compared to the Windows & Linux software. The Apple desktop OS stores user settings and preferences and the service is called “Property List Files” or “Plist List Files.” The desktop operating system automatically generates it in the background as you use the machine. It is common for the plist files to corrupt, which can cause a lot of problems and cause communication problems between hardware & software. You can remove it from the PC, so plist files can create a fresh one from scratch.

  • Click to open “Finder” in the machine.
  • Look for “Go” then click on “Go to Folder.”
  • The window shows up on the screen and then type “Type /Library/Preferences” and press enter.
  • Another window shows up on the screen and finds & delete the following plist files.
    • com.apple.preference.trackpad.plist
    • com.apple.driver.AppleHIDMouse.plist
    • com.apple.AppleMultitouchTrackpad.plist
    • com.apple.driver.AppleBluetoothMultitouch.mouse.plist
    • com.apple.driver.AppleBluetoothMultitouch.trackpad.plist

If you find additional ones in the list, then ignore them and remove the mentioned plist files only. Empty the trash can once the deletion process is finished and then restart the MacBook to start a new session.

Nurdin Navodiya
An avid young Blogger, Tech Writer, Web Developer and Founder of iTechCliq.com.

6 COMMENTS

  1. Definitely thought this was going to be a hardware issue where I would have to take it to apple to get fixed but the Reseting of NVRAM and PRAM worked for me! Thanks for this.

  2. I fixed mine by just switching the trackpad off (the little button on the back of it) – waited a couple of minutes, switched it back on and hey presto it worked fine again – happy days!

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