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HOW TO: Add mouse button to Apple Macbook Pro for (almost) FREE!

video HOW TO: Add mouse button to Apple Macbook Pro for (almost) FREE!

I never liked the idea of not having a standard mouse click button on my new Unibody Macbook Pro, after doing some looking around online I found a great solution. Using an old DVD case and some double stick tape you can easily put a nice looking button on your trackpad, all in less than 10 minutes! Since people always ask me how my trackpad got the button, i figured i would make this tutorial.

BEWARE, adding anything to your computer MAY void the warranty. proceed at your own risk. I have not brought my computer to apple after adding the button so I dont know if they will care that i added the button, and even if they said anything, the button pops right off. But be careful.

Also, I have tried other materials, but most allow the transfer of gestures from your thumb, through the material, into the trackpad. The plastic from the DVD case really works the best!

8 comments

Nov 17, 2011. 4:42 PMPSPerson says:

I just made mine, but it sticks up too far and when I close my MBP, it pushes the button. I use Insomnia, and this could be a problem...

Dec 8, 2011. 6:10 PMPSPerson says:

Fixed my problem by cutting it out of an old five-star notebook (the one with the thick plastic covers). Bonus that it is blue and matches my Companion Cube decal on the back.

Mar 20, 2012. 1:19 PMPSPerson says:

I now cannot use my trackpad without this.

Nov 10, 2011. 12:15 PMblackcat2 says:

great 'ible. i just got my mac and i happened to see this in the suggestions on the side and this would be great.
simple + cheap = me. :)
if i could make one suggestion even though I'm not sure if this would help or not, i think I'm going to make mine a little less bigger than yours because its black color sort of overpowers the nice silver color of the unibody. but anyways: 5*
thanks for sharing!

Sep 28, 2011. 6:05 PMbrookz says:

you can also tap "click" without actually pressing down on the pad (works well for double clicking, but not drag functions). I can see where having a separate button makes sense. The PowerBooks had it and it was a pretty significant learning curve for me to adjust to not having a button.

Mar 18, 2011. 11:33 AMan4rchyy says:

You know you can use the trackpad as you would a regular trackpad with a button? I myself have a unibody macbook pro. You can have your thumb on the bottom portion of the trackpad and scroll or move the mouse around with other fingers on the upper portion.

Mar 18, 2011. 12:29 PM

chriszep (author) says:

Yes i know that. I used the computer for 2 months or so, and noticed that I was getting a lot of error clicks, or my mouse would kinda shoot across the screen. It also felt like I had to push harder to get a response from the pad. With the button, it always click correctly, the mouse never jumps, and I feel it is a lot easier to use. A couple of my friends have tried it and they all agree that it makes using the trackpad much easier. But again, its not for everyone