When using a mouse with your MacBook, you may want to disable Trackpad to prevent accidental or unwanted clicks. In this article, you will find the steps to Disable Trackpad on Mac when an external mouse is plugged-in to your Mac.
Accidental Trackpad Clicks on Mac
The trackpad on MacBook Computers has plenty of features and is almost as fast as a mouse. There are many users who completely rely on the Trackpad and do not even consider plugging an external mouse to their MacBook.
However, if you do come across the need to plug an external mouse to your MacBook or you are among those who like using a Mouse, then you may want to disable the Trackpad to prevent accidental or unwanted clicks.
While the trackpad on your Mac is quite good at differentiating between an actual click and your palm brushing the Trackpad, accidental clicks do happen and these can be quite annoying.
Hence, it is a good idea to disable the Trackpad on your Mac while there is a Mouse Plugged-in to it.
Disable Trackpad On Mac When Mouse is Plugged In
The feature to disable the Trackpad on your Mac while a Mouse is plugged-in is hidden in Apple’s Accessibility settings screen.
1. Click on the Apple icon located in the top menu bar on your Mac and then click on System Preferences option in the drop-down menu.
2. On the System Preferences screen, click on Accessibility.
3. On the Accessibility Settings screen, click on Mouse & Trackpad option in the side menu and then check the option for ignore built-in trackpad when mouse or wireless trackpad is present (See image below)
Once you make use of this accessibility feature on your Mac, there is no further need to head back into Settings, in order to enable or disable the Trackpad on your Mac.
From now on, the Trackpad will be Automatically disabled on your Mac, whenever it detects an external Mouse plugged-in to it. Similarly, the Trackpad will be Automatically enabled on your Mac, whenever an external mouse is connected to it.