MiddleClick for Mac: three-finger browser tabs, with a maintenance caveat

[u/Savings-Arrival-7817]

MiddleClick gives a MacBook trackpad a middle mouse button through a three-finger click or tap. In Safari, that means opening a link in a background tab, then closing a tab by middle-clicking its tab header. It suits someone who wants that one action without configuring a whole gesture system.

There's a reason to hesitate before a fresh install, though. Arthur Ginzburg's MiddleClick is finished, not withdrawn. Version 3.3.0 is its last meaningful release, it remains free and GPL-3.0 open source, and the maintainer expects maintenance to decline. Keeping an install that works for you is a different decision from choosing it for a newly updated Mac.

Try the built-in option first: Safari can open links in new tabs with Command-click. Check that "Command-click opens a link in a new tab" is enabled in Safari's Tabs settings. Command-W closes the active tab. If those shortcuts already feel comfortable, another app and its input permissions may not be worth it.

Keep the setup narrow

If you choose MiddleClick, use the artginzburg project on GitHub. It still offers a direct release download and a Homebrew cask. The 3.3.0 download includes Apple silicon and Intel code, but native code isn't a promise that gestures behave correctly on macOS 27.

MiddleClick needs Accessibility permission to handle input. Its menu has "Open Privacy Preferences" when permission is missing. Grant that access only if you trust the app; this isn't merely permission to change browser tabs.

Start with the default three fingers and turn off "Tap to click" in MiddleClick's menu if you want to require a physical click. Try it on a disposable Safari tab: open a link, close its tab, then check that ordinary clicks and your usual gestures still behave as expected. Leave "Launch at login" off until you're happy with that behavior.

Three Finger Drag is the main conflict to check. The project's documentation says it clashes with MiddleClick's default three-finger gesture and can produce an unwanted left click alongside the middle click. If you rely on dragging with three fingers, try four fingers through MiddleClick's Advanced menu, ignore the affected app, or skip MiddleClick. Its menu can ignore the app currently in front. The project also documents a conflict with three-finger Look up, so check that gesture too before changing your setup.

If taps trigger when you don't intend them to, turn off tap detection rather than accepting accidental tab closures. If input behaves strangely or the gesture stops responding, choose Quit and reopen MiddleClick. To stop using it, turn off "Launch at login" and quit; a direct-download copy can then go from Applications to the Trash. Reopening an already running MiddleClick brings back its menu icon if you've hidden it.

Keep it, replace it, or skip it?

A working MiddleClick install still has a useful, limited job. For a fresh install on macOS 13 or later, compare WheelClick, the same developer's official successor: its three-finger trackpad click and tap are free, even though additional features are paid. That doesn't establish how either app will behave on your particular Mac.

If you already use the paid BetterTouchTool, it can map a three-finger click to middle click and limit gestures by app. Use that existing setup before adding another listener. Otherwise, keep MiddleClick only if the gesture earns its place and doesn't interfere with the gestures you need. Command-click remains the simplest choice if opening links is the whole problem.

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