A guide to clicking the mouse in Windows

The mouse is a primary way to communicate with a PC. But there is more than one type of function involved in clicking a mouse so it is understandable that newcomers are sometimes confused. There is both a left and a right-click and sometimes a double-click and sometimes a single-click. The table below will sort out some of the confusion.

Table I. Explanation of various mouse actions within Windows
Mouse button	Action	Function
Left	Single-click	Selects something, usually a file, as a target for some action to come next.
Left	Double-click	Causes an action to be carried out, such as opening a file. Note: The Internet is different. For example, clicking once on a link in a browser is sufficient to open the link.
Right	Single-click	Brings up a list of possible actions for an object. Any actions on the list must be clicked again (right or left) before they actually occur.
Right	Double-click	Has no separate meaning