Latest macOS 12.1 Beta Appears to Fix Intermittent 'Tap to Click' Issue

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of macOS Monterey 12.1 to developers for testing, and while the much-anticipated Universal Control feature is still not enabled, the latest beta does appear to resolve an issue with the "Tap to Click" trackpad gesture.

macos monterey trackpad system preferences
Since the release of macOS Monterey earlier this year, some users have reported that the "Tap to Click" trackpad gesture would intermittently fail to work. The issue appears to have affected a variety of Macs, ranging from the M1 MacBook Air with a built-in trackpad to an Intel-based iMac paired with a standalone Magic Trackpad.

Following the release of the fourth macOS 12.1 beta today, several users across the MacRumors Forums and Reddit have indicated that they are no longer experiencing issues with "Tap to Click" after updating to this version.

"Tap to Click" can be enabled in System Preferences under Trackpad > Point & Click, allowing users to tap with one finger to click.

macOS 12.1 should be publicly released before the end of the year, with a key new feature being SharePlay, which will allow users to watch movies and TV shows, listen to music, and share their screen with friends and family on FaceTime calls. SharePlay is already available on iOS 15.1, iPadOS 15.1, and tvOS 15.1.

Related Forum: macOS Monterey

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2

iPhone 17 Pro Clear Case Leak Reveals Three Key Changes

Sunday August 31, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series on Tuesday, September 9, and last-minute rumors about the devices continue to surface. The latest info comes from a leaker known as Majin Bu, who has shared alleged images of Apple's Clear Case for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, or at least replicas. Image Credit: @MajinBuOfficial The images show three alleged changes compared to Apple's iP...
iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

iPhone 17 Release Date, Pre-Orders, and What to Expect

Thursday August 28, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
An iPhone 17 announcement is a dead cert for September 2025 – Apple has already sent out invites for an "Awe dropping" event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The timing follows Apple's trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. At the event, Apple is expected to unveil its new-generation iPhone 17, an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

iPhone 17 Pro: 5 Reasons Not to Upgrade This Year

Monday September 1, 2025 4:35 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series this month, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming to...
xiaomi apple ad india

Apple and Samsung Push Back Against Xiaomi's Bold India Ads

Friday August 29, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple and Samsung have reportedly issued cease-and-desist notices to Xiaomi in India for an ad campaign that directly compares the rivals' devices to Xiaomi's products. The two companies have threatened the Chinese vendor with legal action, calling the ads "disparaging." Ads have appeared in local print media and on social media that take pot shots at the competitors' premium offerings. One...
iOS 18 on iPhone Arrow Down

Apple Preparing iOS 18.7 for iPhones as iOS 26 Release Date Nears

Sunday August 31, 2025 4:35 pm PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 18.7 for compatible iPhone models, according to evidence of the update in the MacRumors visitor logs. We expect iOS 18.7 to be released in September, alongside iOS 26. The update will likely include fixes for security vulnerabilities, but little else. iOS 18.7 will be one of the final updates ever released for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR,...
iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2

iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Prices Estimated Ahead of Apple Event Next Week

Tuesday September 2, 2025 1:50 pm PDT by
Just one week before Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series, an analyst has shared new price estimates for the devices. Here are J.P. Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee's price estimates for the iPhone 17 series in the United States, according to 9to5Mac: Model Starting Price Model Starting Price Change iPhone 16 $799 iPhone 17 ...

Top Rated Comments

Westside guy Avatar
49 months ago

tap-to-click, the feature for the people that like accidental input.
I've been using it for roughly two decades - accidental clicks have never been an issue.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
8CoreWhore Avatar
49 months ago
Finally...

Attachment Image
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ramallite Avatar
49 months ago
To be clear, the "tap to click" problem appeared to have been part of a wider problem with the trackpad. Below is the report I sent to Apple last week. I haven't downloaded the latest beta yet, but I hope it fixes all the problems I described below, not just tap-to-click.

--

• Tap to click with one finger: erratic, sometimes need to tap 2-3 attempts for the tap to register.

• Scrolling up or down with two fingers: Seems to be fine.

• Swipe between full-screen apps with four fingers: When swiping to the *right*, it frequently swipes to the *left* screen instead, or starts to swipe to the right but suddenly bounces back to the original screen. When swiping *left*, however, it acts correctly every time. This indicates that swiping to the left with 4 fingers is correct, but swiping to the right sometimes registers as swiping to the left.

• When swiping down with 4 fingers for App Exposé, it frequently bounces back to desktop mid-way through the action. When swiping *up* with 4 fingers for Mission Control, it often takes 2-3 tries to reverse back to the desktop. This indicates that swiping *up* with 4 fingers seems to register correctly, but swiping *down* with 4 fingers actually registers as a swipe *up* some of the time.

• Pinch with thumb and three fingers for Launchpad: Will often end with Mission Control instead (again, incorrectly registering as a 4-finger swipe *up*).
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
VSG Avatar
49 months ago
Hooray!

How many missed clicks I’ve had with Monterey … and using press to click actually drains the the trackpad‘s battery much faster.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BWhaler Avatar
49 months ago
Memory leaks? ProMotion? MagSafe charging?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kasei Avatar
49 months ago
Wow. I thought my trackpad was broken.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)