Slow the double click down
Change how quickly a computer expects two clicks, so that things open on the first attempt instead of the third.
The computer is not judging your clicking. It is running a stopwatch. Two clicks inside about half a second count as a double click; two clicks a fraction slower count as two separate single clicks, and nothing opens.
Half a second was chosen decades ago. If a folder needs three or four attempts to open, that number is wrong for you, and it is a slider.
There is also a setting that removes the double click altogether: single-click to open an item. One click opens things, exactly as a link on a web page does, and you select things by resting the pointer on them instead.
Key points
- Change how long a computer allows between the two clicks of a double click
- Test it on the little folder before leaving the window
- Do away with the double click entirely, so one click opens things
- Recognize two windows or no window as a timing setting rather than a fault
What to remember
- The double-click speed slider is in the old mouse properties window, reached from Additional mouse settings.
- Two windows or no window are the same symptom: the pair was not counted as a pair.
- Single-click to open is a setting in Folder Options, and it makes a computer behave like a web page.
Try this
On a computer, search the Start menu for mouse settings, open Additional mouse settings, and try the little yellow folder in the test area. If it takes more than one attempt, move the slider left and try again.
Practice: Slow the double click down. Your first lesson is free, with no account or card; the rest are part of a Lantern plan. Interactive lessons require JavaScript.