What is Force Click and Look Up?
Modern MacBook trackpads do not actually have physical buttons underneath the glass. Instead, they use haptic feedback engines (the Taptic Engine) to simulate the feeling of a click. Because of this technology, the trackpad can detect exactly how hard you press. Apple utilizes this capability with a feature called “Force Click.” By default, if you press down firmly on a word in Safari or a document, the Mac will trigger a quick “Look Up” action, popping up a small dictionary definition, Wikipedia summary, or map preview. While this is an impressive technical demonstration, many users find they constantly trigger the dictionary by accident simply by resting their fingers too heavily on the glass while reading. If you find the popup distracting, you can disable the Force Click action entirely.
How to Turn Off the Look Up Action
You can customize the sensitivity and features of the haptic trackpad through the main System Settings.
- Click the Apple Logo in the top left corner of your screen.
- Select System Settings… (or System Preferences on older macOS versions).
- Scroll down the left-hand sidebar and click on Trackpad.
- Ensure you are on the Point & Click tab at the top of the window.
- Locate the setting labeled Look up & data detectors.
- Click the dropdown menu next to it and select Off.
Alternative Solution: Disable Force Click Entirely
If you don’t care about any of the deep-press features (like fast-forwarding in QuickTime by pressing harder) and just want your trackpad to behave like a traditional, single-click physical button, you can turn the haptic sensor off.
- Stay on the Point & Click tab in the Trackpad settings.
- Look for the toggle switch labeled Force Click and haptic feedback.
- Turn this toggle Off.
Now, no matter how hard you press on the glass, the Mac will only ever register a standard, lightweight single click, completely eliminating all accidental popups and unexpected behaviors.