Right-click menu problem

[pjwren]

Hi there.
Newbie to this site.
I'm having an issue with my refurbished Mac, purchased in 2019 -

MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012)
2.3 GHz Intel Core i7
16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Intel HD Graphics 4000 1536 MB
Mojave 10.14.6

... Basically, every so often, the left-click on the mouse stops functioning correctly and the right-click menu appears instead.
When this happens, everything else seems to freeze, except the ability to move the cursor.
e.g. I'll be working in Logic Pro (I primarily use my Mac for making music), left-click to perform whatever action is needed
and suddenly the right-click menu - corresponding to the area my cursor is covering - appears.
If I switch to the trackpad, instead of the mouse, the same thing happens. At the same time, none of the keypad works and
I end up having to shut down.
Strange thing is, it's so unpredictable. Some days the glitch will appear within five minutes of start-up,
other times I can be working for hours on a project before it emerges ... some days it doesn't happen at all!

I've run first aid in disk utility, and have anti-virus software - both are all clear.

Any help would be much appreciated!

 

[Fishrrman]

Is this a non-retina model? (non retina has the DVD drive on the right side)

The fact that it happens with BOTH an external mouse and a trackpad, might indicate "software".

But to be sure it's not "in the hardware"...

Check the back cover plate.
Is it completely flat?
Or... is the battery swelling at all...?
If the battery starts to swell, it can press against the trackpad, producing unintended results.

I'm wondering if the trackpad on yours is easily replaceable?
Go to ifixt.com to find out.
Might be easy enough to replace it yourself.

If you decide to do that, and if you still have the original platter-based hard drive inside, it can be easily replaced with an SSD for a nice increase in performance.

 

[pjwren]

Thanks for the response.

Yes, non-retina - there's a DVD drive.
And yes, the back cover plate is completely flat - no swelling.

I hope it is just a software problem, but I suspect it might be hardware related ... although I'm not tech savvy enough to know. None of the keys are responsive when the problem occurs, so I don't know if replacing just the trackpad would solve it - does the trackpad affect the keypad? Anyway, I'll check out that link and see what I can do.

Thanks again.