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What is Spring Loading on Mac & Spring Loading vs Double-Click

Updated on Wednesday, February 5, 2025

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Connie Yang

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Jessica Shee

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Summary: This post discusses "What is spring loading on Mac?" and "What is spring loading speed on Mac?" Also, it compares spring loading speed and double-click speed in Pointer Control settings. - From iBoysoft

Perhaps, you encounter the Mac mouse not working or the trackpad's improper behavior and go to Pointer Control in Accessibility to do some fixes, an option named after Spring-loading catches your attention.

If you wonder, "What is spring loading on Mac?" Continue reading our post to get the answer. We'll introduce the main options in Pointer Control settings, including spring loading, spring loading speed, and double-click speed.

What is spring loading on a Mac?

Spring loading on a Mac is a feature that renders you open a folder automatically while you drag an item on top of it with the mouse or trackpad pressed down. This feature is designed to help users access folders and subfolders by dragging.

It greatly reduces the workflow as most of us need to access the folder where we move items into, especially if you want to continue dragging the file into a subfolder or deeper into this directory structure.

To use spring loading on your Mac, enable it in Accessibility > Pointer Control first. Then, drag an item and move it over to the target folder while keeping the trackpad or mouse being pressed. Remember do not release your trackpad or mouse until the target folder automatically opens.

Go to elaborate spring loading on Mac to others.

 

What is the spring loading speed on Mac?

The spring loading feature turns on when you move an item like a document or an app on your Mac to put it over a folder. The target folder will automatically open after a moment of delay.

The spring loading speed option in the Pointer Control settings is to adjust this delay to control how long you need to hover over the folder before opening it.

You can see a slider next to the spring loading speed. If you move the slider to the left, you set a longer delay before the folder opens. Conversely, if you move the slider to the right, you set a shorter delay before the folder opens. If you move the slider on the medium of the bar, a moderate delay goes before opening the folder.

This option helps users who may have difficulty with precise movements or avoid users who might accidentally open folders when dragging items.

Differences between spring loading speed and double-click speed

In Accessibility's Pointer Control settings, you can see the spring loading speed and double-click speed options.

As we learned from the above, the spring loading speed option is used to control the delay for automatically opening the folder when you hover over the cursor on it. So, what is double-click speed on Mac? The double-click speed option is used to adjust the reaction time when you double-click an item with your mouse or trackpad.

Changing both settings can be a rescue when your MacBook Pro trackpad is lagging or the mouse is not working.

If you think this post gives an explicit answer to the question "What is spring loading on Mac trackpad and mouse?", share it with more people.

 

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