Mouse usage in Emacs by default is different than it is in other applications, and it can be confusing for an EmacsNewbie.
You can use the mouse as usual:
‘mouse-1’ (left mouse button) and drag to define the selection (“region”).‘mouse-2’ (center mouse button, or left and right buttons together, if you have no center button) to paste.‘mouse-3’ (right mouse button) to extend the selection or pop up a context-appropriate menu, depending on the current buffer.Check the EmacsManual to learn about additional available mouse actions. In particular:
‘mouse-3’ twice in the same spot to cut (“kill”) the selection.‘M-’) during mouse actions. For example, ‘M-’ while dragging creates and extends the secondary selection; ‘M-mouse-2’ (that is, click ‘mouse-2’ with Meta pressed) to paste the secondary selection.See KeySequence and Region for more about mouse actions.
The TextCursor (not the MousePointer) defines the position of Point, which is one end of the Region. The other end is the Mark. The mark is invisible; point is indicated by the cursor.
You can set point by clicking ‘mouse-1’ or using the arrow keys. You can set the mark in any of these ways:
‘C-SPC’ (point stays where it was)‘mouse-1’ (old point becomes the mark)‘mouse-3’ (becomes the point; old point becomes the mark)If you define the region without using the mouse, it may be invisible; you can make it visible via ‘C-x C-x’, which also swaps the point and the mark.