diff --git a/doc/api/next_api_changes/behavior/18172-IHI.rst b/doc/api/next_api_changes/behavior/18172-IHI.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..6a88acbeb71a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/api/next_api_changes/behavior/18172-IHI.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+webAgg backend no longer reports a middle click as a right click
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Previously when using the webAgg backend the event passed to a callback
+by ``fig.canvas.mpl_connect('mouse_button_event', callback)`` on a middle click
+would report `.MouseButton.RIGHT` instead of `.MouseButton.MIDDLE`
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_webagg_core.py b/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_webagg_core.py
index 2155381fbd77..20a5676c4bf1 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_webagg_core.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_webagg_core.py
@@ -260,14 +260,6 @@ def _handle_mouse(self, event):
         # off by 1
         button = event['button'] + 1
 
-        # The right mouse button pops up a context menu, which
-        # doesn't work very well, so use the middle mouse button
-        # instead.  It doesn't seem that it's possible to disable
-        # the context menu in recent versions of Chrome.  If this
-        # is resolved, please also adjust the docstring in MouseEvent.
-        if button == 2:
-            button = 3
-
         e_type = event['type']
         guiEvent = event.get('guiEvent', None)
         if e_type == 'button_press':