diff --git a/packages/react-devtools-inline/__tests__/__e2e__/devtools-utils.js b/packages/react-devtools-inline/__tests__/__e2e__/devtools-utils.js
index ca59fa3d914e2..333b47309a3c9 100644
--- a/packages/react-devtools-inline/__tests__/__e2e__/devtools-utils.js
+++ b/packages/react-devtools-inline/__tests__/__e2e__/devtools-utils.js
@@ -37,7 +37,10 @@ async function selectElement(page, displayName, waitForOwnersText) {
       createTestNameSelector('ComponentTreeListItem'),
       createTextSelector(listItemText),
     ])[0];
-    listItem.click();
+
+    listItem.dispatchEvent(
+      new MouseEvent('mousedown', {bubbles: true, cancelable: true})
+    );
   }, displayName);
 
   if (waitForOwnersText) {
diff --git a/packages/react-devtools-shared/src/devtools/views/Components/Element.js b/packages/react-devtools-shared/src/devtools/views/Components/Element.js
index f6a68b652ca5c..f5c30d2d2b0d6 100644
--- a/packages/react-devtools-shared/src/devtools/views/Components/Element.js
+++ b/packages/react-devtools-shared/src/devtools/views/Components/Element.js
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ export default function Element({data, index, style}: Props): React.Node {
       className={className}
       onMouseEnter={handleMouseEnter}
       onMouseLeave={handleMouseLeave}
-      onClick={handleClick}
+      onMouseDown={handleClick}
       onDoubleClick={handleDoubleClick}
       style={style}
       data-testname="ComponentTreeListItem"