All trackpad gestures on Mac

One of the biggest advantages of macOS is the possibility of using various gestures on the trackpad as on the iPhone and iPad. With Apple computers, users can switch between apps, zoom in on photos, and even do a quick dictionary lookup with just a few taps. Get to know all Mac trackpad gestures.

Mac offers a vast list of gestures. In some cases, combinations can be customized by users. Next, see the options available on macOS separated by the System Preferences tabs.

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Cursor and Click

• Search and data detectors: By placing the cursor over text, for example, and making a strong click with one finger or a three-finger tap on the trackpad, users have access to the meaning in the dictionary, Wikipedia and more;
• Secondary Click: This is the equivalent of the right mouse button to display the context menu. The user can configure it to be displayed in three ways: click or tap with two fingers and click on the lower left or right corner;
• Tap to click: when activated, the user only needs to touch the trackpad to make a click, without the need to press it.

Scroll and Zoom

• Scrolling direction: Sets the direction of scrolling a page when dragging the trackpad with two fingers up or down;
• Zoom in or out: Enables or disables the pinch gesture to zoom in on images, web pages and the like;
• Smart Zoom: Zooms in and out of images and other content by tapping the trackpad twice with two fingers;
• Rotate: change the orientation of images and other objects by touching two fingers on the trackpad and rotating them from side to side.

More Gestures

• Switch between pages: allows you to go back to a web page by scrolling left/right with two fingers, swiping three fingers, or swiping two and three fingers;
• Switch between full-screen apps: switch between full-screen apps by swiping by dragging three or four fingers between left and right;
• Notification Center: Shows the notification centre by swiping two fingers from the right edge to the left;
• Mission Control: Displays Mission Control by swiping up with three or four fingers;
• Exposé For Active App: Shows all open app windows in the foreground when you swipe down with three or four fingers;
• Launchpad: Shows the application menu by putting your thumb and three fingers together;
• Show Desktop: Displays the desktop by separating the thumb and three fingers.

How to configure Mac trackpad gestures

Not all gestures are enabled natively. But you can customize the operating system settings so that the trackpad works the way you want. Find out how below:

1. Go to macOS settings: Click on the Apple menu and enter “System Preferences”;
2. Open trackpad settings: On the home screen of preferences, choose the “Trackpad” option;
3. Choose gesture category: Now just navigate between the “Courses and Click”, “Scroll and Zoom” and “More Gestures” tabs to change the settings;
4. Change settings: You can then enable or disable macOS trackpad gestures. Note that, just below the option name, you can also choose how the command will be triggered. But unfortunately, not all options are customizable.

Okay, now just use the computer normally!