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MacBook trackpad comes with various multitouch gestures incorporated in it that allows you to control the device more efficiently. In this guide, we have listed down the different gestures you can use.
Please note that not all gestures might be supported on older MacBook models as you need a multi-touch trackpad. Apple has listed down the compatible laptops in their archives. For better customization and more gestures, you can even use third-party applications like BetterTouchTool.
Basic Gestures
These are the basic gestures that everyone must know to navigate their way around the Mac.
Left and Right Clicks
With a MacBook trackpad, you do not have physical buttons to click. You can left-click by tapping anywhere once on the trackpad and right-click by tapping two fingers together simultaneously. The three-finger click provides the same function as force touch trackpads, like lookup function.
Scrolling
You can scroll up and down on a webpage or text document by swiping two fingers up and down on the trackpad.
Zoom
The pinch-and-zoom feature that you use on your phone is also available on the MacBook trackpad. To zoom in and out of a document, pinch and loosen with two fingers. Additionally, you can double-tap with two fingers to use the smart zoom option which zooms on the location of the cursor.
Rotatable
In apps like photo editors, you can rotate images by twisting two fingers on the trackpad.
Advanced Gestures
These gestures might be lesser-known, but are equally useful.
Notification Center
You can bring up Notification Center by swiping in from the left edge of the trackpad with two fingers. To make it disappear, swipe it back to the left.
Mission Control and Launchpad
Swipe up with four fingers to access the Mission Control feature, which displays all open applications on the device. You can access Launchpad by pinching your thumb and three fingers together.
Exposé and Show Desktop
To access Exposé, swipe down with four fingers, which displays all windows that are currently open. To show the desktop, make a launch gesture by clumping your thumb and three fingers together and then moving them apart on the trackpad.
Adjust Trackpad Actions
You can also customize your trackpad actions by heading to the System Preferences option and selecting Trackpad. You can then choose among the different controls, check or uncheck the options as per your preference.
With these gestures, you can navigate your MacBook device much more efficiently and effortlessly.
Last updated on May 25th, 2021
FAQs
1. What if some of the gestures are not working on my MacBook?
Not all gestures work on older MacBook models. To check if your device supports the gestures or not, check the archives on the Apple website. Furthermore, some gestures might be turned off. You can customize them in the Trackpad settings of System Preferences.
2. Can I add or customize gestures on my MacBook’s trackpad?
You can add or customize gestures on your MacBook’s trackpad using a third-party application like BetterTouchTool.