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If you own a Mac, you have access to powerful tools in the form of the Magic Trackpad and the Magic Mouse. By learning the different gestures available on these machines, you can navigate your Mac OS X much faster. Here, we’ll share our favorite gestures and answer the age-old question of how to right-click on a Mac.
Enable Gestures for Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad
If you own a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or even use a Magic Trackpad or Magic Mouse with an iMac or Mac Mini, there are several excellent multi-finger gesture commands available to you. To enable them, go to System Settings > [Trackpad or Mouse] and pay attention to the list. Each command has a video demonstration that shows the gesture and what it does. On the left-hand side of each command is a checkbox that you need to tick to enable it. The available gestures can be found in the various tabs, such as Point & Click and More Gestures for the Magic Mouse, with the Scroll-and-Zoom section for the Trackpad.
Scolling on the Trackpad
2-finger scrolling is a very useful gesture, and one that you will use the most. To use it, move your finger across the trackpad to where you want the display contents to move up or down. If you want to use it to navigate a web page, add a second finger and move them in the direction that you want to see. This saves you having to find the scroll bar on the right-hand side of the window or use the outdated CTRL+[Arrow key] in the content to jump to the page.
Disable Natural Scrolling on Trackpad or Mouse
A few years ago, Apple introduced natural scrolling, which emulates the physical act of moving content. However, if you’re used to scrolling in the opposite way, it can be annoying. To disable it on the Trackpad or Mouse, go to the Scroll & Zoom tab and uncheck the “Scroll direction: natural” checkbox.
Right-Clicking on a Mac Mouse
As the Trackpads and the Magic Mouse do not have dedicated buttons on the left and the right, it can be a little confusing at first to get to the right-click menu. In the Point-and-Click tab, you will see the Secondary click task, and that is the one thing that you will need to set up correctly to work. Then, you will be given the option to select either the tap and hold with two fingers anywhere on the trackpad to right-click it or distribute it to the left or right edge of the trackpad to open the menu.
Rotate Photos on a Trackpad
If you use Preview and iPhoto apps a lot, you can use the turn gesture to rotate images by turning a finger and thumb around each other, although you can only rotate 90 degrees at a time.
Other Useful Gestures
Other helpful gestures include “Look up,” “Zoom in and out,” “Navigate websites by swiping,” “Mission Control and App Exposé,” “Take a look at the desktop,” and “Open the notification center.” Each of these can be enabled in the System Settings under Trackpad or Mouse.
By mastering these gestures, you can boost productivity on your Mac and make navigating Mac OS X a breeze.
FAQs
1. Can I use gestures on a non-Apple mouse or trackpad?
It depends on the brand and model. Some mice and trackpads come with built-in gesture support, while others might require third-party software or drivers to enable gesture support.
2. What are some good resources to learn more about Mac gestures?
Apple’s official website has a comprehensive guide to Mac gestures. You can also find many helpful video tutorials on YouTube and other online learning platforms.