The Best Trackpad Gestures for MacBook to Enhance Workflow
MacBook users can enjoy a smooth and intuitive experience thanks to the expansive trackpad and its support for a range of helpful gestures. The trackpad is the largest and most responsive available on any laptop, making navigating your Mac effortless.
Knowing a few swipe-and-tap gestures can make navigating and using your Mac much faster. From three-finger swipes to four-finger taps, mastering these shortcuts can help you get the most out of your device.
The Claw-Pinch
Forget manually switching apps - a simple gesture can save you time. Place your thumb and three fingers (index, middle, ring) on the trackpad and squeeze them together to display all your apps in a grid on the launchpad. This underused Mac feature can help you quickly switch between programs.
The Reverse Claw-Pinch
Pinching your trackpad with three fingers and thumb minimizes all open windows, quickly revealing your desktop. This is a great way to access apps and folders without manually minimizing windows, or to take a break from work by admiring your desktop wallpaper.
The Three Finger Drag
Tired of struggling to move files and applications around your desktop with a trackpad? Three-finger dragging can make it easier. To enable this, go to ‘System Preferences’, then ‘Accessibility’ and ‘Pointer Control’. Then, hover over the icon you want to move and place three fingers on the trackpad. You’ll be able to move the file without having to hold any buttons.
Enabling the three-finger drag gesture on your trackpad can make file migration to an external hard drive much easier. Simply click ‘Trackpad Options’, select ‘Enable Drag’ and then choose ‘Three Finger Drag’ from the drop-down menu.
the three-finger swipe Up
Navigating multiple open windows on a Mac can be a daunting task. To make it easier, use the three-finger trackpad swipe to access ‘Mission Control’, which displays all your windows in one place for easy selection.
MacBook users can access Mission Control with a four-finger tap, or switch between desktop spaces with three-finger swipes. This feature makes it easier to manage work and avoid clutter, providing an extra layer of convenience.
The Force Click
Tap any link on the screen with three fingers to force a click and access useful information, such as a preview of a web page or map of an address. Forced clicking also allows you to view dictionary definitions for highlighted words. Once you start using it, it’s hard to stop - so get ready to change your clicking habits!
the two-finger swipe
Swiping two fingers across a trackpad can quickly take you back and forth between pages in your web browser, eliminating the need for the back button. This same gesture also works in other apps, such as Calendar (switching from days to months) and QuickTime (fast-forwarding and rewinding). Experiment with swiping two fingers across different apps to see what else it can do.
The two-finger rotation
For those who frequently manipulate photos, two-finger rotation is a great time saver. By placing two fingers on the trackpad and rotating, users can quickly rotate images in the direction of their fingers. This technique works in applications such as Creative Suite and PhotoShop, making it an ideal tool for meme creators, Photoshoppers or anyone who wants to flip personal photos.
Final note
Make your workflow smoother with these top trackpad gestures for Macbooks. Share this article with friends and family, and contact us if you have any questions.
