Mac trackpad gestures that make you faster

The most useful Mac trackpad gestures: switching apps and desktops, Mission Control, swiping back, looking up words, and how to turn each one on.

By Rudra Satani, maker of NotchMind ·

Moving around

Gesture Does
Three-finger swipe up Mission Control
Three-finger swipe down App Exposé: windows of the current app
Three-finger swipe left or right Switch between full-screen apps and desktops
Two-finger swipe left or right Back and forward in Safari, Finder and many apps
Pinch with thumb and three fingers Launchpad
Spread thumb and three fingers Show desktop

Some use four fingers by default; set them in System Settings → Trackpad → More Gestures.

Text and look up

  • Force click or three-finger tap a word to look it up.
  • Two-finger tap to right-click.

Make it lighter

System Settings → Trackpad → Point & Click → Tap to click saves pressing the trackpad down. Accessibility → Pointer Control → Trackpad Options turns on three-finger drag.

In the notch

Notch apps add their own: in NotchMind, which I make, a two-finger swipe sideways moves between Home pages, a swipe up hides the current activity and a swipe down brings it back. See notch gestures.

About the author

Rudra Satani makes NotchMind, a notch app for Mac, so read anything about notch apps here with that in mind. Spotted a mistake? Email support@notchmind.com, or reach out at @rudraxx13.