Touchpad gestures are a great way to interact with your computer. You can use them to control the cursor, open and close files, and more. Here are some tips on how to use touchpad gestures on Windows 10:
- Start by pressing the left mouse button and then drag your finger up or down the screen. This will move the cursor to the top or bottom of the screen.
- To move the cursor left or right, press and hold down the left mouse button and then drag your finger left or right.
- To change the magnification of your touchpad, press and hold down one of its corners and then drag your finger up or down.
If you’ve used a touchpad in Windows 10, you’re no doubt aware of the basic single-finger tapping and two-finger scrolling gestures. Windows 10 also packs in some additional gestures you might not have tried.
Note: Some of these gestures only work with “Precision Touchpads,” so some of these gestures won’t work for you if you don’t have one. You can check whether your laptop has one by opening the Settings app to Settings > Devices > Touchpad.
RELATED: What Is a “Precision Touchpad” on Windows PCs?
Now, on to the gestures! Here are the gestures that Windows 10 supports:
Tap one finger on the touchpad: Select an item (same as left-clicking a mouse). Tap two fingers on the touchpad: Show more commands (same as right-clicking a mouse). Swipe up or down with two fingers: Scroll a page up or down. Pinch or stretch out two fingers: Zoom in or zoom out (magnify or shrink). Swipe up with three fingers: Show all recent activity and open windows via Windows Timeline. Swipe down with three fingers: Minimize everything and show the desktop. Swipe left or right with three fingers: Switch between all windows that are currently open (same as Alt+Tab). Tap three fingers on the touchpad: Open Cortana/search. Tap four fingers on the touchpad: Open Action Center. Swipe left or right with four fingers: Switch between all virtual desktops.
It’s also possible that your touchpad supports additional gestures (or even the ability to create your own) through their own specialized settings app, so be sure to see if your system includes one!