Read on to discover the most useful Mac trackpad gestures that make navigating your MacBook an absolute breeze and speed up your workflow here.
Have you just bought a new Macbook? Which one did you get? Was it the MacBook Air or did you splash out on the latest MacBook Pro 16 inch? Maybe you also got some Apple Airpods Pro to add to your portfolio. They are amazing devices but only if you know how to use them.
One of the most novel features of the Macbook is the Mac trackpad which replaces the traditional mouse. To use it you need to know some special Mac trackpad gestures as it doesn’t have a standard right or left-click option.
Here are some trackpad gestures you need to know to get you through.
1. Clicking With a Tap
One of the standard questions asked about Mac is how do you click on a Mac when it doesn’t have the standard right/left click buttons of a computer.
This post might offer you some insight:
https://setapp.com/how-to/right-click-on-a-mac
However, you can also click simply by taping with one finger. An Apple computer trackpad is a clever device. It can tell the difference not just between different trackpad gestures but it can also detect how many fingers you use.
If you use just one finger to tap then you can click without having to worry about complex clicking mechanisms. It’s simple.
2. Two-Finger Scrolling
If you have a normal Windows computer or you use a non-Apple mouse for your computer you will know that scrolling usually involves using a specific scroll wheel built-into your Mac.
This can be annoying and difficult to use. Equally some mouses don’t even have a scroll wheel built-in. You must, therefore, scroll manually using the arrows on the browser window.
This can be annoying. Instead, you might want to take advantage of the shortcut on Apple’s trackpad for scrolling.
You can use two of your fingers together to scroll up or down a page. This can be a great feature for navigating a long article in an online newspaper article.
If you use Apple’s Safari browser you might want to take advantage of the reader feature which blocks any adverts and creates a nice full-size screen in your window to read documents. The two-finger scrolling shortcut is perfect for that.
Other Scrolling Features
There are also a host of other things you can do with two-finger scrolling. You can swipe between two pages if you have a long book-style document loaded that you are trying to get through.
If you swipe left with two fingers from the right edge of the trackpad you will open up the notification center. The center is perfect for looking at your notifications such as the weather or the current value of the stock market.
3. Zooming In
Another thing you can do with the trackpad is zooming in. Instead of using command and the zoom key which can be a hassle and can interrupt your workflow you can instead use the shortcut of pinching to zoom
Pinch your two fingers together and then pierce them apart or move them together as if they are claws to zoom in or zoom out on a document of file.
This is a great shortcut if you are typing and want to see a letter or sentence that you’ve written up close but don’t want to interrupt your typing.
It can also be useful if you are working on a drawing or image and want to see some of the details more closely.
You can also use a similar gesture to rotate your image. Rather than pinching to zoom you pull your fingers apart more slowly as if you are turning a dial on an oven or other appliance.
4. Show The Desktop
Another great shortcut feature or Mac trackpad gesture is the ability to show the desktop. This can be important if you have many windows and tabs open. You can avoid the clutter by using your thumb and three fingers to swipe across the trackpad.
This will reveal your desktop. Of the reasons, this could be a good shortcut for you is if you save lots of your files to the desktop to use later.
Rather than having to scroll through the desktop file you can see the files on your desktop and can drag and drop the files you want. The shortcut enables you to see what you have screenshotted or saved to your desktop from the internet.
Mac Trackpad Gestures Are Great
Using Mac trackpad gestures can be a great way of getting the things you want out of your new computer. No longer do you have to bother with awkward scrolling techniques or key combinations.
Instead, with a few swipes of your fingers across a mouse, you can open the programs you want and make the adjustments to the documents you need. From scrolling and zooming in using your trackpad to clicking with a tap. You can even reveal your desktop by using a three-finger and thumb scroll.
These stylish shortcuts – Macbook gestures – are what make the MacBook and Apple’s products great. They allow you to get work done with no trouble while also maintaining a sense of style and power that other computers do not.
The trackpad is also just one way you can control your computer. The beauty of Apple products is that there are multiple ways to complete everyday tasks to suit all users. There are keyboard shortcuts, Siri shortcuts, and trackpad gesture shortcuts.
If you are interested in reading more about Mac trackpad gestures or mac finger motions then be sure to check out the rest of our site.