How to Turn On or off Tap Twice and Drag on Touchpad to Multi-Select in Windows 11
Tap twice and drag on your Windows 11 touchpad is a shortcut that lets you highlight text or grab multiple files without holding down a click. You activate this gesture by tapping your touchpad twice in a row, keeping your finger down on the second tap, and sliding across the surface.
Most Windows 11 laptops with precision touchpads support this handy feature. Turning it off stops accidental highlighting when you brush your palm against the pad, while turning it on speeds up how you select items on screen.
Open Settings, go to Bluetooth & devices, then Touchpad, expand Taps, and check or uncheck “Tap twice and drag to multi-select.” This gesture allows you to select multiple items by tapping and dragging on your touchpad.
Turn On or Off Tap Twice and Drag Using Settings
You can turn on Windows 11 touchpad tap and drag using the Settings app when you want to select multiple files or items without pressing a physical mouse button. Open Settings by pressing Win+I, click Bluetooth & devices on the left side, and select Touchpad on the right. From there, expand the taps section and check or uncheck the box for tap twice and drag.- Open Settings by pressing
Win+I. - Click on Bluetooth & devices on the left side. Then click on Touchpad on the right side. (See screenshot below)
- Click on Taps to expand the section. (See screenshot below step 4)
- Check the box (on – default) or uncheck the box (off) next to Tap twice and drag to multi-select based on what you want. (See screenshot below)
- You can now close Settings.
Option Two
Turn On or Off Tap Twice and Drag Using Registry
You can turn on Windows 11 touchpad tap and drag using Registry Editor if the standard settings app is not working or if you prefer using commands. Open Registry Editor (a database for advanced Windows configurations), go to 🗝️HKEY_CURRENT_USER\
This is the default setting.
reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PrecisionTouchPad" /v TapAndDrag /t REG_DWORD /d 4294967295 /f
To turn it off:
reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PrecisionTouchPad" /v TapAndDrag /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
Summary
Control the ‘Tap twice and drag’ feature on your Windows 11 touchpad. Use Settings for a convenient approach, or the Registry if you prefer command-line methods. The feature remains active by default, though you can turn it off anytime depending on your workflow.
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Richard
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Richard is a writer at Geek Rewind who turns complex IT tasks into clear, step-by-step guides. He draws on years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, focusing on Windows, Linux and WordPress: the problems people actually run into, and the fixes that work. His server and WordPress guides come from systems he runs himself. Richard builds and maintains the platform behind Geek Rewind, from its Ubuntu servers and Nginx configuration to its custom WordPress plugins. Many new tutorials start with readers' questions, and he's always glad to answer them in the comments.
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