This post shows students and new users steps to use touchpad gestures on laptops with Windows 11. A touch gesture is a physical activity performed on a touchpad by one’s finger(s).
Touch gestures are like keyboard/mouse shortcuts for your devices with touchpads. You can perform many actions using your fingers, including selecting items, showing all windows, switching desktops, and many more that can be performed with your fingers on touchpad devices.
For example, tap the touchpad with three fingers to open Windows Search. Tap the touchpad with four fingers to open Calendar & Notifications. Many more gestures can be used to perform simple tasks on Windows 11.
Some of these gestures will only work with precision touchpads. Select Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad to determine if your laptop has one.
Also, if your device’s touchpad is disabled or you want to enable it, read the post below.
How to turn the touchpad on or off on Windows 11
Below, we’ll provide a list of touchpad gestures for Windows 11 to get work done.
How to use touch gestures in Windows 11
As mentioned above, touch gestures let you perform physical actions with your finger(s) on a touchpad.
Note: When touch gestures are enabled, your apps’ three- and four-finger interactions might not work. To continue using these interactions in your apps, turn off this setting.
| Action | Gestures |
|---|---|
| Select an item | Tap touchpad |
| Scroll | Place two fingers on the touchpad and slide horizontally or vertically |
| Zoom in or out | Place two fingers on the touchpad and pinch in or stretch out |
| Show more commands (like right-clicking) | Tap the touchpad with two fingers or press down in the lower-right corner |
| Show all open windows | Swipe with three fingers up on the touchpad |
| Show the desktop | Swipe with three fingers down on the touchpad |
| Switch between open apps or windows | Swipe with three fingers left or right on the touchpad |
| Switch desktops | Swipe with four fingers to the left or right on the touchpad |
That should do it!
Conclusion
- Touchpad gestures enhance productivity and streamline navigation on Windows 11 laptops.
- Various actions can be executed simply by using finger movements on the touchpad.
- Precision touchpads offer the most effective experience with these gestures.
- Users can customize their settings to enable or disable specific gestures as needed.
- Familiarizing yourself with these gestures can save time and improve efficiency in daily tasks.
Leave a Reply