Change Trackpad preferences on Mac
On your Mac, use Trackpad System Preferences to change how your trackpad works. For example, you can change how fast the onscreen pointer moves when you move your finger across the trackpad and customize the gestures you use with your trackpad.
To change these preferences, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Trackpad.
Open Trackpad preferences for me
Note: Depending on the Mac you’re using, you’ll see only some of the options described below.
Point & Click
Option | Description | ||||||||||
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Look up & data detectors | Select this option, then choose a gesture to use to quickly look up a word or to do quick tasks with certain types of date, such as dates and addresses. | ||||||||||
Secondary click | Select the option, then choose the gesture to use to secondary click (or Control-click) items on the screen. | ||||||||||
Tap to click | If you select this option, tapping the trackpad with one finger is the same as clicking. | ||||||||||
Look up | Select this option so you can use three fingers to double-tap a word to look it up in the dictionary. | ||||||||||
Click | Drag the slider to set how firmly you must press the trackpad to take action. | ||||||||||
Tracking speed | Drag the slider to set the tracking speed of the pointer when you move it across the screen. | ||||||||||
Silent clicking | Select this option to turn off the clicking sound on a Force Touch trackpad. | ||||||||||
Force Click and haptic feedback | On a Force Touch trackpad, force click an item to take action. (To force click, press firmly until you feel a deeper click.) For example, force click a file in the Finder to show it in a Quick Look window. With the checkbox selected, you also feel tactile feedback when aligning objects in some apps, like Preview. |
Scroll & Zoom
Option | Description | ||||||||||
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Scroll direction: Natural | Select this option to move the contents of a window in the same direction as your fingers. | ||||||||||
Zoom in or out | Select this option to pinch two fingers closed to zoom in, or pinch two fingers open to zoom out. | ||||||||||
Smart zoom | Select this option to double-tap with two fingers to zoom in or out. | ||||||||||
Rotate | Select this option to use two fingers to rotate items on the screen. |
More Gestures
Option | Description | ||||||||||
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Swipe between pages | Select this option, then choose the gesture to use to move between pages in a document. | ||||||||||
Swipe between full-screen apps | Select this option, then choose the gesture to use to move between apps in full screen. | ||||||||||
Notification Center | Select this option to swipe left from the right edge of the trackpad to show Notification Center. | ||||||||||
Mission Control | Select this option, then choose the gesture to use to open Mission Control. | ||||||||||
App Exposé | Select this option, then choose the gesture to use to open Exposé. | ||||||||||
Launchpad | Select this option to pinch your thumb and three fingers to display Launchpad. | ||||||||||
Show Desktop | Select this option to spread your thumb and three fingers to reveal your computer’s desktop. |