Learn basic gestures to interact with iPad

Control iPad and its apps using a few simple gestures—tap, touch and hold, swipe, scroll, and zoom.

Symbol

Gesture

An icon symbolizing the tap gesture.

Tap. Briefly touch an item on the screen with one finger. For example, to open an app, tap its icon on the Home Screen.

An icon symbolizing the touch and hold gesture.

Touch and hold. Press an item on the screen until something happens. For example, if you touch and hold the wallpaper of the Home Screen, the app icons begin to jiggle.

An icon symbolizing the swipe gesture.

Swipe. Move one finger across the screen quickly. For example, swipe left on the Home Screen to see more apps.

An icon symbolizing the scroll gesture.

Scroll. Move one finger across the screen without lifting. For example, in Photos, you can drag a list up or down to see more. Swipe to scroll quickly; touch the screen to stop scrolling.

An icon symbolizing the zoom gesture.

Zoom. Place two fingers on the screen near each other. Spread them apart to zoom in, or move them toward each other to zoom out.

You can also double-tap a photo or webpage to zoom in, and double-tap again to zoom out.

In Maps, double-tap and hold, then drag up to zoom in or drag down to zoom out.

If you’re using Magic Trackpad or Magic Mouse, see Trackpad gestures for iPad or Mouse actions and gestures for iPad for gestures that work on your trackpad or mouse.