Mac Trackpad Tricks To Speed Up Your Workflow
No matter how many keyboard shortcuts you memorize, you cannot beat the ease and functionality of Apple’s trackpad. Since Apple is a big supporter of touch interfaces, it is no surprise that they focus on improving the Magic Trackpad on their devices. Unlike dragging the mouse around and clicking left or right to perform commands, the trackpad lets you glide your fingers, and the tasks will be done. Moreover, Mac’s trackpad supports multi-touch gestures to make things easier.
Although the trackpad works smoothly most of the time, it may encounter problems occasionally. When it does, it may feel like your Mac is useless. You can plug in an external mouse or trackpad to your Mac to continue working. But this is a temporary fix. If Mac trackpad won’t click, go to the System Preferences app and install the latest software update. While in the System Preferences app, disable force click by selecting Trackpad. You can also reset NVRAM and SMC if the issue persists.
Are you excited to let your fingers do all the talking and walking? Then, look at the different trackpad tricks that make using your Mac seem like a breeze.
Use Two Fingers To Rotate
Are you a photography enthusiast? Do you enjoy editing pictures? Whether you do this as a hobby or to earn a living, this trackpad gesture will make things easier.
After opening a photo in Preview mode and the pointer is over the window, use two fingers to rotate the image in any direction you wish. The open image will be rotated as you spin your fingers.
Mastering the art of rotating images will prove helpful and save precious time. You can quickly flip any image to create a meme or before sending photographs to your loved ones. This trackpad gesture trick works with popular applications like Photoshop and Creative Suite.
Swipe Between Pages Using Two Fingers
You no longer need to press the back button to go to the previous page. Instead, you can quickly swipe between pages using this trackpad gesture.
Swipe two fingers leftward on your Mac’s trackpad to go to a previously visited web browser page. If you wish to go forward within a web page, swipe two fingers to the right on the trackpad.
You can even use this trackpad gesture within the Calendar application to change the view from days to months. Also, use it in QuickTime to rewind and fast-forward the video or audio file.
Move Files and Images Using Three Fingers
Moving files and apps displayed on the desktop is easier than before. First, move the cursor toward the icon you wish to move, then drag them using three fingers on the trackpad. Finally, drag them to the desired destination and let go.
Therefore, you don’t need to use any buttons to move the files and apps. You can enable this option by going to the System Preferences > select Accessibility > choose Pointer Control > select Trackpad Options > Enable Dragging > select Three-finger Drag from the drop-down menu.
Display All Apps Within The Launchpad By Using Your Thumb and Using Three Fingers
Do you want all the apps to be displayed within the Launchpad? You can make this happen by using your thumb and three fingers. First, pinch all the fingers and thumb together. As soon as you do this, all the applications will be neatly displayed within the Launchpad.
With this trackpad gesture, you can save a lot of time.
View the Open Windows Using Three Fingers
Using your Mac for hours may mean forgetting the active windows running in the background. You only realize how many windows are active if your system performs sluggishly.
Swipe up using three fingers to know the active windows without much effort. All the active windows will be displayed on the desktop. You can choose to close the windows that are no longer in use and let the others remain in the background.
You can also swipe left and right using three fingers to swap between desktop spaces. This trick applies to Mac users who have created multiple desktops within their Mac computer.
Zoom in and out
Zoom in and out without hassle by touching the fingers to a trackpad. You can spread your fingers or pinch in an application supporting the input.
You can even zoom into a part of your screen by pressing the control and sliding up or down using two fingers on the trackpad.
The Bottom Line
These trackpad gesture tricks will make it easier to work on your Mac. Master these gestures so you can quickly navigate across your Mac computer and finish your tasks without wasting time scrolling, clicking, and dragging items. If you are used to a mouse interface, getting used to the trackpad interface may take a while. But once you do, you’ll love it.