Is it better to use a touchpad or mouse with your laptop? For me, both are good depending on the conditions.
The laptop touchpad is a built-in feature, so you won’t face the issue of forgetting to bring it, unlike an external mouse. The touchpad is ideal for performing daily tasks while traveling, such as web browsing, working on documents, or writing in limited desk spaces (like on a plane, train, or in a coffee shop). It’s convenient for everyday use and supports multiple gestures for quick navigation, making multitasking easier.
On the other hand, a mouse is better suited for tasks that require high precision control, such as graphic design, CAD applications, and gaming. These activities demand detailed control, and a mouse enhances productivity with customizable buttons and scroll wheels, especially for tasks involving multiple software or complex commands.
Learning to use the laptop touchpad effectively is useful for everyday use and helps you avoid relying solely on a mouse. I’ve covered both essential and advanced touchpad techniques to help you make the most of this built-in feature.
Overview
Essential Touchpad Gestures for Windows 11
- Single-Finger Gestures
- Two-Finger Gestures
- Three-Finger Gestures
- Four-Finger Gestures
- Why some gestures are not working?
Essential Touchpad Gestures for Windows 11
1. Single-Finger Gestures
| Gesture | Action |
| Single Tap | Select an item (equivalent to a left-click) |
| Single Tap Twice Quickly | Equivalent to a double-click |
| Single Tap Twice on item quickly and Hold | Move to drag items or selected text |
| Single Tap Twice at empty space and Drag | Multi-select items |
| Bottom-right corner Single Click | This area acts as a right-click |
| Bottom-left corner Single Click | This area acts as a left-click |
2. Two-Finger Gestures
| Gesture | Action |
| Two-Finger Tap | Equivalent to a right-click |
| Two-Finger move Up/Down | Scroll vertically through a page or document |
| Two-Finger move Left/Right | Scroll horizontally through a page or document |
| Two-Finger and spread them apart | Zoom In |
| Two-Finger and pinch them together | Zoom Out |
| Two-Finger Swipe | Moving back and forth between web pages |
3. Three-Finger Gestures
| Gesture | Action |
| Three-Finger Tap | Open the search bar |
| Three-Finger Swipe Up | Open Task View to see all open windows and virtual desktops |
| Three-Finger Swipe Down | Quickly minimize all open windows and show the desktop |
| Three-Finger Swipe Left/Right | Navigate between open applications without needing to use the Alt+Tab keyboard shortcut |
4. Four-Finger Gestures
| Gesture | Action |
| Four-Finger Tap | Quickly access the Notification Center to view notifications, manage quick settings, and interact with system alerts |
| Four-Finger Swipe Up | Open Task View to see all open windows and virtual desktops |
| Four-Finger Swipe Down | Quickly minimize all open windows and show the desktop |
| Four-Finger Swipe Left/Right | Quickly switch between virtual desktops |
Why some gestures are not working?
If you find that some gestures listed above are not working, follow these steps to check and enable the tap function on your touchpad:
Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad > Under the Taps and Scroll & zoom section > make sure the functions is enabled (ticked).
Customizing Touchpad Settings in Windows 11
1. Accessing touchpad settings in Windows 11
Finding your way to the touchpad settings is the first step in customization:
- Click the Start button and open Settings (or use the Windows key + I shortcut).
- Select “Bluetooth & devices” from the left sidebar.
- Click on “Touchpad” in the right pane.
Alternatively, you can use the search bar and type “Touchpad settings.“
2. Adjusting cursor speed and touchpad sensitivity
In the Touchpad settings, scroll down to “Gestures & Interaction” to see Cursor speed and below taps section to see Touchpad sensitivity.
Cursor speed slider on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being the slowest and 10 the fastest and touchpad sensitivity range from “Low sensitivity” to “Most sensitive”. You can adjust the settings depend on your personal preference.
3. Basic Customize Three-finger and Four-finger gestures.
By default, three-finger gestures are set to switch apps and show the desktop when swiping, and open search when tapping. Four-finger gestures are set to switch desktops and show the desktop when swiping, and open the notification center when tapping.
However, you can use the dropdown menus to change the functions for swipes and taps according to your preferences.
If you set a gesture to “Nothing,” it means that the function associated with that gesture will be disabled.
Dropdown menu list for swipes (both three-finger and four-finger):
Dropdown menu list for taps (both three-finger and four-finger):
4. Advanced Customize Three-finger and Four-finger gestures.
Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad > Scroll down to “Advanced gestures“
After that you’ll find dropdown menus for both three-finger and four-finger gestures. For each gesture type (swipes and taps), you can choose the action from dropdown menus list.
If you don’t find your preferred action in the dropdown menu list in Windows 11, you can set a custom shortcut to perform the action of your choice. Let say, I want to take a screenshot using the Snipping Tool with a three-finger tap gesture.
- Under Three-finger gestures, find the Tap option.
- Click on the dropdown menu next to Tap and select Custom shortcut.
- Click “Start recording” button that appears in the custom shortcut field.
- Press the key combination Win + Shift + S, which is the default shortcut for taking a screenshot using the Snipping Tool in Windows 11.
- Click “Stop recording” button.
After recording the shortcut, tap the touchpad with three fingers to ensure it triggers the screenshot action.
How to Enable or Disable Touchpad
1. Using Touchpad Settings
Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad > Toggle the switch On or Off under Touchpad to enable or disable it.
2. Using Keyboard Function Key (if available)
Look for a function key such as F8 / F9 / F10 with a touchpad icon and press it to enable or disable it.
If the Fn Lock is enabled, press Fn + [Touchpad Key] to enable or disable it.
From basic gestures to advanced customizations, there’s more you can do with a touchpad than you might think. Spend some time familiarizing yourself with these features, and they could prove useful in the future.
