7 ways to use your Mac trackpad better

Are you getting the most out of your multitouch Mac?

Apple makes it possible to achieve so much using the Multitouch trackpad on its notebooks, but are you getting everything you can from them? Here are five swipe gestures many Mac users may have missed:

Fast Notifications

You know you can access Notifications when you tap its icon top right of your screen, but why squint? Just swipe with two fingers from the very right-hand side of the trackpad to open Notifications. Or, if Notifications are open, swipe with two fingers from the center to the right of the trackpad to close them again.

Launchpad at your fingertips

Want to get to your Launchpad? Just pinch into the center of the trackpad with three fingers and a thumb to open it up. Swipe out to get rid of it again.

Desktop tickle

Swiping out with three fingers and a thumb closes Launchpad when it is open. It also takes you direct to the Desktop when you are in any other application. Try it now.

[Also read: 11 Force Touch commands for Mac users]

Zoom swiftly

Double-tap with two fingers to zoom into a document, website, image. Double-tap again to zoom out. (In Word it keeps zooming in).

Slick switch

If you’re using Spaces (and you should be), then you’ll swipe between them when you use a left or right swipe with four fingers. This also works to slip between applications in full-screen mode.

Master Mission Control

Swipe up with four fingers to access Mission Control.

App Exposé

You need to enable this in System Preferences>Trackpad in the More Gestures section. Once you do, you only need to swipe down with three fingers to see all the open windows belonging to the app you are currently in.

Want to learn more about trackpad gestures? Take a look at the videos you’ll find in Trackpad System Preferences, and please read this short report I prepared a few years ago.