Guide

Windows tip: how to use touchpad gestures

19-2-2025

Get more out of your touchpad with gestures. Find out which ones are available on Windows 11 and how you can customise the default settings.

If you navigate Windows with a touchpad, chances are you already use gestures. Most users will be familiar with pinch-to-zoom and scrolling. On the other hand, switching quickly between open apps is less widely known. Below is a list of all touchpad gestures, sorted in descending order and by subjective importance.

Left or right click: tap with one or two fingers

Instead of clicking the left mouse or touchpad button, you can tap the touchpad with one finger. To right-click, tap with two fingers. You can use these taps to select elements in Explorer, for example, or to display additional commands in the context menu. Tapping the touchpad is quieter and typically faster than clicking the physical buttons.

Scroll: slide two fingers vertically or horizontally

If you place two fingers on the touchpad and slide them up or down, you’ll scroll vertically. Slide your fingers side to side, and you’ll scroll horizontally.

Zoom: using two fingers, pinch in or stretch out

Just like on a touchscreen, you can place two fingers on the touchpad and pinch or stretch them out to enlarge or reduce content.

Switch between windows/apps: swipe left or right with three fingers

Tired of pressing Alt + Tab on the keyboard? Good news: you can quickly switch between applications by swiping left or right with three fingers on the touchpad.

Minimise all windows (show desktop): swipe down with three fingers

If you swipe down on the touchpad with three fingers, you’ll minimise all open windows to the taskbar and go to the desktop.

Display previously opened windows (exit desktop): swipe up with three fingers

If you’ve minimised everything to the taskbar and want to reopen your previous windows, swipe upwards with three fingers on the touchpad.

Open task view: swipe up with three fingers (except from desktop view)

From anywhere except desktop view, swiping up with three fingers will take you to the task view, which offers an overview of all open windows and desktops.

Switch between desktops: swipe left or right with four fingers

If you use several virtual desktops, you can switch between them by swiping left or right on the touchpad with four fingers.

Select multiple: double-tap and drag

With a mouse, you can select several desktop icons by holding down the left mouse button and dragging a selection frame around the icons. You can also do so on the touchpad. Double-tap with one finger, keeping your finger on the touchpad after the second tap and sliding it in the desired direction.

Open search: tap with three fingers

If you tap the touchpad once with three fingers, Windows search will open.

Open notification area: tap with four fingers

If you tap the touchpad once with four fingers, the notification and calendar area will open.

Customise touchpad settings

If you open Windows settings, you can adjust gestures under Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad. You can change the tap sensitivity or invert the scrolling direction. If you click on «Advanced gestures», you can freely customise all three- and four-finger gestures. If you want a four-finger tap to start audio playback instead of opening the notification area, this is where you can change said settings.

Fancy more Windows tips? In the following article, you’ll find an overview of all previous parts of this series.