How To REALLY Use Your Mac Trackpad - All The Tips, Tricks and Features!

Summary

This tutorial video offers an in-depth guide on mastering the Mac trackpad, showcasing essential gestures and settings for improved navigation. From enabling three-finger drag to utilizing tap-to-click, viewers learn to perform tasks with one hand, enhancing productivity. The video covers system settings adjustments, including pointer control and trackpad options, and introduces advanced gestures for scrolling, zooming, and managing desktops with Mission Control and App Expose. The ultimate goal is to make Mac usage more efficient and enjoyable by leveraging the trackpad's full potential.

Takeaways

• 🖥️ To master the Mac trackpad, start by adjusting settings in System Preferences, specifically in the Trackpad and Accessibility sections.
• 🔄 Enabling 'use trackpad for dragging' and setting the dragging style to 'three finger drag' allows for easy one-handed dragging of windows and icons.
• 👆 'Tap to click' is a feature that lets you interact with the Mac without physically clicking the trackpad, just like using an iPhone screen.
• 🔍 'Force click' and 'haptic feedback' enhance the clicking experience, providing a tactile response when pressing harder on the trackpad.
• 🔀 'Swipe between pages' and 'swipe between full-screen applications' are gestures that let you navigate through documents and switch between open apps or desktops using two or four fingers.
• 📚 'Mission Control' can be accessed with a four-finger swipe up, providing an overview of all open windows, desktops, and full-screen apps.
• 📘 'App Expose' is a gesture that shows all open windows of a single application by swiping down with four fingers on the app's icon or window.
• 🚀 'Launchpad' is accessed by pinching in with all four fingers (excluding the pinky), displaying all installed applications for easy access.
• 🏠 To show the desktop with all windows hidden, use the pinch out gesture with the same four fingers (excluding the pinky).
• ✌️ Customizing trackpad gestures, such as 'secondary click' and 'tap with three fingers' for lookup, can significantly improve efficiency and ease of use.
• 🔄 Natural scrolling is inverted by default on Mac, but it can be adjusted to behave like traditional scrolling if preferred.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video?

The main focus of the video is to teach viewers how to master their Mac trackpad by using various tips, tricks, and gestures.

Where are the trackpad settings located on a Mac?

The trackpad settings are located in the System Settings under Accessibility, then Pointer Control, and finally Trackpad Options.

How can you enable the feature to drag items on the Mac without clicking?

You can enable the feature to drag items without clicking by going to Trackpad Options and selecting 'three finger drag' under the 'Dragging Style'.

What is the 'tap to click' feature and where can it be enabled?

The 'tap to click' feature allows users to tap the trackpad instead of physically clicking to perform actions. It can be enabled in the Trackpad settings under the 'Point and Click' section.

How do you perform a three-finger drag on the Mac trackpad?

To perform a three-finger drag, place the cursor over the item you want to drag, then drag it with three fingers without clicking.

What is the difference between 'natural scrolling' and 'inverted scrolling'?

'Natural scrolling' is when the content on the screen moves in the same direction as the movement of the fingers on the trackpad, which is the opposite of 'inverted scrolling' where the content moves in the opposite direction.

How can you zoom in or out on a Mac trackpad?

You can zoom in or out by performing a pinch gesture with two fingers on the trackpad, or by tapping with two fingers for 'smart zoom'.

What is the 'Mission Control' gesture on the Mac trackpad?

The 'Mission Control' gesture is performed by swiping up with four fingers on the trackpad, which shows all open windows and desktops.

How do you access the 'App Expose' feature on the Mac trackpad?

To access 'App Expose', click on the app's icon in the Dock and then swipe down with four fingers on the trackpad to see all open windows of that app.

What gesture is used to open the Launchpad on the Mac trackpad?

The gesture to open the Launchpad is a pinch motion with all four fingers, excluding the pinky, on the trackpad.

How can you clear the desktop of all windows and view the desktop itself?

To clear the desktop of all windows, perform a pinch out gesture with all four fingers, excluding the pinky, on the trackpad.

Outlines

00:00

🖥️ Mastering Mac Trackpad Basics

This paragraph introduces the video's purpose, which is to guide viewers on how to effectively use their Mac trackpad. It covers the essentials like navigating through desktops, utilizing Mission Control, Exposé, Launchpad, and desktop display gestures. The presenter promises to share tips, tricks, and gestures to master the trackpad, starting with accessing system settings and enabling the 'three-finger drag' feature for easier navigation without clicking.

05:02

🔄 Enhancing Trackpad Functionality

The second paragraph delves into the customization of trackpad settings to improve user experience. It discusses adjusting tracking speed and click sensitivity, enabling silent clicking, and the benefits of haptic feedback. The presenter also introduces 'tap to click' functionality, allowing users to interact with the Mac without physically clicking the trackpad, and suggests exploring the 'point and click' settings for a personalized experience.

10:03

🤌 Advanced Trackpad Gestures

This section focuses on advanced trackpad gestures that enhance productivity. It explains how to swipe between pages and full-screen applications using four-finger gestures, access the Notification Center, and utilize Mission Control for desktop management. The paragraph also covers 'App Exposé' for managing multiple windows of the same application and introduces the 'pinch' gesture for zooming in and out, smart zoom, and image rotation.

15:03

🚀 Power User Trackpad Techniques

The final paragraph wraps up the video with additional trackpad features, such as accessing Launchpad for a full view of apps and the 'pinch out' gesture to clear the desktop view. It emphasizes the importance of mastering these gestures for a more efficient and enjoyable Mac experience. The presenter concludes by encouraging viewers to apply these techniques to improve their productivity and have fun with their Mac's trackpad capabilities.

Keywords

💡Mac Trackpad

The Mac Trackpad is the touch-sensitive pointing device used with Apple's Macintosh computers. It is known for its gesture support and precision, allowing users to navigate and interact with the computer without a mouse. In the video, the Mac Trackpad is the central focus, with the presenter demonstrating various gestures and settings to enhance its functionality.

💡Gestures

Gestures refer to the intuitive movements performed on the trackpad to control the computer. They are an integral part of the Mac user experience, enabling users to perform actions like scrolling, zooming, and switching between applications. The script covers multiple gestures, such as three-finger drag and four-finger swipes, which are crucial for mastering the Mac Trackpad.

💡System Settings

System Settings is the utility in macOS that allows users to configure various options for their computer, including the trackpad. The video script mentions opening system settings to access and adjust trackpad parameters, which is essential for customizing the trackpad's behavior to the user's preferences.

💡Accessibility

Accessibility in the context of the video refers to features within system settings that make the Mac more usable for all users, including those with disabilities. The script mentions navigating to 'accessibility' to find 'pointer control' and 'trackpad options,' which are part of the customization process for the trackpad.

💡Mission Control

Mission Control is a feature in macOS that provides an overview of all open windows, desktops, and full-screen apps. It is invoked in the script using a four-finger gesture, allowing users to manage their workspace more efficiently. The video demonstrates how to use Mission Control to navigate through desktops.

💡Expose

Expose is a feature in macOS that allows users to view all open windows of a single application. In the script, it is shown how to use a four-finger gesture to activate Expose and manage multiple windows of the same application, which is a key part of mastering the Mac Trackpad.

💡Launchpad

Launchpad is an application launcher in macOS that displays all installed apps in an iOS-like grid. The video script describes a gesture that opens Launchpad, allowing users to quickly find and launch any app on their Mac.

💡Tap to Click

Tap to Click is a setting in the Mac Trackpad preferences that allows users to register a click by simply tapping the trackpad surface without needing to press down. The script explains how enabling this feature can simplify interactions by eliminating the need for a physical click.

💡Three-Finger Drag

Three-Finger Drag is a gesture that enables users to move windows, icons, or selected text by dragging with three fingers on the trackpad without clicking. The script demonstrates this gesture as a way to make one-handed interactions more fluid and efficient.

💡Natural Scrolling

Natural Scrolling is a setting that changes the direction of the scrolling to match the movement of the fingers on the trackpad. If enabled, content moves in the opposite direction of the finger swipe, mimicking the behavior of scrolling on a touchscreen device. The script discusses how to enable or disable this feature based on user preference.

💡Force Click

Force Click is a feature that allows users to press harder on the trackpad to access additional functionality, such as previewing files or accessing contextual menus. The script mentions adjusting the sensitivity of the trackpad to accommodate this feature, enhancing the depth of interaction with the Mac.

Highlights

Introduction to mastering the Mac trackpad with tips, tricks, and gestures.

Navigating through desktops using the trackpad.

Using Mission Control for better desktop management.

Utilizing Expose to manage open windows.

Opening Launchpad and accessing apps efficiently.

Making everything disappear to show the desktop.

Accessing system settings for trackpad customization.

Enabling trackpad for dragging with three-finger gestures.

Resizing windows using three-finger drag.

Highlighting and selecting text with three-finger gestures.

Enabling tap to click for a more intuitive user experience.

Adjusting tracking speed and click sensitivity in system settings.

Using silent clicking and haptic feedback for a better feel.

Lookup feature for accessing dictionary and data information.

Secondary click options for accessing context menus.

Understanding natural scrolling and its inversion.

Zooming in and out with pinch gestures.

Swiping between pages for document navigation.

Swiping between full-screen applications with four-finger gestures.

Accessing the Notification Center with two-finger gestures.

Using Mission Control to manage desktops and full apps.

App Expose for managing multiple windows of the same app.

Launchpad for accessing all apps and organizing them.

Show desktop gesture for clearing all windows and accessing files.

Transcripts

how is it going everybody you're

watching theal Tack and today I'm going

to show you how to really use your Mac

trackpad that's right I'm going to give

you all of the tips tricks and of course

gestures to literally master your Mac

trackpad which is definitely one of the

coolest things about the mac and one of

the things that makes it so great in

this video I'm going to show you how to

navigate through desktops but of course

not only that how to use Mission Control

how to use your expose of course how to

open up your Launchpad and how to

actually make everything go away and

show you your desktop of course there's

much much more than that I'm going to

show you drag in multiple finger

gestures and so so many things

everything I need to know about the Mac

trackpad let's get started okay so the

first thing you have to do is open up

your system settings because here is

where all your settings and trackpad

parameters live I actually going to show

you all of my trackpad settings that

I've been using throughout all those

years in many many Macs that I've had

okay so let's get started and the first

thing I want you to do is go to

accessibility all right and then scroll

down until you see pointer control and

right here trackpad options and I know

it's kind of hidden but yeah and right

here we have use trackpad for dragging

so enable this feature and then on

dragging Style

tap on three finger drag as you can see

right here and then okay and with this

we'll be able to drag absolutely

anything on our Mac with just one hand

with just three fingers let me show you

so for example if I want to drag this

window around uh I can place my cursor

right here at the top and then with

three fingers and I'm not clicking okay

just dragging as you can see I'm going

to move it around okay as easy as that I

can resize any window for example let me

go ahead here and get this Safari window

right here place my cursor on any corner

until we see the arrows right and then

with three fingers again I can readjust

it and make it smaller or larger just

like that without needing to click with

one hand and move with the other no no

no you're going to do everything with

one hand as a matter of fact everything

that I'm going to show you in this video

you'll be able to do with just one hand

which is the way you're supposed to do

it right uh dragging doesn't stop there

if I want to drag any icon for example

same story three fingers move it around

place it whenever I want wherever I want

as easy as that as you can see um if I

open up this note that I have and type

some random stuff right here as you can

see I can just highlight and select any

text that I want with three fingers as

well for example I'm highlighting as you

can see as you can see right there with

the same gesture with three fingers so

then you can highlight copy paste uh

Delete do whatever you want so as you

can see absolutely any gesture that

includes moving things around on your

Mac you're going to be able to do it

with three fingers without clicking and

this clicking thing is one of the most

important things about making your

trackpad better

so let's go ahead here uh scroll all the

way down in our system settings right

and then click here on trackpad as you

can see and we have a ton of stuff here

but the one I want you to pay attention

right now is this last option tap to

click and I want you to enable this

feature because when you enable it from

now on you won't have to click on the

trackpad anymore to do anything all you

have to do is touch just like you do on

your iPhone screen just touch no needing

to put Force to click to use two fingers

no no no just a simple tap will give you

the effect of clicking so for example uh

if I'm here and I'm I want to minimize

this right so this is a button right in

order to click I just tap and as you can

see it minimizes if I go back I just

have to tap and it goes back so I don't

have to click put for or anything like

that and this will take effect in the

entire Mac OS system you don't have to

click anymore unless as you want to if

you want to you can still click and

everything works the same but now you

don't have to anymore okay uh here we

have the three main options right so

point and click which is the one we

seeing right now scroll and zoom and

more gestures and we're going to quickly

take a look at everything so on point

and click we have those two big sliders

right here tracking speed and click

click and I do recommend that you play

around and see which one you think is

the best which sensitivity which speed

uh tracking speed will make your cursor

go faster or slower so I do recommend

that you play around and move this

cursor around as you can see right here

I honestly do recommend that you leave

it like that a little bit more than

halfway and uh since this is a dragging

feature keep in mind you can use the

three fingers that I just showed you

okay so this is cool as well uh click

same story if if you want to be light

medium or firm it's up to you okay uh

let's move on we have here silent

clicking uh I generally leave this off I

like the clicking okay uh Force click

and haptic feedback I do recommend that

I leave it on because uh you can feel

the haptic engine right here when you

actually click when you actually press

if you want to use it okay and depending

if you want to force click okay you're

going to feel a stronger heptic and

depending known what you're using the

app you're using maybe this could be

helpful to you so then um this heptic

feedback with for sensitivity is cool

okay uh moving on we have lookup and

data detectors and this is nice as well

and I recommend that you use tap with

three fingers this is the option I use

so then uh let me show you what lookup

is so if you have for example a note or

any text actually in your Mac could be a

safari window absolutely any text

in any app so if I type in here car as

you can see if I go ahead and I tap with

three fingers just a tap remember we

don't have to click anymore so just a

tap with three fingers it's going to

open up right here a dictionary or you

can go ahead and look for Seri knowledge

Wikipedia so we have a ton of stuff

right here so you have this built-in

dictionary and data information just by

tapping any word or any text with three

fingers anywhere in Mac OS getting back

here to our system settings uh we have

here secondary click and this is your

option click right uh generally The

Click you use if you have a mouse with

your right finger okay so this secondary

click on the trackpad in my opinion the

best way to do it is by click or tap

with two fingers so then if you are

anywhere for example desktop and you tap

with two fingers right tap and then have

here your options for absolutely

anything your typical options but you

don't have to click here at the bottom

or the corner or anything like that so

anywhere you are you go ahead here two

finger right and then just a tap and

then you have here your options so I

recommend that you use that way and then

of course we have tap to click which we

have already covered all right moving on

to the second category scroll and zoom

and the first thing we have to talk

about has to do with scroll scrolling

natural scrolling and a lot of people

still have questions and problems with

this and I super understand why because

by default natural scrolling will be on

and what Apple calls natural scrolling

is actually inverted scrolling is the

opposite of natural let me explain you

so uh scrolling on your Mac will be done

with two fingers okay so then up and

down you're going to be scrolling so

then you're going to be scrolling on a

web page on a menu on absolutely

anything it's the gesture of going up

and down a menu right or a page uh and

then with natural scrolling it's the

opposite so when you actually move your

fingers down it goes up and when you

move up it goes down let me show you so

I'm going to move down two fingers down

and it's going up right the menu is

going up and if I move my fingers up the

menu is going down and I use it I use

the natural scrolling because in theory

what apple is calling natural is because

it's as if you're actually tapping on

the screen scrolling on the screen like

on your iPhone and then when you move up

the content goes down right but if you

want to if you don't like that if you

come from Windows uh you can go ahead

here and disable and then it becomes

natural so then uh if you move two

fingers up it goes up and if you move

two fingers down it goes down okay so

this is really up to you uh here we have

zoom zoom zoom in or out smart zoom and

rotate and I'm going to talk about those

three features just here with this

document so as you can see I have two

images right here and the zoom feature

is pinch to zoom just like with your

iPhone so then if you get your trackpad

right here and you pinch to zoom as you

can see it's going to zoom in right

pinch pinch pinch so zoom in and zoom

out as you can see right there so it's

pretty natural right uh you also have

the smart Zoom which is tapping with two

fingers and it will zoom in as well so

tap with your fingers tap with your

fingers and then that's how it works

okay uh as you can see everything is

just tapping not clicking and we also

have the rotate feature so if you have

an image that's upside down for example

or you want to make it upside down you

use two fingers to rotate it like that

so I'm going to rotate it like that as

you can see so I'm rotating with two

fingers and as you can see it's it's

actually rotating the image okay so

moving on and I'm going to minimize this

because we're going to use it in a

second so we're going through all that I

do recommend that you enable everything

right we have more gestures and here is

the more advanced stuff but it's not

hard at all this is actually the cool

stuff okay so first we have Swip between

pages and let me show you what this is

so if you open up the same document

right here the same file the same

preview that we have two images uh with

two fingers once again we can go ahead

backwards and forwards and move Pages

move through pages so as you can see

right here we go to the next page slide

back we come back to the previous page

so then uh it's just uh two fingers

backwards and forwards as you can see

right here um you have the option to

select with different fingers but

honestly I do recommend that you leave

with two you understand why because we

have more gestures with the other

fingers coming up okay now swipe between

full screen applications and this is the

desktop part this is one of the most

important features and I do recommend

that you leave with four fingers so

swipe left or right with four fingers

and when Apple says between full screen

applications it's not just applications

it's desktops as well so if we swipe up

and we're going to get here mission

control which we're going to show you in

a second and move my mouse up there as

you can see I have four different pages

right those are four desktops three

normal desktops and one full application

which is mail so uh with this feature

right here what we can do is navigate

backwards and forwards between those

pages so uh four fingers to the right we

go to this last desktop to the left the

page we were left again this page with

Safari and notes which we had look right

and left once again we go to my mail

which is a full screen app by the way if

you want to make an app full screen all

you have to do is tap here on this

little tiny green icon and you're going

to make it full screen so then you're

going to make it just like that okay one

app filling the entire screen as you can

see okay so uh that's swipe between full

screen left and right with four fingers

we also have notification center I do

recommend that it leave it on we don't

have custom iation here so the way it

works is two fingers okay once again and

then you're going to place the two

fingers outside the trackpad on the

metal frame okay of your Mac and then

slide them in so slide in and as you can

see right here um they're going to open

up so they're going to show up your

notifications your mail uh your

reminders anything that you want so two

fingers out from outside in all right

mission control and we are heading back

to four fingers once again okay and I do

recommend that you tap here and leave

with four fingers as you can see so then

it's super easy to understand how to

manage your desktops so four fingers up

it's going to show Mission Control if

you move your cursor all the way up as

you can see it's going to show you all

your desktops and full applications as I

showed you and then you can easily

navigate with four fingers as well left

and right so then you'll be be able to

go four fingers up and four fingers left

and right and we're only talking about

navigating and showing and taking a look

at desktops and full apps so I recommend

that it leave with four fingers we also

have app expose let me show you what

that is so if you have for example more

than one window of the same app so as

you can see right here I have two safari

windows but it could be multiple Excel

windows or anything that you want what

you have to do is Click on it and then

four fingers down and then as you can

see it's going to show you all of the

windows from that very same app so as

you can see I'm here just seeing this

window from Google right but if I swipe

four fingers down it's going to show me

all of the safari windows that I have

here as I said this will work for any

application that you have multiple

windows so that's expose so as you can

see right here we have pretty much three

main gestures with four fingers four

fingers up we have Mission Control we

can take a look by moving the cursor up

at all of our Windows four fingers left

and right to navigate through those

windows okay so again four fingers and

of course four fingers down to see app

Expose and see all of the windows off

that very same app okay and then there

we go uh and moving on we also have

Launchpad which I really really like

which has a possibility of seeing all of

your apps and this gesture is a little

bit tricky it's for fingers as well okay

but without the pinky so you're going to

use all of your other four fingers as

you can see to do this pinch motion

without the Pinky Okay so four fingers

pushing in okay so pinch four fingers in

and then as you can see right here we

have all of your apps you can navigate

through those pages of apps with two

fingers okay so left and right and you

can see see all your apps and finally

you can use the exact same fingers okay

so lose the pinky once again and then

all the other four fingers do the exact

same gesture but the opposite so instead

of closing of pinching you're going to

pinch out okay and let me show you I'm

going to come to this desktop right here

so pinching out and you make everything

go away you make all of your windows go

away and you have this clear view of

your desktop if you want to get some

file uh anything here that's on the

desktop super easy to do and of course

if you do the opposite gesture you can

come back and bring all of those apps

back okay in Windows and that's pretty

much it guys that's how you literally

Master the trackpad how to click with

just a tap how to use two fingers three

how to drag how to use four fingers how

to use all of the features including

meion control expose notification center

Launchpad show desktop and absolutely

everything that you need okay so hope

you enjoyed this video hope this make

your life more productive on work and

study and just makes it a little bit fun

because in the end of the day the

trackpad is one of the coolest things

about the Mac so you need to really use

it all right so that's it thanks for

watching and I'll see you on the next

video as usual guys bye-bye