How to tap your MacBook to run a shortcut
InputConfig is completely free on the Mac App Store. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon.
macOS has no Back Tap, but a MacBook can do the same thing anyway: knock twice on the palm rest and something happens. InputConfig, a free app on the Mac App Store, reads the MacBook's built-in motion sensor, counts knocks from one to five, and runs whatever you bind to them, with no accessory and nothing plugged in. Tap the Mac is tested on M4 MacBooks; it did not work on an M1 Pro in our testing, and the calibrator's status chip tells you whether yours listens. This is a knock on the case, not tap to click on the trackpad.
On this page
Set it up in three steps
- Install InputConfig from the Mac App Store and allow Accessibility access.
- Activate the Tap the Mac preset under Feature Showcases.
- Knock twice on the palm rest, firmly, about as fast as a double click.
- You: Knock twice, then three times.
- InputConfig: Counts the knocks. A double tap opens Mission Control, and a triple tap starts or stops dictation.
- Check: Mission Control opens on the double tap. For the triple tap, Dictation must be on in System Settings, Keyboard, Dictation.
To change what a tap does, edit the row and pick any output. To add your own, add a row, choose Tap the Mac from the input type menu, and pick a count from one to five. Scan never picks up a tap on purpose: pressing a controller button on a desk jolts the MacBook enough to count as one.
Ideas for a tap
- Calls. Mute or unmute.
- Dictation. Start and stop it.
- Screenshots. Take one.
- Music. Play or pause.
- Privacy. Lock the screen.
- Slides. The Right arrow key moves Keynote or PowerPoint to the next slide when you present from the laptop. More ways to change slides are on the presentation remote page.
- Siri Shortcuts. Run any of them.
- Apps and websites. Open one.
- Presets. Switch to your next one.
Why typing and handling do not set it off
- Typing and clicking. A keystroke shakes the case about as hard as a tap, so taps that land while you are typing or clicking are thrown away.
- Lifting or tilting. InputConfig recognizes that as handling, not a knock, and ignores it.
- Setting the laptop down. That is one bump, not two quick ones, which is why the preset leaves a single tap unbound and uses double and triple.
Set how hard a tap must be
- You: Open the tap row's Options, click Calibrate Taps, and knock a few times.
- InputConfig: Draws the last four seconds with the threshold line, and colors every strike.
- Check: Your knocks show green and handling the laptop shows gray. If a knock never crosses the line, lower the threshold with the slider, or move the MacBook off a soft surface onto a desk.
- Green. Counted as a tap.
- Gray. The case still ringing from the same knock, or the laptop being lifted or tilted.
- Yellow. Landed next to typing or a click, and ignored on purpose.
- Red. Too soon after the previous tap to be a new one.
Watch your own knocks on the trace and set the threshold from what you see.
Check which MacBooks it works on
Tested on M4 MacBooks. It did not work on an M1 Pro in our testing, and desktop and Intel Macs have no motion sensor. The calibrator's status chip shows whether your MacBook's sensor is listening. The accelerometer page has the details.
Compare the other tap apps
Several small apps do only this, and some are good at it. MacTap is free, MIT licensed, downloaded from GitHub, and counts one to three knocks. It can also tell a knock on the left edge from one on the right, which InputConfig cannot. Knock, nocnoc and Tunk are others you will find. Check each one's own page for the Macs it supports. What InputConfig does differently:
- Mac App Store. It installs sandboxed, with no Terminal and no password.
- Five knocks. It counts up to five.
- A live trace. You set the threshold by watching your own knocks instead of guessing.
- One preset for everything. A tap sits in the same preset as a controller, a MIDI pad or your mouse buttons, and with per-app auto-switch a double tap can do one thing in Keynote and another in Safari.
Checked on 22 September 2026.
If you meant tap to click on the trackpad
Tapping the trackpad instead of pressing it down is built into macOS: System Settings, Trackpad, Point & Click, Tap to click. This page is about knocking on the MacBook's case, which macOS does not offer at all.
The short version
- Activate Tap the Mac. A double tap opens Mission Control, and a triple tap starts dictation.
- Calibrate once. Calibrate Taps shows every knock and the line it has to cross.
- Bind anything. One to five knocks can each go to any output.
If a knock does nothing, open Calibrate Taps and look at the status chip first.
Questions
Is there Back Tap on a Mac?
Not built into macOS. InputConfig adds it on MacBooks with a readable motion sensor: double or triple tap the palm rest to run any output. It is tested on M4 MacBooks and did not work on an M1 Pro in our testing.
Where should I tap?
The palm rest either side of the trackpad is the most reliable. The lid works with a firmer knock. A desk or a lap works better than a soft surface.
Can I change how hard a tap has to be?
Yes. Calibrate Taps in the row's Options shows a live trace and a threshold you move while you knock.
How many taps can it count?
One to five. Knocks about as fast as a double click belong to the same gesture, and a pause starts a new count. The built-in preset uses two and three, because a single knock is easy to make by accident.
Why did a knock not count?
Open Calibrate Taps in the row's Options: every strike is colored. Green counted as a tap. Gray was the case still ringing from the same knock, or the laptop being lifted or tilted. Yellow landed next to typing or a click and was ignored on purpose. Red came too soon after the previous tap. If a knock never crosses the line, lower the threshold, or move the MacBook off a soft surface onto a desk.
Does a tap work when the Mac is locked?
Not for keys. While the Mac sleeps or is locked, InputConfig sends no keystrokes at all, so a tap bound to a shortcut does nothing until you unlock.
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