Questions

Trackpad gestures not working on a Mac

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When a trackpad gesture stops working on a Mac, it is usually switched off, or it moved: every gesture has its own switch in System Settings, Trackpad, and three-finger drag lives in Accessibility. Check the switch for that gesture first, then climb the ladder below. The trackpad test shows whether the trackpad is seeing your fingers at all.

Steps

  1. Open System Settings, Trackpad.
  2. Check the gesture is on in Point & Click, Scroll & Zoom or More Gestures.
  3. For three-finger drag, open Accessibility, Pointer Control, Trackpad Options.
  4. Restart the Mac.
  5. Test the trackpad with a trackpad tester.

Find the switch for the gesture

  • Point & Click. Tap to click, secondary click, and Look up.
  • Scroll & Zoom. Natural scrolling, pinch to zoom, smart zoom and rotate.
  • More Gestures. Swipe between pages, swipe between full-screen apps, Notification Center, Mission Control, App Exposé and Show Desktop.
  • Three-finger drag. In System Settings, Accessibility, Pointer Control, Trackpad Options, choose the dragging style.

A gesture that stopped after an update is often just switched off, so check its switch before anything else.

If a gesture still does nothing

Climb this ladder, smallest step first:

  1. Test the trackpad. The trackpad test shows touches and clicks. If nothing registers there, the trackpad or its connection is the problem.
  2. Check a Magic Trackpad's battery and Bluetooth. A low battery or a weak connection drops gestures first.
  3. Quit apps that change gestures. A gesture app or a mapper can take a gesture before macOS sees it.
  4. Restart the Mac. It reloads the trackpad settings.
  5. Try another user account. If gestures work there, the problem is a setting in your own account.

Know what one app can do about it

Swipe between pages only works in apps that support it, such as Safari and the Finder, and some apps use their own gestures. If what you want is a click or a key from somewhere other than the trackpad, a mouse side button or a controller can send it. A mouse back button that does nothing covers the most common case.

The short version

  • Most gestures. System Settings, Trackpad, three tabs.
  • Three-finger drag. Accessibility, Pointer Control, Trackpad Options.
  • Nothing at all. Test it, then check the battery, other apps and a restart.

Questions

Why did my trackpad gestures stop working on my Mac?

Usually the gesture is switched off in System Settings, Trackpad, or an app that changes gestures has taken it. Check the switch, quit gesture apps, and restart.

Where is three-finger drag on a Mac?

In System Settings, Accessibility, Pointer Control, Trackpad Options, where you choose the dragging style.

Download InputConfig on the Mac App StoreCompletely free. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon. Open source on GitHub.

Updated