Skip to main content
Tech Radar TechRadar the technology experts
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
RSS
Asia
flag of Singapore
Singapore
Europe
flag of Danmark
Danmark
flag of Suomi
Suomi
flag of Norge
Norge
flag of Sverige
Sverige
flag of UK
UK
flag of Italia
Italia
flag of Nederland
Nederland
flag of België (Nederlands)
België (Nederlands)
flag of France
France
flag of Deutschland
Deutschland
flag of España
España
North America
flag of US (English)
US (English)
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of México
México
Australasia
flag of Australia
Australia
flag of New Zealand
New Zealand
  • Phones
  • Computing
  • TVs
  • AI
  • Streaming
  • Health
  • Audio
  • VPN
  • More
    • Cameras
    • Home
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Opinion
    • How to
    • Versus
    • Deals
    • Coupons
    • Best
Tech Radar Pro
Tech Radar Gaming
Trending
  • Amazon Prime Day
  • Back to school
  • Nintendo Switch 2
  • Best VPN
  • ChatGPT
  • NYT Wordle today
  • Best laptop
  • Best web hosting
Recommended reading
An iPad Pro and Apple Pencil on a violet background.
Phones How to connect and use an Apple Pencil on iPad: tips, tricks, best apps, and more
iPhone accessories displayed in a collage
iPhone 5 Apple iPhone accessories I can’t live without
iMac (24-inch, 2021)
macOS Best screenshot tool for Mac in 2025: fast and easy to use options
Using Apple Products
iOS This is my favorite 'hidden' iPhone feature and if you also own a Mac, you should be using it right now
Apple MacOS Tahoe
macOS macOS Tahoe 26 finally adds a much-needed feature that means I may never use Windows 11 again
watchOS 26 running on an Apple Watch Series 10
Smartwatches Constantly dismissing notifications on your Apple Watch? You’re going to love Apple’s watchOS 26 latest gesture
Microsoft office apps on the orange TechRadar logo
Macs The best Apple silicon Mac apps in 2025: top programs for Apple's Arm-based M1, M2, M3 and M4 chips
  1. Computing
  2. Peripherals & Accessories
  3. Mice

6 Essential Mac Mouse and Trackpad Tips

News
By MacLife published 3 July 2015

Get your scroll on

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Introduction

Introduction

They're an integral part of your computing setup, and you use them so often you practically forget they're there. We're talking about your mouse and trackpad, and there's more to them than you might think; both input devices offer options and shortcuts that can make your life easier. Here are six top tips to improve the way you use your Mac's mouse and trackpad.

Page 1 of 7
Page 1 of 7
1. Customize Trackpad Gestures

1. Customize Trackpad Gestures

Open System Preferences > Trackpad. Click on the first tab, Point & Click. If you'd rather tap your Mac's trackpad than press down to click, check the first box. If you want to add a secondary click (a control-click action), check the next box down and choose one of the options from the drop-down menu.

The next option, Look Up, is very useful. Check it and you can tap any word in any document with three fingers to look it up in the dictionary, thesaurus and Wikipedia. Finally, to move windows by dragging with three fingers, check the bottom box.

Page 2 of 7
Page 2 of 7
2. Control the way you scroll and zoom

2. Control the way you scroll and zoom

Your Mac is configured to allow you to zoom in and out of images and web pages by either pinching and unpinching with two fingers or by tapping the trackpad with two fingers to activate what Apple calls Smart Zoom. That can be very useful, but can also be confusing if, say, you tend to leave your thumb resting on the trackpad. To switch off this behavior, tap the Scroll & Zoom tab in the Trackpad System Preferences pane and uncheck the second and third boxes. If you don't want to rotate an image with your fingers on the trackpad, turn that off, too.

Page 3 of 7
Page 3 of 7
3. Change the default gestures for navigating OS X

3. Change the default gestures for navigating OS X

In OS X, you can activate Launchpad or Exposé and slide between full-screen apps using either three or four fingers to swipe across the trackpad. The default is four, but we prefer to use three. To change it, click the More Gestures tab in the Trackpad pane and make sure the relevant items are checked. Choose "Three fingers" from the drop-down menus. If you set swiping between full-screen apps to use three fingers, make sure you also set the "Swipe between pages" option to two fingers to avoid confusion.

Page 4 of 7
Page 4 of 7
4. Use gestures in QuickTime Player

4. Use gestures in QuickTime Player

In addition to system-wide gestures, there are some that only work in specific apps. In QuickTime Player, drag two fingers from left to right across the trackpad to scrub forwards through video. To return to normal speed, just lift your fingers from the trackpad. Drag two fingers from right to left to scrub backwards. The further across the trackpad you drag, the faster the video will go. To enter full-screen mode, spread two fingers across the trackpad. To leave full-screen, pinch with two fingers.

Page 5 of 7
Page 5 of 7
5. Configure scrolling with the Magic Mouse

5. Configure scrolling with the Magic Mouse

Apple's Magic Mouse uses many of the same gestures as the trackpad, and you can customize these as well. To change the direction in which pages scroll when you swipe up and down with one finger, open the Mouse pane in System Preferences and click Point & Click. Uncheck "Scroll Direction: Natural" (that's "natural" according to Apple, anyway).

You can switch off the right-click option of the Magic Mouse here, if you find the lack of a separate external button confusing (or hard to press with consistency). We find, though, that if you leave it on, you'll eventually get used to it.

Page 6 of 7
Page 6 of 7
6. Create navigation gestures for the Magic

6. Create navigation gestures for the Magic

You can swipe between pages and full-screen apps, as well as activate Mission Control, using gestures on the Magic Mouse. Navigating pages can be done with one or two fingers. If you set it to one, make sure you uncheck the "Swipe between full-screen apps option" in the More Gestures tab of the Mouse pane to avoid potential confusion.

If you don't use Mission Control, you might want to uncheck the box that allows you to activate it with a double-tap, so you don't keep launching it by accident. Finally on the mouse front, if you ever want to check your mouse's battery level, click the Bluetooth menu bar item and hover over the Mouse that's currently connected to see the charge remaining.

Page 7 of 7
Page 7 of 7
TOPICS
Apple
MacLife
See more Computing News
Read more
An iPad Pro and Apple Pencil on a violet background.
How to connect and use an Apple Pencil on iPad: tips, tricks, best apps, and more
iPhone accessories displayed in a collage
5 Apple iPhone accessories I can’t live without
iMac (24-inch, 2021)
Best screenshot tool for Mac in 2025: fast and easy to use options
Using Apple Products
This is my favorite 'hidden' iPhone feature and if you also own a Mac, you should be using it right now
Apple MacOS Tahoe
macOS Tahoe 26 finally adds a much-needed feature that means I may never use Windows 11 again
watchOS 26 running on an Apple Watch Series 10
Constantly dismissing notifications on your Apple Watch? You’re going to love Apple’s watchOS 26 latest gesture
Latest in Mice
Belkin Boostcharge Pro 15W qi2 power bank sitting on an iPhone 15
The ultra-portable Belkin Boostcharge Pro Magnetic Power Bank with Qi2 ain't cheap, but its versatility won me over anyway
Razer Viper V3 Pro on purple background with 'techradar don't miss' logo in top-left corner
I loved gaming with this lightweight Razer mouse – and now it's got a great discount over at Amazon
Razer Basilisk Mobile on plinth with pink background
Razer Basilisk Mobile review: a small gaming mouse with a premium feel and performance
Glorious Model I 2 on plinth with pink background
Glorious Model I 2 review: a multi-buttoned wired gaming mouse that’s too expensive for what it offers
Side view of Contour Design Unimouse on plinth with pink background
Contour Design Unimouse review: a comfortable and versatile ergonomic mouse that might be a bit too large for some
Side view of HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 Pro on desk
HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 Pro review: a high-quality, versatile gaming mouse with a shape that won’t be for everyone
Latest in News
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 on a table
The latest Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 leaks may have revealed battery and durability info – as well as on-sale dates
A Nintendo Switch 2 next to hands holding the Sigma BF and a B&O Bluetooth speaker sitting on a table
The best tech of 2025 so far – the 17 finest gadgets we've tested this year
The Xbox Series X Digital next to the new Dyson Airwrap and Nothing Headphone (1)
ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech stories from Spotify's suspected AI band to Nothing's first over-ear headphones
AMD RX 9070 GPU models
AMD's new GPUs could be a flop – and while that's good news for Nvidia, I'm worried for gamers
Tom Holland's Peter Parker stares into the camera in Spider-Man: No Way Home
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will start filming in August, and I'm desperate to have some of my biggest questions answered about the Marvel movie
Android apps
Android 16’s answer to iOS Live Activities is coming soon – here are the apps it’ll support, including Google Maps
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. 1
    Thanks to this Oral-B electric toothbrush, my teeth have never felt cleaner – and right now, it's half price in early Prime Day deals
  2. 2
    After 30 hours with Street Fighter 6 Years 1-2 Fighters Edition, the Nintendo Switch 2 version has almost become my preferred way to play
  3. 3
    Heading off to college? This Alexa speaker is the best dormitory companion to keep you organized and bring the vibes – and the cheapest it's ever been right now
  4. 4
    The best tech of 2025 so far – the 17 finest gadgets we've tested this year
  5. 5
    The latest Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 leaks may have revealed battery and durability info – as well as on-sale dates

TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Web notifications
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...