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
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
Three-quarter view of Razer DeathAdder V3 HyperSpeed on desk
Razer DeathAdder V3 HyperSpeed review: a high-performing gaming mouse with an ergonomic shape that some will love – but others won’t
Latest in News
WhatsApp
WhatsApp will now let big businesses voice call you directly, also adds more AI agents
Google Gemini AI
Google Gemini is set to become a significantly better phone assistant thanks to these two small upgrades
A still from the trailer for The Running Man showing Glen Powell grabbing a taser stick
The Running Man trailer puts Glen Powell in Arnie's shoes as Stephen King's dystopian thriller gets high-octane remake from Edgar Wright
The Nothing Phone 3 being held in the hand
I went hands-on with the Nothing Phone 3, and it might just be the most interesting phone of the year – here's why
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
Steam
Steam's new performance overlay feature will help you monitor how your games are running
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. 1
    WhatsApp will now let big businesses voice call you directly, also adds more AI agents
  2. 2
    Netflix has 3 new movie franchises coming in July 2025 – here's when you can stream them
  3. 3
    Ironheart ending explained: who is [spoiler], will there be a season 2, and more big Marvel questions answered
  4. 4
    3 reasons why I appreciate AI and maybe you should too
  5. 5
    Is AI the new cloud? Survey reveals companies scrambling to adopt AI - but few really know what impact it will have

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...