3 Ways to Fix Trackpad Gestures Not Working on Mac

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Basic Fixes

Fix 1: Restart the Service From Terminal

This method is mainly helpful when the three-finger swipe to bring up mission control or app exposé doesn’t work. You can try restarting the dock service on your Mac using the terminal to see if the gestures start working again. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1:Press theCommandkey on your Mac followed by thespace bar. This will bring upSpotlight Search. Type inTerminaland hit theEnter Key.

Step 2:In the terminal window, input the “killall Dock” command and hit the enter key.

Reboot your Mac once and try using the trackpad gestures now.

Fix 2: Customize Gestures From Trackpad Settings

macOS gives you the ability to change and customize gestures. If you’re trying to perform a specific gesture but it’s not working, it’s possible that the gesture is assigned to do something else. Here’s how you can change it if that’s the case.

Step 1:Click on theApple logoin the top-left corner of your screen. SelectSystem Settings. If your Mac is running macOS Monterey or earlier, selectSystem Preferences. Navigate to theTrackpadoption in the left pane.

Step 2:Switch to theMore Gesturestab. Here, you should see the description of various gestures. Select the relevant action and click on the gesture next to it.

Step 3:Then, choose the trackpad gesture that you want to perform to trigger that action.

Fix 3: Disable Force Click

The Mac’s trackpad has the ability to detect different levels of pressure. As a result, you get the ability to force-click on the trackpad to perform certain functions. However, enabling a force click can interfere with some gestures at times. Try disabling it via the steps below to see if it makes a difference.

Step 1:Click on theApple logoin the top-left corner of your screen. SelectSystem Settings. If your Mac is running macOS Monterey, selectSystem Preferences.

Step 2:Navigate to theTrackpadoption in the left pane. In thePoint & Click tab, disable the toggle next to ‘Force Click and haptic feedback‘.

Try performing the trackpad gestures now to see if they work.

FAQs for Mac Trackpad Gestures Not Working

Set the right gesture to trigger Mission Control from the trackpad settings. If one gesture doesn’t work, try setting something else. You can also use the Terminal method above to reset Mission Control.

Yes, Mac gestures are customizable from the System Settings section.

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Last updated on 04 September, 2024

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