Microsoft added a lot of touch gestures over the years, and many of them are genuinely useful in everyday Windows 10 use. Whether you have a laptop with a touchpad, a tablet with a touchscreen, or a 2‑in‑1 that has both, learning a few simple gestures can speed up common tasks.
Touchpad gestures
Before you start: some of the more advanced touchpad gestures require a precision touchpad. You can check in Settings > Devices > Touchpad for a label that mentions a "precision touchpad." If you don’t have that, the basic gestures below should still work.
1. Drag and drop — Double-tap an item with one finger and keep the finger down, then drag it where you want and release to drop.
2. Scroll — Use two fingers and slide them up or down (or left and right) to scroll through pages, lists and documents.
3. Zoom — Pinch two fingers together to zoom out, and spread them apart to zoom in on images and web pages that support pinch-zoom.
4. Rotate — Place two fingers on an item and rotate them to spin the object where the app supports rotation.
5. Context menu (right-click) — Tap with two fingers to open the context menu without using a physical right-click button.
6. Task View (show all windows) — Swipe up with three fingers to open Task View and get an overview of open windows and virtual desktops. Swipe down with three fingers to dismiss it.
7. Show desktop / minimize all — Swipe down with three fingers to minimise windows and reveal the desktop; swipe up with three fingers to restore them.
8. Switch apps (Alt‑Tab equivalent) — Swipe left or right with three fingers to cycle through open applications.
9. Three-finger tap — Many systems let you choose what a three-finger tap does (show Cortana/search, open the Action Center or something else) in the Touchpad settings.
Touchscreen gestures
Touchscreens are more direct and the gestures are similar to those on phones and tablets. They’re handy on tablets and convertible laptops in tablet mode.
1. Scroll — Drag one finger up or down (or sideways) to scroll content.
2. Drag and drop — Touch and hold an item until it lifts, then drag it to a new location.
3. Context menu — Tap and hold to bring up a contextual menu or additional options.
4. Open Action Center — Swipe in from the right edge to see quick action tiles and notifications.
5. Task View — Swipe in from the left edge to switch between open apps or see all running windows.
6. Edge app commands — Swipe in from the top or bottom edge in some apps to reveal app-specific commands like New or Refresh.
7. Close an app (tablet mode) — In tablet mode you can drag an app from the top edge down to close it.
8. Zoom — Pinch with two fingers to zoom in and out on maps, photos and web pages that support pinch gestures.
9. Rotate — Turn two fingers around a central point to rotate content when supported by the app.
Are you a mouse person or a touch person? Many people prefer a mouse for precision, but these gestures are worth trying — they’re quick to learn and can make everyday navigation faster and more fluid.
