{"id":15334,"date":"2017-05-17T16:22:31","date_gmt":"2017-05-17T10:52:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wikitechy.com\/technology\/?p=15334"},"modified":"2017-05-17T16:22:31","modified_gmt":"2017-05-17T10:52:31","slug":"set-custom-gestures-mac-using-better-touch-tool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wikitechy.com\/technology\/set-custom-gestures-mac-using-better-touch-tool\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Set Up Custom Gestures on Mac using Better Touch Tool"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Mac trackpad is one of the best in the business, and there\u2019s a simple reason for that: gestures. The gestures that macOS backings are truly natural, and once you begin utilizing them, you just can\u2019t imagine using a laptop without them. All in all, how might you make the trackpad on your beloved MacBook, more customized according to your needs? Apple offers 14 signals in macOS Sierra, that you can enable or disable according to your needs, but what if you want more?\u00a0 In this article, I will let you know precisely how you can make your own particular custom gestures on a Mac. So, read on, and figure out how you can get your trackpad to do what you need it to do.<\/p>\n[ad type=”banner”]\n

Better Touch Tool:<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

We\u2019ll be utilizing an application called Better Touch Tool to set up custom motions on the Mac. Better Touch Tool, or BTT, as it is more generally referred to, is a to a great degree flexible, and valuable application, that permits clients to make custom signals, as well as adds window snapping usefulness to macOS, and significantly more. The customization alternatives offered by the app are almost limitless, and at $4, the app is very reasonably priced. The app offers a free trial, so you can follow this guide without having to pay for the app.<\/p>\n

Creating Custom Gestures:<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Once you have downloaded the application, we can begin with making the custom motions that we need. For representation purposes, I will create signals to open websites, for example, wikitechy, Facebook, and Google, as well as gestures to perform actions like \u201ccopy\u201d, \u201cpaste\u201d, \u201cclose tab\u201d, \u201cmove to next tab\u201d, and more. These will give you a reasonable thought of how you can make custom signals for your Mac trackpad, and upgrade your efficiency on macOS.<\/p>\n

1.Creating Drawing Gestures to Open Websites:<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

You can create custom gestures to open websites using Better Touch Tool. To do this, simply follow the steps given below:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Click on the\u00a0Better Touch Tool icon in the menu bar, and go to Preferences.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \"How<\/p>\n

      \n
    • In the\u00a0Preferences window, go to \u201cDrawings\u201d, and click on \u201cAdd new Drawing\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      \"How<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Draw your gesture, and assign a name to it.\u00a0I will create a gesture for opening wikitechy. Once you\u2019re done, click on \u201cFinish & Save Gesture\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        \"How<\/p>\n

          \n
        • Your gesture will now be visible in the \u201cDrawings\u201d tab. Click on the drop-down menu that says \u201cTrigger Predefined Action\u201d, and\u00a0search for \u201copen URL\u201d. Select \u201cOpen URL\/URL with\u00a0selection\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          \"How<\/p>\n

            \n
          • Enter the\u00a0URL of the website you want to open (I\u2019ll use http:\/\/wikitechy.com), and hit Enter.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Your gesture is now created, but\u00a0there is still a little bit more to do, in order to be able to use the gesture.<\/p>\n

            2. Creating a Trigger for Drawing:<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

            In order\u00a0to use your drawing gestures, you will need a trigger which tells your Mac that it should wait for a signal. To do this, follow the steps outlined below:<\/p>\n

              \n
            • In the Preferences window, select \u201cTrackpad\u201d, or \u201cKeyboard\u201d, depending on whether you want a trackpad gesture for the trigger, or a keyboard shortcut. I\u2019m going with Trackpad. Next,\u00a0click on \u201cAdd New Gesture\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              \"How<\/p>\n[ad type=”banner”]\n

                \n
              • Under Touchpad Gesture, select the gesture you want, I\u2019ll use a \u201cFour Finger Tap\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                \"How<\/p>\n

                  \n
                • Then, under \u201cPredefined Action\u201d, search for \u201cStart recording\u201d, and select \u201cStart Recording Drawing\/Mouse Gesture\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                  \"How<\/p>\n

                  Now you\u2019re all set to use your\u00a0custom drawing gesture.<\/p>\n

                  3. Using the Gesture<\/strong>:<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

                  The greatest part about gestures, is that they can be used no matter what application you\u2019re in.\u00a0In order to use your custom gesture, simply follow the steps given below:<\/p>\n

                    \n
                  • Perform a Four Finger Tap on the Mac trackpad. This will open up a recording area on your screen.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                    \"How<\/p>\n

                      \n
                    • Draw your gesture using your trackpad, and as soon as you let go of the trackpad, Better Touch Tool will try to recognize the gesture you made, and perform the action related to it; in this case, it opens up\u00a0the wikitechy website.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                      \"How<\/p>\n

                      4. Creating Gestures to Perform Actions:<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

                      If you need to use\u00a0custom taps, and gestures on your trackpad to perform common actions like copying, pasting, etc., simply follow the steps given below:<\/p>\n

                        \n
                      • In the Better Touch Tool Preferences, click on \u201cTrackpads\u201d, and then on \u201cAdd New Gesture\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                        \"How<\/p>\n

                         <\/p>\n

                          \n
                        • Select the type of gesture you want. I\u2019ll create a gesture to copy text, and I\u2019ll use the \u201cTip Tap Left\u201d gesture, under \u201cTwo Finger Gestures\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                          \"How<\/p>\n[ad type=”banner”]\n

                            \n
                          • Next, click on the text box that reads \u201cCustom Keyboard Shortcut\u201d, and press Command + C.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                            You can now directly\u00a0start using the gesture on your Mac, in any application.<\/p>\n

                            Note:\u00a0<\/strong>If you\u2019re unsure of what a gesture means, simply select it, and you\u2019ll be able to see what the gesture is, on the small trackpad on the Better Touch Tool preferences window.<\/p>\n

                            Use\u00a0Gestures on a Mac Trackpad to\u00a0Simplify Workflow:<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

                            Now that you know how you can create a variety of gestures on your Mac, go ahead and create your own custom gestures. Using custom gestures greatly simplifies workflow, as long as you create gestures that you find easy to do, and assign actions that you use most often. For example, I use gestures for copying, pasting, switching tabs, closing tabs, and more. I don\u2019t use a lot of drawing gestures, except for a couple ones to open websites that I frequent.<\/p>\n

                            As always, I welcome your thoughts and opinions on creating custom gestures on your Mac trackpad, and would like to hear about the use cases that you have in mind for such gestures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                            How to Set Up Custom Gestures on Mac using Better Touch Tool – PC – The gestures that macOS backings are truly natural, and once you begin utilizing them<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20052,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51208,51206,5739],"tags":[45962,31200,45959,38544,38537,43123,45961,45970,31176,45942,45954,45941,45940,45939,45963,45960,45965,45944,45966,45946,45958,45950,45955,36599,36602,45952,45949,45943,38550,31180,45953,45948,45964,45968,45957,45956,45951,45967,45969,36620,36607,45947,45945],"class_list":["post-15334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-apple","category-mac","category-pc","tag-best-apps-for-imac","tag-best-apps-for-mac","tag-best-apps-for-macbook","tag-best-apps-for-macbook-pro","tag-best-free-apps-for-mac","tag-best-mac-apps-2015","tag-best-mac-apps-2016","tag-best-mac-utilities","tag-best-productivity-apps-for-mac","tag-better-snap-tool","tag-better-touch-tool-mac-download","tag-better-touch-tool-reddit","tag-better-touch-tool-touch-bar","tag-bettertouchtool-mac","tag-control-iphone-from-mac","tag-control-mac-from-iphone","tag-control-mac-with-iphone","tag-custom-trackpad-gestures-mac","tag-how-to-remotely-control-a-mac","tag-mac-magic-mouse","tag-mac-mini-remote-control","tag-mac-pad","tag-mac-tools","tag-mac-touch","tag-mac-touchpad","tag-mac-track-pad","tag-magic-mouse-mac","tag-magicprefs","tag-must-have-mac-apps","tag-productivity-apps-for-mac","tag-remote-control-for-mac","tag-remote-control-mac","tag-remote-control-mac-from-ipad","tag-remote-control-mac-from-iphone","tag-remote-for-imac","tag-remote-for-mac","tag-remote-mac","tag-remote-mouse-mac","tag-split-screen-on-mac","tag-touchpad-for-mac","tag-touchpad-mac","tag-trackpad-for-mac","tag-trackpad-mac"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wikitechy.com\/technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wikitechy.com\/technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wikitechy.com\/technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wikitechy.com\/technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wikitechy.com\/technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.wikitechy.com\/technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15334\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wikitechy.com\/technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wikitechy.com\/technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wikitechy.com\/technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wikitechy.com\/technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}