OS X features several handy native trackpad gestures aimed at controlling your Mac, but wouldn’t it be nice to be able to launch or open your favorite app with a simple trackpad gesture? In this post, we’ll show you how to easily wield BetterTouchTool in order to do just that.
BetterTouchTool is an app that brings a wealth of new options and settings to many of the Mac’s various input devices. It’s a paid app with a free 45-day trial, and as one of the deepest third-party utilities available for the Mac, it’s worth donating and acquiring a license.
Once you have BetterTouchTool downloaded and installed, you can follow the steps below to create an easy-to-use app-launching gesture.
Step 1: Open BetterTouchTool.
Step 2: Click Trackpads.
Step 3: Click Global under Select Application.
Step 4: Under Touchpad Gesture, select your desired trackpad gesture. I use the 5-finger tap gesture.
Step 5: Under Predefined Action, select Controlling Other Applications → Open Application, and select the application that you wish to assign to the gesture selected in the previous step.
Video walkthrough
If you use a mouse instead of your Mac’s trackpad, then you can always use a different input option in Step 2.
I assigned a five-finger tap gesture to open Google Chrome. Now, no matter where I am on my Mac, I can easily open Google Chrome by tapping my Mac’s trackpad with five fingers.
Do you use BetterTouchTool on your Mac? If you do, then you know that this is just the tip of the iceberg as far as what this utility can do. What are some of your favorite use case scenarios for BetterTouchTool?
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