Touchégg

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Touchégg

Touchégg is an app that runs in the background and transform the gestures you make on your touchpad or touchscreen into visible actions in your desktop.

For example, you can swipe up with 3 fingers to maximize a window or swipe left with 4 finger to switch to the next desktop.

Many more actions and gestures are available and everything is easily configurable.

🎥 Ubuntu demo
🎥 elementary OS demo
🎥 Touchscreen demo

Installation

On the releases page you will find a package for your distribution.

Otherwise you can compile the source code yourself by following the instructions available in the HACKING.md file.

Ubuntu, Debian and derivatives

On Ubuntu, it is recommended to use the official PPA to install Touchégg and receive updates:

$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:touchegg/stable
$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt install touchegg

Running add-apt-repository may fail because of temporary server issues; try again a few times, it should work. The PPA is signed with key 7EA12677D47B593CE22727D4C0FCE32AF6B96252 in case you want to install it manually.

If PPAs are not available on your operating system, download the .deb package and install it. Double click on the package may work, otherwise install it from the terminal:

$ cd ~/Downloads # Or to the path where the deb package is placed at
$ sudo apt-get install ./touchegg_*.deb # Install the package

Run Touchégg manually by running the command touchegg or reboot to get started.

Included by default on elementary OS 6, Zorin OS 16, Pop!_OS 21.04+ and Linux Mint 21.2

Fedora, CentOS, RHEL and derivatives

On Fedora, Touchegg is available in the official repository:

$ dnf install touchegg
# You may also need to manually start the service
$ sudo systemctl start touchegg
$ sudo systemctl enable touchegg

On CentOS (EPEL) it is recommended to use the official COPR to install Touchégg and receive updates.

$ sudo dnf copr enable joseexposito/touchegg
$ sudo dnf install touchegg

On other RPM based operating systems, download the .rpm package and install it. Double click on the package may work, otherwise install it from the terminal:

$ cd ~/Downloads # Or to the path where the rpm package is placed at
$ sudo dnf install touchegg-*.rpm # Install the package

Run Touchégg manually by running the command touchegg or reboot to get started.

Arch Linux, Manjaro and derivatives

Install the touchegg package from Arch Linux Packages Registry.

Notice that on Arch services are not enabled or started by default, so you'll have to do it manually:

$ sudo systemctl enable touchegg.service
$ sudo systemctl start touchegg

Once the service is enabled, run Touchégg manually by running the command touchegg or reboot to get started.

A version for Arch based distributions without systemd support, like Artix, is also available on AUR

openSUSE

Touchégg is available in the official repositories.

$ sudo zypper install touchegg
$ sudo systemctl enable touchegg.service
$ sudo systemctl start touchegg

If the version of Touchégg included for your distro is too old (v1.x) it is recommended to use the official COPR to install Touchégg and receive updates.

Alpine Linux

Uncomment the url for the testing repository in /etc/apk/repositories, then install:

$ sudo apk update
$ sudo apk add touchegg

The Touchégg package includes an Openrc init script for starting the Touchégg daemon at boot. To enable:

$ sudo rc-update add touchegg

The init script can also be used to manually start and stop the Touchégg daemon as required:

$ sudo rc-service touchegg start
$ sudo rc-service touchegg stop

Void Linux

Touchégg is available from the main repository. To use it, you have to enable its service after installing.

$ sudo xbps-install touchegg
$ sudo ln -s /etc/sv/touchegg /var/service

NixOS

Add the touchegg package in your configuration.nix file and enable the services.

# configuration.nix
...
environment.systemPackages = with pkgs; [
  touchegg
];

services.touchegg.enable = true;
...

GNOME

If you are using the GNOME Desktop Environment it is recommended to also install this extension:

https://github.com/JoseExposito/gnome-shell-extension-x11gestures

Both Touchégg and the extension need to installed, so don't forget to follow the install instructions for your distro!

Configuration

After installing Touchégg you'll notice that you can start using multi-touch gestures. However, you are not forced to use the gestures and actions that come out of the box, you can configure the gestures you'd like to use and the actions they'll trigger.

Using Touché

Touché is a desktop application to easily configure your touchpad and touchscreen multi-touch gestures.

Follow the instructions on the project page to install it.

Manual configuration

Touché is the recommended way of configuring your gestures. However, you can also manually configure Touchégg by editing an XML file.

Start by copying the default configuration from /usr/share/touchegg/touchegg.conf to ~/.config/touchegg/touchegg.conf. You can do it using your file manager or by running this command in your terminal:

$ mkdir -p ~/.config/touchegg && cp -n /usr/share/touchegg/touchegg.conf ~/.config/touchegg/touchegg.conf

Now open ~/.config/touchegg/touchegg.conf with your favorite text editor. It is a XML document with 3 main sections:

Global settings
Global gestures: <application name="All">...</application>
Application specific gestures: <application name="Google-chrome,Firefox"></application>

The application name can be obtained by running this command and clicking on the target application window:
```
$ xprop | grep WM_CLASS
```

Find more information in the sections below.

Global settings

Option	Value	Default	Description	Example
animation_delay	Number	150	Delay, in milliseconds, since the gesture starts before the animation is displayed	Use the MAXIMIZE_RESTORE_WINDOW action. You will notice that no animation is displayed if you complete the action quick enough. This property configures that time
action_execute_threshold	Number	20	Percentage of the gesture to be completed to apply the action. Set to 0 to execute actions unconditionally	Use the MAXIMIZE_RESTORE_WINDOW action. You will notice that, even if the animation is displayed, the action is not executed if you did not move your fingers far enough. This property configures the percentage of the gesture that must be reached to execute the action
color	Hex color	3E9FED	Color of the animation	`#909090`
borderColor	Hex color	3E9FED	Color of the animation	`FFFFFF`

Available gestures

Swipe

From libinput documentation: Swipe gestures are executed when three or more fingers are moved synchronously in the same direction.

Note that three is the minimum number of fingers that Touchégg allows for swipe gestures on touchpads and two on touchscreens.

Example:

<gesture type="SWIPE" fingers="3" direction="UP">
  <action type="MAXIMIZE_RESTORE_WINDOW">
    <animate>true</animate>
  </action>
</gesture>

Pinch

From libinput documentation: Pinch gestures are executed when two or more fingers are located on the touchpad and are either changing the relative distance to each other (pinching) or are changing the relative angle (rotate).

Example:

<gesture type="PINCH" fingers="4" direction="IN">
  <action type="CLOSE_WINDOW">
    <animate>true</animate>
    <color>F84A53</color>
    <borderColor>F84A53</borderColor>
  </action>
</gesture>

Tap

Tap gestures are executed when two or more fingers "click" on the touchscreen.

Only available on touchscreens

Example:

<gesture type="TAP" fingers="2">
  <action type="MOUSE_CLICK">
    <button>3</button>
    <on>begin</on>
  </action>
</gesture>

Available actions

Maximize or restore a window (MAXIMIZE_RESTORE_WINDOW)

Maximize the window under the pointer. If it is already maximized, restore it.

Options:

Option	Value	Description
animate	`true`/`false`	Set it to `true` to display the animation. `false` otherwise.
color	Hex color	Color of the animation. For example: `909090`
borderColor	Hex color	Border color of the animation. For example: `#FFFFFF`

Example:

<gesture type="SWIPE" fingers="3" direction="UP">
  <action type="MAXIMIZE_RESTORE_WINDOW">
    <animate>true</animate>
    <color>3E9FED</color>
    <borderColor>3E9FED</borderColor>
  </action>
</gesture>

Minimize a window (MINIMIZE_WINDOW)

Minimize the window under the pointer.

Options:

Option	Value	Description
animate	`true`/`false`	Set it to `true` to display the animation. `false` otherwise.
color	Hex color	Color of the animation. For example: `909090`
borderColor	Hex color	Border color of the animation. For example: `#FFFFFF`

Example:

<gesture type="SWIPE" fingers="3" direction="DOWN">
  <action type="MINIMIZE_WINDOW">
    <animate>true</animate>
    <color>3E9FED</color>
    <borderColor>3E9FED</borderColor>
  </action>
</gesture>

Tile/snap a window (TILE_WINDOW)

Resize and move the window under the pointer to use half of the screen.

Options:

Option	Value	Description
direction	`left`/`right`	Use the `left` or `right` half of the screen
animate	`true`/`false`	Set it to `true` to display the animation. `false` otherwise.
color	Hex color	Color of the animation. For example: `909090`
borderColor	Hex color	Border color of the animation. For example: `#FFFFFF`

Example:

<gesture type="SWIPE" fingers="3" direction="LEFT">
  <action type="TILE_WINDOW">
    <direction>left</direction>
    <animate>true</animate>
    <color>3E9FED</color>
    <borderColor>3E9FED</borderColor>
  </action>
</gesture>

<gesture type="SWIPE" fingers="3" direction="RIGHT">
  <action type="TILE_WINDOW">
    <direction>right</direction>
    <animate>true</animate>
    <color>3E9FED</color>
    <borderColor>3E9FED</borderColor>
  </action>
</gesture>

Fullscreen a window (FULLSCREEN_WINDOW)

Toggles fullscreen mode for the window under the pointer.

Options:

Option	Value	Description
animate	`true`/`false`	Set it to `true` to display the animation. `false` otherwise.
color	Hex color	Color of the animation. For example: `909090`
borderColor	Hex color	Border color of the animation. For example: `#FFFFFF`

Example:

<gesture type="SWIPE" fingers="3" direction="UP">
  <action type="FULLSCREEN_WINDOW">
    <animate>true</animate>
    <color>3E9FED</color>
    <borderColor>3E9FED</borderColor>
  </action>
</gesture>

Close a window (CLOSE_WINDOW)

Close the window under the pointer.

Options:

Option	Value	Description
animate	`true`/`false`	Set it to `true` to display the animation. `false` otherwise.
color	Hex color	Color of the animation. For example: `909090`
borderColor	Hex color	Border color of the animation. For example: `#FFFFFF`

Example:

<gesture type="PINCH" fingers="4" direction="IN">
  <action type="CLOSE_WINDOW">
    <animate>true</animate>
    <color>F84A53</color>
    <borderColor>F84A53</borderColor>
  </action>
</gesture>

Switch desktops/workspaces (CHANGE_DESKTOP)

Change to another desktop/workspace.

Options:

Option	Value	Description
direction	`previous`/`next`/`up`/`down`/`left`/`right`/`auto`	The desktop/workspace to switch to. It is recommended to use `previous`/`next` for better compatibility. However, some desktop environments, like KDE, allow to configure a grid of desktops and `up`/`down`/`left`/`right` come in handy. With `SWIPE` gestures, `auto` will use your natural scroll preferences to figure out the direction.
cyclic	`true`/`false`	Set it to `true` when using `previous`/`next` directions to navigate from last desktop to first desktop or from first to last.
animate	`true`/`false`	Set it to `true` to display the animation. `false` otherwise.
animationPosition	`up`/`down`/`left`/`right`/`auto`	Edge of the screen where the animation will be displayed. With `SWIPE` gestures, `auto` will use your natural scroll preferences to figure out the animation position.
color	Hex color	Color of the animation. For example: `909090`
borderColor	Hex color	Border color of the animation. For example: `#FFFFFF`

Example:

<gesture type="SWIPE" fingers="4" direction="LEFT">
  <action type="CHANGE_DESKTOP">
    <direction>next</direction>
    <animate>true</animate>
    <animationPosition>right</animationPosition>
    <color>3E9FED</color>
    <borderColor>3E9FED</borderColor>
  </action>
</gesture>

<gesture type="SWIPE" fingers="4" direction="RIGHT">
  <action type="CHANGE_DESKTOP">
    <direction>previous</direction>
    <animate>true</animate>
    <animationPosition>left</animationPosition>
    <color>3E9FED</color>
    <borderColor>3E9FED</borderColor>
  </action>
</gesture>

Show desktop (SHOW_DESKTOP)

Show the desktop. If the desktop is already being shown, restore all the windows.

Options:

Option	Value	Description
animate	`true`/`false`	Set it to `true` to display the animation. `false` otherwise.
color	Hex color	Color of the animation. For example: `909090`
borderColor	Hex color	Border color of the animation. For example: `#FFFFFF`

Example:

<gesture type="SWIPE" fingers="4" direction="DOWN">
  <action type="SHOW_DESKTOP">
    <animate>true</animate>
    <color>909090</color>
    <borderColor>FFFFFF</borderColor>
  </action>
</gesture>

Keyboard shortcut (SEND_KEYS)

Emulate a keyboard shortcut.

Options:

Option	Value	Description
repeat	`true`/`false`	Whether to execute the keyboard shortcut multiple times (default: `false`). This is useful to perform actions like pinch to zoom.
modifiers	Keysym	Typical values are: `Shift_L`, `Control_L`, `Alt_L`, `Alt_R`, `Meta_L`, `Super_L`, `Hyper_L`. You can use multiple keysyms: `Control_L+Alt_L`.See "Keysyms" below for more information.
keys	Keysym	Shortcut keys. You can use multiple keysyms: `A+B+C`. See "Keysyms" below for more information.
on	`begin`/`end`	Only used when `repeat` is `false`. Whether to execute the shortcut at the beginning or at the end of the gesture.
decreaseKeys	Keysym	Only used when `repeat` is `true`. Keys to press when you change the gesture direction to the opposite. You can use multiple keysyms: `A+B+C`. This is useful to perform actions like pinch to zoom, check `Example 2` below.
times	2...15	Only used when `repeat` is `true`. Number of times to repeat the action.
animate	`true`/`false`	Set it to `true` to display the animation set in `animation`. `false` otherwise.
color	Hex color	Color of the animation. For example: `909090`
borderColor	Hex color	Border color of the animation. For example: `#FFFFFF`
animation	Animation	See custom animations

Keysyms:

Keysyms can be found in two places:

Regular keys are in /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h, you can open it with your favorite text editor.

It is important to remove the XK_ prefix. For example, the super keysym is defined as XK_Super_L but it must be used as Super_L in the configuration.
Special keys (e.g. media keys, browser back, sleep, etc.) are in /usr/include/X11/XF86keysym.h.

Again, remove XK_, but leave the rest (including the bit before the XK_). For example, XF86XK_Back becomes XF86Back.

Note that only keysyms that are mapped onto a keycode can be used by Touchégg. You can use xmodmap -pk to show the current mapping. To add a keysym that is not mapped by default (for example XF86ZoomIn), you can tell xmodmap to map it to any free keycode:

xmodmap -e 'keycode any=XF86ZoomIn'

Example 1: Pinch to zoom example

<gesture type="PINCH" fingers="2" direction="IN">
  <action type="SEND_KEYS">
    <repeat>true</repeat>
    <modifiers>Control_L</modifiers>
    <keys>KP_Subtract</keys>
    <decreaseKeys>KP_Add</decreaseKeys>
  </action>
</gesture>

<gesture type="PINCH" fingers="2" direction="OUT">
  <action type="SEND_KEYS">
    <repeat>true</repeat>
    <modifiers>Control_L</modifiers>
    <keys>KP_Add</keys>
    <decreaseKeys>KP_Subtract</decreaseKeys>
  </action>
</gesture>

Example 2: Switch between windows (Alt+Tab)

<gesture type="SWIPE" fingers="3" direction="LEFT">
  <action type="SEND_KEYS">
    <repeat>true</repeat>
    <modifiers>Alt_L</modifiers>
    <keys>Shift_L+Tab</keys>
    <decreaseKeys>Tab</decreaseKeys>
  </action>
</gesture>

<gesture type="SWIPE" fingers="3" direction="RIGHT">
  <action type="SEND_KEYS">
    <repeat>true</repeat>
    <modifiers>Alt_L</modifiers>
    <keys>Tab</keys>
    <decreaseKeys>Shift_L+Tab</decreaseKeys>
  </action>
</gesture>

Example 3: Open Gnome application launcher

<gesture type="PINCH" fingers="4" direction="IN">
  <action type="SEND_KEYS">
    <repeat>false</repeat>
    <modifiers>Super_L</modifiers>
    <keys>A</keys>
    <on>begin</on>
  </action>
</gesture>

Execute a command (RUN_COMMAND)

Run any command.

Options:

Option	Value	Description
repeat	`true`/`false`	`true` if the command should be executed multiple times. `false` otherwise.
command	Command	The command to execute.
on	`begin`/`end`	Only used when `repeat` is `false`. If the command should be executed on the beginning or on the end of the gesture.
decreaseCommand	Command	Only used when `repeat` is `true`. Command to run when you change the gesture direction to the opposite. Check `Example 2` below.
times	2...15	Only used when `repeat` is `true`. Number of times to repeat the action.
animate	`true`/`false`	Set it to `true` to display the animation set in `animation`. `false` otherwise.
color	Hex color	Color of the animation. For example: `909090`
borderColor	Hex color	Border color of the animation. For example: `#FFFFFF`
animation	Animation	See custom animations

Example 1:

<gesture type="SWIPE" fingers="4" direction="DOWN">
  <action type="RUN_COMMAND">
    <repeat>false</repeat>
    <command>notify-send 'Hello World' "Swipe down, DEVICE_TYPE=$TOUCHEGG_DEVICE_TYPE"</command>
    <on>begin</on>
  </action>
</gesture>

Example 2:

<gesture type="SWIPE" fingers="4" direction="DOWN">
  <action type="RUN_COMMAND">
    <repeat>true</repeat>
    <command>notify-send 'Swipe direction' 'DOWN'</command>
    <decreaseCommand>notify-send 'Swipe direction' 'UP'</decreaseCommand>
  </action>
</gesture>

Mouse click (MOUSE_CLICK)

Emulate a mouse click.

Options:

Option	Value	Description
button	`1`/`2`/`3`/`8`/`9`	Left click (1), middle click (2), right click (3), back button (8) or forward button (9)
on	`begin`/`end`	If the command should be executed on the beginning or on the end of the gesture.

Example:

<gesture type="TAP" fingers="2">
  <action type="MOUSE_CLICK">
    <button>3</button>
    <on>begin</on>
  </action>
</gesture>

Custom animations

The keyboard shortcut action and the execute a command action allow to set a custom animation. These are the available values:

Animation	Example
CHANGE_DESKTOP_UP	Switch desktops/workspaces
CHANGE_DESKTOP_DOWN	Switch desktops/workspaces
CHANGE_DESKTOP_LEFT	Switch desktops/workspaces
CHANGE_DESKTOP_RIGHT	Switch desktops/workspaces
CLOSE_WINDOW	Close a window
MAXIMIZE_WINDOW	Maximize or restore a window
RESTORE_WINDOW	Maximize or restore a window
MINIMIZE_WINDOW	Minimize a window
SHOW_DESKTOP	Show desktop
EXIST_SHOW_DESKTOP	Show desktop
TILE_WINDOW_LEFT	Tile/snap a window
TILE_WINDOW_RIGHT	Tile/snap a window

Daemon configuration

Touchégg runs in two different processes, one of them is a systemd daemon configured in /lib/systemd/system/touchegg.service. In addition to the --daemon argument, you can pass two optional arguments:

Option	Value	Default	Description	Example
start_threshold	Number	Calculated automatically according to your device characteristics	Amount of motion to be made on the touchpad before a gesture is started	Put 3 fingers on your touchpad. You will notice that the action does not start until you move them a little bit. This property configures how much you should move your fingers before the action starts
finish_threshold	Number	Calculated automatically according to your device characteristics	Amount of motion to be made on the touchpad to reach the 100% of an animation	Use the MAXIMIZE_RESTORE_WINDOW action. You will notice that you need to move your fingers a certain amount until the animation fills your entire screen. This property configures how much you need to move your fingers

It is recommended NOT to configure start_threshold and finish_threshold since an optimal value is calculated for you.

However, if your device size is unknown, you will need to set their values manually:

$ journalctl -u touchegg -b
[...]
It wasn't possible to get your device physical size, falling back to default start_threshold and finish_threshold. You can tune this values in your service file:
https://github.com/JoseExposito/touchegg#daemon-configuration

The recommended values are:

start_threshold: The 3% of the height of your screen in mm
finish_threshold: The 15% of the height of your screen in mm

For example, if your screen height is 100mm, edit /lib/systemd/system/touchegg.service and set the right values:

ExecStart=/usr/bin/touchegg --daemon 3 15

Finally, restart the daemon and make sure the right values are printed:

$ sudo systemctl daemon-reload && sudo systemctl restart touchegg

$ journalctl -u touchegg -b -f
Compatible device detected:
  [...]
  Calculating threshold and animation_finish_threshold. You can tune this values in your service file
  threshold: 3
  animation_finish_threshold: 15

FAQ

Does Touchégg work on Wayland?

No, Touchégg only works on X11.

What hardware is supported?

Under the hood, Touchégg relies on libinput.

All hardware supported by libinput is supported by Touchégg.

Is there a GUI to configure Touchégg?

Yes, Touché is the official desktop application.

Can I use 2 finger swipes for web browser navigation?

No, at least not with Touchégg. However, you can use following alternatives methods.

If you are using a Firefox-based browser, you can use Wayland instead of X11 for this functionality as standard; if you want to stay in X11 or cannot use Wayland, you can also use this extension instead.

If you are using a Chromium-based browser, simply run it with the --enable-features=TouchpadOverscrollHistoryNavigation command line option.If you want this to permanent, edit the shortcut on the Start menu.

Copyright

The source code is available under GPL v3 license on GitHub

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
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.copr		.copr
.github		.github
.vscode		.vscode
cmake		cmake
debian		debian
documentation		documentation
installation		installation
rpm		rpm
src		src
.clang-format		.clang-format
.clang-tidy		.clang-tidy
.editorconfig		.editorconfig
.gitignore		.gitignore
CHANGELOG.md		CHANGELOG.md
CMakeLists.txt		CMakeLists.txt
COPYING		COPYING
COPYRIGHT		COPYRIGHT
HACKING.md		HACKING.md
README.md		README.md

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Touchégg

Table of contents

Installation

Ubuntu, Debian and derivatives

Fedora, CentOS, RHEL and derivatives

Arch Linux, Manjaro and derivatives

openSUSE

Alpine Linux

Void Linux

NixOS

GNOME

Configuration

Using Touché

Manual configuration

Global settings

Available gestures

Swipe

Pinch

Tap

Available actions

Maximize or restore a window (MAXIMIZE_RESTORE_WINDOW)

Minimize a window (MINIMIZE_WINDOW)

Tile/snap a window (TILE_WINDOW)

Fullscreen a window (FULLSCREEN_WINDOW)

Close a window (CLOSE_WINDOW)

Switch desktops/workspaces (CHANGE_DESKTOP)

Show desktop (SHOW_DESKTOP)

Keyboard shortcut (SEND_KEYS)

Execute a command (RUN_COMMAND)

Mouse click (MOUSE_CLICK)

Custom animations

Daemon configuration

FAQ

Does Touchégg work on Wayland?

What hardware is supported?

Is there a GUI to configure Touchégg?

Can I use 2 finger swipes for web browser navigation?

Copyright

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