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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.

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
    • Minimize a window
    • Tile/snap a window
    • Fullscreen a window
    • Close a window
    • Switch desktops/workspaces
    • Show desktop
    • Keyboard shortcut
    • Execute a command
    • Mouse click
  • Custom animations
  • Daemon configuration
• FAQ
• Copyright

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 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

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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

Copyright 2011 - 2021 José Expósito <jose.exposito89@gmail.com>

The source code is available under GPL v3 license on GitHub