How to Change Trackpad Sensitivity on a Mac

When you use your Mac for the first time, the default trackpad settings may not have the correct sensitivity for your liking. And if so, you might find that this issue is ruining your user experience.

But if you want to change the sensitivity settings of your Mac trackpad, then don’t worry. Your Mac gives you plenty of customization options, and this area is no different. Making these adjustments is a relatively straightforward process, and we’ll walk you through each step.

Read on to find out how you can change the sensitivity settings on your Mac or MacBook trackpad, as well as some handy tips related to touch strength and using the magic trackpad.

How to change the tracking speed

Whether you notice it or not, the mouse pointer on your Mac must have grown sluggish over time. If you want to speed up the trackpad – or slow it down, for that matter – all you need to do is follow the steps listed below.

Step 1: In the upper left corner of your computer, click on the Apple logo.

2nd step: Go to System Preferences.

Step 3: Search for Trackpad. You’ll find this icon in the first row of the lighter gray background, which is about halfway down this window.

Step 4: Go to the bottom of the Point and Click window, where you will see an area titled Tracking Speed. Its position will depend on the type of Mac you have; for some it’s all alone downstairs. But for others, it’s closer to the middle and next to an option called Click.

Step 5: Depending on whether you want to increase or decrease the speed of your trackpad, scroll left (slow down) or right (speed up).

How to activate the Force Touch trackpad

Some Macbook devices now feature Force Touch for trackpads, which lets you control a range of capabilities with greater ease. For example, you can update your calendar and fast rewind and forward videos with more control.

To enable Force Touch on your device’s trackpad, you first need to make sure it’s available on your device. If so, follow the steps below to get started.

Step 1: Return to System Preferences and navigate to the Trackpad settings window.

2nd step: On the Point and Click tab, go to the bottom and find the box next to Force click and haptic feedback.

Step 3: If you have already enabled this option, check the box and it will turn blue. These changes should take place with immediate effect.

Besides computers, Apple has also made Force Touch available on various newer iPhones and Apple Watches.

It should be noted that Force Touch is not available on MacBook Air models before 2018.

Disable your Mac’s trackpad when using Magic Trackpad

If you really love your Mac gadgets, you might have bought a Magic Trackpad. It works pretty much the same as your computer’s built-in trackpad, although it’s much bigger and – for some people – easier to use.

When using the Magic Trackpad, you might not want the built-in version of your Mac to derail your workflow and cause inconvenience. Fortunately, you can turn it off. Follow the steps below.

Step 1: Go back to System Preferences. But instead of going to Trackpad, click Accessibility.

2nd step: Scroll down to Pointer Control, which is located under the Motor subsection.

Step 3: Look for the box next to “Skip built-in trackpad when mouse or wireless trackpad is present.” »Check this box to activate the function.

Once you’ve done that, plug in your Magic Trackpad and see if changing those settings made a difference.

How to change the scrolling speed

When using your Mac, you’ll likely find yourself scrolling through a lot, especially if you’re using Safari.

As with changing your tracking speed, you can also change your computer’s scrolling speed. The steps under this paragraph will show you how to do this.

Step 1: In Accessibility, go to Pointer Control and slide to the Trackpad Options tab near the bottom of your window.

2nd step: At the top, move the pointer left or right, depending on whether you want to speed things up or slow things down.

Adjust the sensitivity of the trackpad

If you are wondering how to change mouse settings on your Mac, these tips will help you solve the many sensitivity issues you might be facing. And if you decide to change them again later, you can do it as many times as you want.

Now you have these tips on board; you can customize the trackpad settings on your computer with much more ease than before.