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Install Touchpad Indicator in Ubuntu 16.04

Last updated: November 3, 2016

touchpad

Looking for an app to easily control and configure your touchpad in Ubuntu Desktop? Touchpad Indicator, an open-source system tray applet, is well worth a try.

Touchpad indicator is a great simple applet that indicates your touchpad status, which also offers:

  • Keyboard shortcut to quickly disable/enable touchpad.
  • Ability to disable touchpad on typing.
  • Basic touchpad configuration like:
    • vertical scrolling
    • horizontal scrolling
    • two fingers vertical or horizontal scrolling
    • one finger, two fingers and three fingers tapping actions

How to install Touchpad Indicator in Ubuntu:

The software can be easily installed from the developer’s PPA repository. Simply open terminal from Unity Dash, App Launcher, or via Ctrl+Alt+T shortcut keys, and run commands below one by one:

1. Run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:atareao/atareao

Type in your password when it asks and hit Enter.

2. Then update and install touchpad indicator via command:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install touchpad-indicator

For those who don’t want to add PPA, grab the .deb package from HERE and click install via Ubuntu Software.

Uninstall:

To remove the software, simply run apt command with remove flag:

sudo apt remove touchpad-indicator && sudo apt autoremove

The PPA can be removed by going to System Settings -> Software & Updates -> Other Software tab.

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    2 responses to Install Touchpad Indicator in Ubuntu 16.04

    1. peppe November 5, 2016 at 8:49 am

      Hi everybody.. I installed touchpaf-indicator on Ubuntu Gnome 16.04, but it will no start. I have the following error:

      peppe@peppe-Lenovo-Z580:~$ /opt/extras.ubuntu.com/touchpad-indicator/bin/touchpad-indicator
      /opt/extras.ubuntu.com/touchpad-indicator/bin/touchpad-indicator:29: PyGIWarning: Notify was imported without specifying a version first. Use gi.require_version('Notify', '0.7') before import to ensure that the right version gets loaded.
      from gi.repository import Notify

      /opt/extras.ubuntu.com/touchpad-indicator/share/touchpad-indicator/touchpad_indicator.py:30: PyGIWarning: AppIndicator3 was imported without specifying a version first. Use gi.require_version('AppIndicator3', '0.1') before import to ensure that the right version gets loaded.
      from gi.repository import AppIndicator3 as appindicator
      #####################################################
      No LSB modules are available.
      #####################################################
      Distributor ID: Ubuntu
      Description: Ubuntu 16.04.1 LTS
      Release: 16.04
      Codename: xenial
      Version: x86_64
      #####################################################

      Touchpad-Indicator version: 1.1.0-0extras15.04.3-src
      #####################################################
      Couldn't find synaptics properties. No synaptics driver loaded?
      pidof syndaemon
      Couldn't find synaptics properties. No synaptics driver loaded?
      Couldn't find synaptics properties. No synaptics driver loaded?
      Couldn't find synaptics properties. No synaptics driver loaded?
      Couldn't find synaptics properties. No synaptics driver loaded?
      Couldn't find synaptics properties. No synaptics driver loaded?
      Couldn't find synaptics properties. No synaptics driver loaded?
      Couldn't find synaptics properties. No synaptics driver loaded?
      Couldn't find synaptics properties. No synaptics driver loaded?
      Couldn't find synaptics properties. No synaptics driver loaded?
      Couldn't find synaptics properties. No synaptics driver loaded?
      Couldn't find synaptics properties. No synaptics driver loaded?
      Couldn't find synaptics properties. No synaptics driver loaded?
      Couldn't find synaptics properties. No synaptics driver loaded?
      Couldn't find synaptics properties. No synaptics driver loaded?
      Couldn't find synaptics properties. No synaptics driver loaded?
      Couldn't find synaptics properties. No synaptics driver loaded?
      Couldn't find synaptics properties. No synaptics driver loaded?
      Traceback (most recent call last):
      File "/opt/extras.ubuntu.com/touchpad-indicator/bin/touchpad-indicator", line 42, in
      main()
      File "/opt/extras.ubuntu.com/touchpad-indicator/share/touchpad-indicator/touchpad_indicator.py", line 495, in main
      tpi=TouchpadIndicator()
      File "/opt/extras.ubuntu.com/touchpad-indicator/share/touchpad-indicator/touchpad_indicator.py", line 97, in __init__
      self.read_preferences()
      File "/opt/extras.ubuntu.com/touchpad-indicator/share/touchpad-indicator/touchpad_indicator.py", line 274, in read_preferences
      self.synclient.set('VertScrollDelta',abs(int(self.synclient.get('VertScrollDelta'))))
      TypeError: int() argument must be a string, a bytes-like object or a number, not 'NoneType'

      Why? THX

    2. Andrew April 22, 2017 at 8:53 pm

      I installed the program, but it will not start. The icon sits in the dock for a couple of seconds then disappears. Help!