This simple tutorial shows how to enable & configure the multi-touch gestures in Ubuntu 22.04 using touchegg.
NOTE: This tutorial also works in Ubuntu 22.04, but only on Xorg session. In login screen, select username, and click bottom right gear button to make switch.
For those running Ubuntu on laptop or PC with external touchpad, multi-finger gestures enable users with more actions to control your system.
Since Ubuntu does not offer a utility to configure multi-touch functions, touchegg is a free open-source tool to enable this feature for you. And it supports for both global gestures or gestures for Firefox, Chromium, Google Chrome only.
Touchégg Enables Touchpad Gestures include:
- Swipe up, down, left, and right with 3 fingers and/or 4 fingers.
- Pinch in / out with 2, 3, and/or 4 fingers.
- Tap with 2, 3, 4, and/or 5 fingers.
Actions you can set for touchpad gesture:
- Minimize, Maximize, Restore, Close a window.
- Tile a window.
- Toggle full-screen.
- Switch desktop.
- Show desktop.
- Execute a command.
- Specify a keyboard shortcut, e.g., to open terminal, switch workspace, toggle activities overview.
Step 1: How to Install Touchégg Service in Ubuntu via PPA:
The software has an official PPA which so far supports for Ubuntu 20.04, Linux Mint 20, and higher.
1.) Firstly open terminal from system application launcher and run command to add the PPA:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:touchegg/stable
Type user password, no asterisk feedback, when it asks and hit Enter to continue.
2.) Next run command to install the touchegg service via command:
sudo apt install touchegg
The service should run automatically once you installed it. To verify the status, run command:
systemctl status touchegg.service
It should show you ‘active (running)‘. If not, try to enable and start the service:
systemctl enable touchegg.service && systemctl start touchegg.service
Step 2: Install Graphical Configuration tool: Touché
UPDATE (Nov 2021): It’s not a good idea in my own opinion, but they did it. The project does no longer provide native DEB package for the graphical configuration tool ‘Touché‘, though still maintains Ubuntu PPA with the package for the Touchégg system service. Some user do not like Flatpak since it requires hundreds of MB runtime libraries, while the app itself is only few dozen MB. For choice, you may use the GNOME Extension instead, see the link in bottom!
Now the project offers the graphical tool via universal Flatpak package runs in sandbox.
1.) Firstly, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run command to install the flatpak daemon first:
sudo apt install flatpak
2.) Next, run command to install the configuration tool via Flatpak:
flatpak install https://dl.flathub.org/repo/appstream/com.github.joseexposito.touche.flatpakref
Finally restart your system is required to make multi-touch work!
Step 3: Enable/Configure Multi-Touch Gestures
After restarted your system, search for and launch touché from Activities overview. When it opens, enable one or more finger gestures as you prefer. Then choose an action from the drop-down box.
Turn on the slider icons as you prefer, and select an action to do from the drop-down box. You may also simulate a keyboard shortcut, such as “Super” key to toggle overview and “Super+Pageup/Pagedn” to switch workspace.
The changes in touche apply immediately. And there’s also Gnome Extension to enable multi-touch gestures on X11. For more, see touchegg on github.
Step 4: Install Extension (for GNOME only)
For the default GNOME desktop with Xorg session, you also need to install an extension to make the multi-touch gestures work.
To do so, first open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to install the agent package:
sudo apt install chrome-gnome-shell
Then, go to the link page below, and use ON/OFF switch to install the extension for X11.
If you don’t see the toggle switch, install browser extension (it should prompt you via link in the page) and refresh.
Finally, log out and back in, or restart computer to apply change.
Uninstall Touchégg:
To remove the Touchégg service, open terminal and run command:
sudo apt remove --autoremove touchegg
And remove the Ubuntu PPA via command:
sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:touchegg/stable
For the graphical configuration tool Touché, remove it via command:
flatpak uninstall --delete-data com.github.joseexposito.touche
You may also run flatpak uninstall --unused to clean up disk space.
I followed this guide to install on Matebook, had a clean install of Ubuntu. Now I cant boot Ubuntu anymore.
Please press F2 during the boot process to get text messages and see what’s wrong.
Hello I have a problem. this program does not work. I have followed all the steps, I even installed tocuhé to modify the settings and it did not work.
do I need permission on touchegg or whatever?
I use ubuntu 20.04 with X11 and my touchpad is ELand.
Please, Help…
Check if the touchegg service working via:
And try to start it, if not running:
Hi, thanks for your response.
I already tried these commands. and I verified that Touchegg service is running but still does not apply any movement, even though, checking the terminal, when I execute the command “systemctl status touchegg.service” and make a gesture, it sends me ( only in console) a movement detection but very rarely.
Thank you. This just reconcile with linux. 4 years ago touchpad config was lacking.
I am very interested in using your Touchegg UI, but cannot get the service to start after the PPA is added and the package installed.
Any suggestions?
Thank you,
Steve
How do I uninstall all of it?
Tank you it’s working
i just a scammer to stolen all your personal information,uninstall immediately!!!
i can’t use gui if i use x11 extension ?
works brilliantly, thank you!
Will this guide work for Macbook pro 2015 Dual-Boot with Ubuntu 22.04 ?
(I’m struggling with that for 2 days, googling again and again without an answer)
Ubuntu is AMAZING but using the touch-pad is a nightmare..
– the need to strong press for a click.. how can I modify this preference to press like-in-mac, gentle pressing with comfort ?
– how to disable the sound of a click ?
– how to decrease the sensitivity of scrolling with two fingers on a website ?(Firefox)
it’s too fast.. not usable.
Does anyone has a solution for that?
Thank you !
Sorry that I don’t have a Mac device so I can’t answer all your questions. And, I never hear click sound in Ubuntu. It could be something due to your device.
For the scrolling experience, it depends on which window server is in use. Check “Settings -> About -> Windowing system”.
great article! Thank you
Hi Ji, I cant get around to add application on touche. It’s says to click on its window. I’ve already try it but nothing happened. I’m using Ubuntu 22.04 btw.
Sorry that I didn’t update the post in time! You need to switch to ‘Ubuntu on Xorg’ session (in login screen, click username and use bottom right gear button menu) to make it work, since Ubuntu 22.04 now uses Wayland by default.
If you stick to Wayland, take a look at this extension which could help.
hello
I have problem in scroll touch in my cashier posbank cant move up & down by touch finger
and downloaded touche’ program but didnt arrive to a solution for inform that my software in my device Ubuntu 20.04.5 LTS
Works on Thinkpad P15S and Ubuntu 20.04, thank you.
Four fingers gestures doesn’t work, but I think my touchpad just supports only three touches.
Works fine for me, i just don’t know how to set the 2 finger pinch to do zoom in and zoom out, could you help please?
Hi, I’ve installed this on a thinkpad x1 carbon 6G. I have a Chinese knockoff Apple Touchpad (it registers as an Apple Touchpad). Some of the gestures work on the Touchpad, but all of them work on the inbuilt trackpad. I’ve repeated the installs on a Dell laptop, and everything works on the Touchpad. The touchpad also works fine on a mac mini. Clearly, something is weird about the setup the thinkpad. Any ideas where I should start looking?