How To Configure Touchpad Gestures on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS for Gnome and Wayland

In this article, we will delve into a comprehensive guide on how to configure touchpad gestures on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS for Gnome and Wayland. This guide is aimed at helping you enhance your user experience by customizing touchpad gestures to your preference.

Introduction

Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, by default, uses the Wayland display server protocol, which supports touchpad gestures. However, if you’re using X11, touchpad gestures won’t work. This guide will walk you through the steps to switch to Wayland and configure touchpad gestures.

Switching to Wayland

The first step is to ensure you’re using Wayland as your display server protocol. Here’s how you can switch from X11 to Wayland:

1. On the login screen, click on your username, but don’t enter your password yet.
2. At the bottom right corner, you’ll see a “cog” icon. Click on it.
3. From the dropdown menu, select “Ubuntu on Wayland” or “Gnome with Wayland”.
4. Enter your password and proceed to login.

Once you are logged in with Wayland, touchpad gestures should be enabled by default. You can test this by tapping with three fingers on the touchpad to show the activities (all open windows).

Installing GNOME Extensions

To further customize or configure touchpad gestures, you can install GNOME extensions. One popular extension for gesture improvements is Gesture Improvements. You can visit this link and follow the instructions to install the extension.

After installing the extension, you may need to restart your system for the changes to take effect.

Installing GNOME Tweaks

To configure the touchpad gestures, you’ll need the GNOME Tweaks tool. If you don’t have it installed, you can install it using the following command:

sudo apt install gnome-tweaks

In this command, sudo is a prefix that allows you to execute commands with administrative privileges. apt is the package handling utility in Ubuntu, and install is the command to install a new package. gnome-tweaks is the package we want to install.

Configuring Touchpad Gestures

Once GNOME Tweaks is installed, open it and navigate to the “Keyboard & Mouse” section. Here, you will find options to configure touchpad gestures. Look for settings related to three-finger taps or swipe gestures and customize them according to your preferences.

Conclusion

While Wayland provides better touchpad gesture support, there may still be some limitations or drawbacks compared to X11. For example, screensharing may not work in all applications. However, overall, Wayland should work well for most touchpad gestures on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

Remember to regularly update your system to ensure you have the latest improvements and bug fixes related to touchpad gestures and other features. With these steps, you should be able to customize your touchpad gestures and enhance your user experience on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

sudo apt install gnome-tweaks

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade