macOS features a deeply integrated gesture called “Look up & data detectors.” If you firmly press (Force Click) or tap with three fingers on a word in Safari, a yellow pop-up instantly appears on your screen displaying the dictionary definition, Wikipedia summary, or Siri knowledge regarding that word.
While excellent for students, this gesture is highly problematic for users who frequently click and drag to highlight text. If your fingers accidentally linger on the trackpad for a fraction of a second too long, the massive dictionary pop-up obstructs your view, disrupting your workflow. You can disable this gesture entirely to ensure your trackpad only clicks when you want it to.
How to Turn Off the “Look Up” Trackpad Gesture on Mac
You can disable the three-finger dictionary shortcut from the Trackpad settings menu.
- Click the Apple Logo in the top-left corner of your Mac’s screen.
- Select System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions).
- Scroll down the left-hand navigation sidebar and click on Trackpad.
- In the main window on the right, ensure you are on the Point & Click tab at the very top.
- Look for the setting labelled Look up & data detectors.
- By default, it is set to “Force Click with one finger” or “Tap with three fingers.”
- Click the toggle switch next to the setting to turn it completely Off.
Once disabled, your Mac will no longer analyze the words under your cursor when you apply pressure to the trackpad. You can now highlight text aggressively, click rapidly, and drag paragraphs around your screen without ever triggering the disruptive yellow dictionary overlay.