The Accidental Trackpad Pinch
macOS Launchpad is an iOS-inspired application grid that displays all your installed software in a full-screen overlay. To make this feature easily accessible, Apple built in a dedicated Multi-Touch trackpad gesture: pinching with your thumb and three fingers. While this gesture is designed to be intentional, the reality for many users is quite different.
If you have large hands, or if you frequently utilize complex multi-finger gestures for other applications (like three-finger dragging or four-finger swiping between full-screen apps), it is incredibly easy to accidentally trigger the Launchpad pinch. A slight misplacement of your thumb while navigating a webpage can instantly blur your screen and throw up a wall of app icons, completely derailing your train of thought. If you rely on Spotlight Search (Cmd + Space) to open apps and never actually intend to use Launchpad, this default gesture is a massive workflow hazard. You should disable it to regain predictable control over your trackpad.
How to Turn Off the Launchpad Trackpad Gesture
You can unbind the Launchpad pinch gesture via the Trackpad settings.
- Click the Apple Logo in the top-left corner of the screen and select System Settings… (or System Preferences).
- In the left-hand sidebar, scroll down and click on Trackpad.
- At the top of the right-hand pane, select the More Gestures tab.
- Look down the list of available gestures for Launchpad.
- Click the dropdown menu next to it (which usually says “Pinch with thumb and three fingers”).
- Select Off from the dropdown menu (or uncheck the box, depending on your macOS version).
You can now pinch, swipe, and rest your hand on the trackpad without the fear of accidentally summoning the full-screen application grid.