The next preview version of Windows 10 will include better support for users with multiple monitors as well as support for new touchpad gestures that let you minimize apps or switch between apps.

Microsoft VP Joe Belfiore showed off an early preview of Windows 10 Build 9865 at an event in Europe.

w10 task view_02

Some of those new touchpad features include:

  • Swipe 3 fingers down to minimize all apps.
  • Swipe up with 3 fingers to bring up apps that had been minimized.
  • Use 3 finger swipes to the left or right to switch between running apps.
  • Swipe 3 fingers up from the desktop to enter Task View for an overview of running apps.

If those gestures sound familiar, you may have used a Mac recently. Apple also uses similar gestures for Mission Control and and app switching.

Historically, Microsoft has left it up to the companies that make laptop trackpads, including Synaptics and Elantech, to implement gesture support. But now that most new trackpads feature support for multi-gesture input, Microsoft is moving to software-based solutions.

As for multi-monitor support, the next build of Windows 10 will let users snap multiple Windows Store apps across more than one screen.

via The Verge

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5 replies on “Windows 10 to get OS X-style touchpad gestures”

  1. two fingers are not sufficient like android ? for me 3 fingers is unnatural. i hope that microsoft not copy this negative feature.

    1. >for me 3 fingers is unnatural
      Have you used a Mac laptop much before? Just wondering.

      I have been a Windows guy my whole life till I got a Mac for work last year. Now it’s my most used work machine. Virtual desktops is the killer feature on OSX for me. Hate to say it, but it even beats having multiple monitors, if only because of its simplicity (no need to move head/eyeballs to switch screen, great for lazy people like me LOL).

      I still use Windows for productivity. But I can manage multiple Windows (and Linux) machines through the same Mac and switch between them quickly with OSX’s gestures and Mac’s fantastic touchpad.

      1. Special gesture yes. And yes to all that you want. But 3 fingers is horrible to do something. Yes i used one for some time and i really hate 3 fingers.

    2. 3 fingers feels weird to me also, but you need it more than on Android because Android doesn’t have a full desktop window manager.

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