MAC
How to turn on three-finger drag on a Mac (macOS 27)
Real screenshot · MacBook Neo, macOS 27.0.1In short
Open System Settings, Accessibility, Pointer Control and click Trackpad Options. Turn on Use trackpad for dragging, set Dragging style to Three Finger Drag and click OK. On ours, Cancel put the style back but left the dragging switch on.
6 of 6 steps show a real screenshot from our MacBook Neo. Each step was checked against the maker's own instructions, linked at the end.
Steps
- 1
Open Accessibility
Choose Apple menu, System Settings, then Accessibility in the sidebar. It is not in Trackpad settings.
- 2
Click Trackpad Options
Open Pointer Control. Trackpad Options is under Mouse & Trackpad, next to Mouse Options.
- 3
Open Dragging style
Turn on Use trackpad for dragging, then open Dragging style: Without Drag Lock, With Drag Lock, Three Finger Drag.
- 4
Choose Three Finger Drag and click OK
The row reads Three Finger Drag. Click OK, then drag a window with three fingers to test.
- 5
Cancel only half undoes it
We clicked Cancel instead and reopened Trackpad Options: the style was back to Without Drag Lock, but Use trackpad for dragging was still on. Check the switch after a Cancel.
- 6
Turn it off again
Switch off Use trackpad for dragging and click OK. Ours went back to how it started: dragging off, Without Drag Lock.
If you do not see this option
- Not under Trackpad settings? It is in Accessibility, Pointer Control. Apple notes it needs a trackpad that supports Force Touch. Source: Turn on three finger drag for your Mac trackpad
- Older macOS? Apple's older steps say System Preferences and Mouse & Trackpad instead of System Settings and Pointer Control. Source: Turn on three finger drag for your Mac trackpad
If this does not work
- Three-finger swipes stopped working? With three-finger drag on, swipes that used three fingers may need four. Check System Settings, Trackpad, More Gestures.
- Dragging still on after you cancelled? Reopen Trackpad Options and switch off Use trackpad for dragging, as in step 6.
- Drag ends before the item gets there? Apple says Three Finger Drag stops when you lift your fingers. For long drags, With Drag Lock keeps dragging after you lift your finger and stops when you tap the trackpad once.
- Trackpad dead when a mouse is connected? Apple lists Ignore built-in trackpad when mouse or wireless trackpad is present under Mouse & Trackpad in Pointer Control. Turn it off to use the trackpad and the mouse together.
Good to know
If a window snaps into a tile while you drag it, see how to turn off window tiling when dragging.
The same Trackpad Options sheet holds the scrolling settings. Apple says Use inertia when scrolling makes scrolling slow down gradually after you lift your finger, and Scroll speed sets how fast documents and windows move. Change them while the sheet is open, then click OK once for everything.
About this guide
- Device
- Mac
- Shown on
- macOS 27.0.1 (MacBook Neo)
- App
- System Settings
- Path
- System Settings › Accessibility › Pointer Control › Trackpad Options
- Real screenshots
- 6 of 6 steps
- Checked
- October 2026
- Sources
- 2 official, linked below
Sources
Links checked October 2026. Menus and features can change with updates.Spotted a mistake? Menus change with updates, and we want every step to match your screen. Email us about this page or use the contact form. We read every report, and fixes are listed on What changed.
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