How to turn on three-finger drag on a Mac (macOS 27)

howtosimply.com/guides/how-to-turn-on-three-finger-drag-on-a-mac/ · Checked October 2026 · MacBook Neo · macOS 27.0.1

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

1 official, linked below

Step by step

1. 

   Open Accessibility

   Choose Apple menu, System Settings, then Accessibility in the sidebar. It is not in Trackpad settings.

   Done

2. 

   Click Trackpad Options

   Open Pointer Control. Trackpad Options is under Mouse & Trackpad, next to Mouse Options.

   Done

3. 

   Open Dragging style

   Turn on Use trackpad for dragging, then open Dragging style: Without Drag Lock, With Drag Lock, Three Finger Drag.

   Done

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.

   Done

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.

   Done

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.

   Done

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.

About this guide

Three-finger drag moves windows and selects text with three fingers, without holding the click down.

The screenshots are from our MacBook Neo with macOS 27.0.1, taken on 18 October 2026. Ours started with dragging off; we set it back afterwards.

Good to know

If a window snaps into a tile while you drag it, see how to turn off window tiling when dragging.

In short: Accessibility, Pointer Control, Trackpad Options, dragging on, Three Finger Drag, OK.