Best Mac trackpad apps for Figma.
Figma’s built-in trackpad gestures already cover pan, zoom, and scroll. A third-party app earns its place only when you want a per-app layout, continuous edge controls, or fewer keyboard reaches. Here is the honest shortlist.
Figma is one of the few design apps where the trackpad is already good. Two-finger scroll pans the canvas. Pinch zooms. Space plus drag moves the view. If those cover your day, you do not need another app, and adding one can make the canvas feel less predictable.
A trackpad utility earns its place when you want something Figma does not expose as a gesture: brightness on the left edge while you compare colors, volume on the right, a screenshot corner, undo and redo areas, or a different layout that appears only when Figma is in front. That is a narrower job than “customize every gesture,” and it is the job worth judging.
What Figma already does with the trackpad
Before adding software, check what the canvas already gives you. In Figma on macOS, a two-finger scroll pans, a pinch zooms, and Space plus drag moves the view. A trackpad with Force Touch also gives you a pressure-sensitive click for some interactions. These are reliable, system-level behaviors that work without an extra permission.
The limit is context. Figma does not know that you want the left edge to be brightness, that a corner should take a screenshot of the current frame, or that the same trackpad should behave differently when you switch to Final Cut Pro. Those are layout decisions, and they need a layer above the app.
The short list
| App | Best for Figma | Per-app scenes | Continuous controls | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Figma built-in | Pan, zoom, and scroll with no install | No | No custom edges | Free |
| BetterTouchTool | Custom Figma shortcuts and app-specific triggers | Yes | Limited | $15 / 2 years; $25 lifetime |
| TrackStudio | A visual Figma scene with edges, corners, areas, and haptics | Yes | Yes — brightness, volume, media scrub | $5 one-time (₹499 in India) |
| Curflow | Drawn gestures on the canvas | Yes | No | $15.99 standard; $29 lifetime |
| GestureCraft | A cheap, simple set of Figma gestures | Yes | No | $7 |
| Multitouch | Deep gesture and input remapping | Yes | Limited | $15.99 |
We make TrackStudio, so it is in the table. The ranking is by job, not by preference: BetterTouchTool wins when the job is a custom shortcut, Curflow when the job is a drawn gesture, and TrackStudio when the job is a visible layout that changes with the app.
A Figma scene that works
The layout below is deliberately small. It adds the controls you reach for between Figma shortcuts, not a second command language.
- Left edge: brightness. Useful when you compare colors across a display or move between a laptop and an external monitor.
- Right edge: volume. Keep it if you listen while you work; otherwise leave it for a media app.
- Bottom edge: media scrub. Only if music is part of your day. It is not a timeline scrubber for Figma.
- Top-left corner: Mission Control. Move between the design window and a reference window.
- Top-right corner: screenshot. Capture a frame or a comparison without a keyboard shortcut.
- Two small areas: Undo and Redo. Place them near the bottom corners, away from the center of the canvas.
Do not replace Figma’s own shortcuts. The trackpad is for the actions around the work: window placement, screenshots, brightness, and the occasional undo. The full layout, including Final Cut Pro and VS Code, is in trackpad workflows for Figma, Final Cut Pro, and VS Code.
What not to do
Do not map a destructive action to a single edge tap. Do not put a control where your palm rests. Do not add a gesture that duplicates a Figma shortcut you already use; you will trigger both and blame the app. And do not buy a trackpad utility only for canvas pan and zoom. Figma already does that well.
Frequently asked questions
Does Figma support trackpad gestures?
Yes. On macOS, two-finger scroll pans the canvas, pinch zooms, and Space plus drag moves the view. Figma’s help center documents the canvas navigation shortcuts; the exact behavior can vary slightly between the desktop app and the browser.
How do I zoom in Figma with a trackpad?
Pinch with two fingers, or hold Command and scroll. If pinch zoom feels too fast, check macOS trackpad settings and Figma’s own zoom behavior before adding a third-party app.
Can I customize Figma trackpad gestures?
Not inside Figma. You can customize them with a third-party app that maps gestures or regions to actions. The app can send Figma shortcuts, but it cannot change Figma’s internal gesture handling.
Which app is best for Figma?
It depends on the job. BetterTouchTool for custom shortcuts and deep automation, TrackStudio for a visual per-app surface, Curflow for drawn gestures, GestureCraft for a cheap simple set. If you only need pan and zoom, Figma’s built-in gestures are enough.