Chrome trackpad gestures.
Chrome already does back, forward, and zoom. A scene adds the tab actions it leaves on the keyboard, without claiming the swipes that already work.
Chrome is better than most Mac apps at trackpad navigation. Two-finger swipe moves through history, pinch zooms, and the scroll physics are tuned for the platform. The gap is tabs: new, close, reopen, and switch. Those still live on the keyboard.
What Chrome does out of the box
| Gesture | Action in Chrome | Keep it? |
|---|---|---|
| Two-finger swipe left / right | Back / Forward | Yes |
| Pinch in / out | Zoom the page | Yes |
| Two-finger scroll | Scroll | Yes |
| Two-finger tap | Context menu | Yes |
| Three-finger tap | Look Up (system setting) | Optional |
Chrome exposes a swipe-navigation setting. If it is off on your profile, the swipe is free, but keeping it on and using a different gesture for the scene is less confusing.
Where the built-in gestures stop
There is no gesture for a new tab, none for closing one, and none for reopening the tab you just closed by mistake. Tab search has a shortcut (Command-Shift-A) but no trackpad route. Those four actions are the scene.
A Chrome scene that leaves navigation alone
- Top-right corner: New tab.
- Bottom-right corner: Close tab.
- Two-finger tap: Reopen the last closed tab. Chrome has no single two-finger tap, so it is free.
- Top-left corner: Tab search.
- Three-finger tap: Hard reload, for the cache problem you hit twice a week.
- Left and right edges: Brightness and volume, as everywhere else.
Build it in TrackStudio
Add a scene for Chrome, apply the Developer recipe as the baseline, then change the two-finger tap to reopen-closed-tab and the corners to the four tab actions. If you want the calm version, start from Essential and add only new tab and close tab.
Scenes switch on the frontmost app, so Chrome and Safari can have different layouts on the same pad. If you use both browsers all day, that is the reason to use scenes at all.
What not to add
Do not add a second Back, a scroll-to-top swipe, or a gesture that fires while you are selecting text. Chrome's own gestures are precise because they are few; the scene should stay just as small.
Make the trackpad do more than point.
TrackStudio maps edges, corners, areas, gestures, and haptics to the app in front of you. $5 once. No subscription, no account.
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Does Chrome support trackpad gestures on Mac?
Yes. Two-finger swipe navigates back and forward, pinch zooms, and two-finger scroll and tap work as usual.
Can I add a new-tab gesture to Chrome?
Chrome has no built-in new-tab gesture. A trackpad utility can map a corner to Command-T for the Chrome scene only.
Why does swipe-back sometimes not work in Chrome?
Chrome has a swipe-navigation setting, and another utility may claim the same gesture. Check both before adding a third layer.
Does a Chrome scene affect Safari?
No. A scene applies to the app it is bound to. Safari keeps its own layout or the default scene.
Sources
Behaviour checked November 2026 on macOS 26 and current Chrome. Chrome changes settings between releases; confirm on your own Mac.