Adjust touchpad sensitivity in your linux machine
For many Linux users, the touchpad is more than just a mouse replacement—it's the heart of a daily workflow. Yet, if you're using the GNOME desktop environment, you might have noticed that adjusting touchpad sensitivity isn't as straightforward as you’d expect. Whether you're struggling with an overly sensitive trackpad or sluggish gestures, this guide will help you adjust touchpad settings for a smoother, more personalized experience.
Understanding Touchpad Sensitivity in GNOME
GNOME’s approach to touchpad configuration is famously minimalistic. You'll find a simple slider for touchpad speed in the GNOME Settings under Mouse & Touchpad, but options for tuning scroll sensitivity and tap sensitivity are noticeably absent. This can be frustrating—especially for users switching from other operating systems that provide more granular controls.
What Can (and Can't) Be Adjusted Directly?
Currently, GNOME allows you to:
- Change pointer speed
- Toggle tap-to-click
- Enable or disable natural scrolling
But when it comes to scroll sensitivity (how fast content moves with each swipe) or tap sensitivity (how easily a tap registers as a click), there are no direct sliders or options in the settings.
Why GNOME Lacks Touchpad Scroll Sensitivity Adjustment
There’s a long-standing feature request to add a Touchpad Scroll Sensitivity slider to the GNOME Control Center. This addition would greatly enhance usability, making web browsing and document navigation much more comfortable for users with high-resolution touchpads. As of mid-2025, however, this feature has yet to be implemented.
"The GNOME Control Center’s Mouse & Touchpad settings currently allow users to adjust the speed of the touchpad but do not provide an option to adjust the scroll sensitivity."
— GNOME feature proposal
Workarounds for Adjusting Touchpad Sensitivity
Despite these limitations, several workarounds exist for those willing to tinker.
Adjusting Pointer Speed: While not a perfect solution, lowering the pointer speed in GNOME Settings can reduce the general sensitivity of your touchpad.
- Go to Settings → Mouse & Touchpad
- Lower the Touchpad Speed slider
This primarily affects the cursor, not scroll or tap sensitivity, but some users find it helpful.
Using libinput
(xinput & Terminal Solutions): If you need deeper customization, libinput
is the backend that GNOME uses for touchpad input. Advanced users can use command-line tools or third-party utilities to tweak sensitivity:
- Use xinput to list and modify device properties
- Advanced: Configure
libinput
settings (may require editing configuration files and restarting your session)
However, libinput
exposes very limited controls for sensitivity, especially without a GUI, and outcomes can vary depending on your hardware.
Extensions and Third-party Tools: Some community extensions or scripts may offer experimental sensitivity adjustments. There are also rumors of tools like libinput-config
that let you tinker with scroll speed, though success depends on your GNOME version and setup. Always backup your settings before experimenting.
What About Tap Sensitivity?
Tap sensitivity (how easily a gentle tap is interpreted as a click) is also not exposed in GNOME’s graphical settings. Some hardware supports it via xinput or custom rules for libinput
, but for many users, these options are either unavailable or overly complicated.
Looking Ahead
The GNOME team is aware of these issues, and the community continues to request more fine-grained touchpad sensitivity controls. If precise customization is critical for you, keep an eye on GNOME’s development—or consider desktop environments like KDE, which provide more complete touchpad settings.
Final Thoughts
Touchpad sensitivity is about comfort, productivity, and accessibility. Until GNOME delivers a dedicated scroll sensitivity feature, users can experiment with the available workarounds or contribute feedback to inspire future improvements.
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