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Linux Touchpad Configuration

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Mattscreative edited this page Dec 5, 2025 · 2 revisions

Linux Touchpad Configuration Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to configuring touchpads on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including gestures, sensitivity, multi-touch settings, and troubleshooting.

Table of Contents

  1. Understanding Touchpads
  2. Touchpad Detection
  3. libinput Configuration
  4. Desktop Environment Settings
  5. Gestures
  6. Troubleshooting

Understanding Touchpads

What is a Touchpad?

Touchpad is a pointing device on laptops.

What it does:

  • Cursor movement: Moves mouse cursor
  • Clicking: Left/right click
  • Scrolling: Vertical/horizontal scrolling
  • Gestures: Multi-touch gestures

Why configure:

  • Comfort: Adjust to your preference
  • Gestures: Enable useful gestures
  • Sensitivity: Adjust touch sensitivity
  • Functionality: Enable/disable features

Touchpad Detection

Identify Touchpad

Check touchpad:

# List input devices
xinput list

# Or
libinput list-devices

# Check if touchpad detected
cat /proc/bus/input/devices | grep -i touchpad

libinput Configuration

Install libinput

libinput is default on most distributions:

# Usually installed
# Check
pacman -Q libinput

Configure libinput

Create Xorg config:

sudo vim /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/30-touchpad.conf

Example config:

Section "InputClass"
    Identifier "touchpad"
    Driver "libinput"
    MatchIsTouchpad "on"
    Option "Tapping" "on"
    Option "TappingDrag" "on"
    Option "NaturalScrolling" "true"
    Option "AccelSpeed" "0.5"
EndSection

Options:

  • Tapping: Enable tap-to-click
  • TappingDrag: Enable drag with tap
  • NaturalScrolling: Reverse scroll direction
  • AccelSpeed: Acceleration speed (-1 to 1)

Configure via xinput

Set properties:

# List properties
xinput list-props "Touchpad Name"

# Set tapping
xinput set-prop "Touchpad Name" "libinput Tapping Enabled" 1

# Set scrolling
xinput set-prop "Touchpad Name" "libinput Natural Scrolling Enabled" 1

Desktop Environment Settings

GNOME Touchpad Settings

Configure in GNOME:

# Open Settings
gnome-control-center

# Or use gsettings
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.peripherals.touchpad tap-to-click true
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.peripherals.touchpad natural-scroll true

KDE Plasma Touchpad Settings

Configure in KDE:

  1. Open System Settings
  2. Input Devices > Touchpad
  3. Configure settings

XFCE Touchpad Settings

Configure in XFCE:

  1. Open Settings
  2. Mouse and Touchpad
  3. Configure settings

Gestures

libinput-gestures

Install libinput-gestures:

# Install
sudo pacman -S libinput-gestures

# Add user to input group
sudo gpasswd -a $USER input

# Configure
libinput-gestures-setup autostart
libinput-gestures-setup start

Edit config:

vim ~/.config/libinput-gestures.conf

Example gestures:

gesture swipe up 3 xdotool key super
gesture swipe down 3 xdotool key super
gesture swipe left 4 xdotool key alt+Right
gesture swipe right 4 xdotool key alt+Left

fusuma (Alternative)

Install fusuma:

# Install fusuma
yay -S fusuma

# Configure
mkdir -p ~/.config/fusuma
vim ~/.config/fusuma/config.yml

Troubleshooting

Touchpad Not Working

Check drivers:

# Check loaded modules
lsmod | grep -i touchpad

# Check Xorg logs
cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log | grep -i touchpad

Disable Touchpad

Temporarily disable:

# Using xinput
xinput disable "Touchpad"

# Enable
xinput enable "Touchpad"

Sensitivity Issues

Adjust sensitivity:

# Using xinput
xinput set-prop "Touchpad" "libinput Accel Speed" 0.5

# Or edit config file

Summary

This guide covered touchpad configuration for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions, including libinput, desktop environment settings, gestures, and troubleshooting.

Next Steps

This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.

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