How to enable Mouse Gestures in Microsoft Edge

Microsoft has a Mouse Gestures feature, which allows you to move through webpages and the browser with a few simple pre-assigned mouse movements. The feature is not enabled by default in the browser, and this is precisely the point of this article, as we will tell you how to enable and use Mouse gestures in Microsoft Edge.

What Are Microsoft Edge Gestures?

With the Edge 114, Microsoft introduced the Mouse Gesture feature, allowing users to perform browser functions like forward or back on pages, navigating, viewing browser history, and many others. There is a total set of 16 predefined gestures that the user can choose from and assign different browser functions to each.

The feature is not enabled by default on the browser, and a toggle in the browser settings allows users to access it. Let’s learn what gestures you can enable and how to do it.

How to enable Mouse Gestures in Microsoft Edge

While the option is available by default on the latest version of Microsoft Edge for some users, some users must enable the option with a workaround. We will first discuss the workaround and then proceed with the steps. The steps to enable Mouse gestures in Microsoft Edge are as follows:

• First, ensure that Edge is updated to the latest available version. Head over to the Edge settings from the triple dot menu in the top right corner.
• Then go to the About Microsoft Edge section from the left pane. Now, check for updates there.

• Once updated, head over to the Appearance section from the left pane of the settings. Scroll down to find the Customize Browser section. In the section, you will find a Mouse Gesture section.

Read: How to update individual components of Microsoft Edge browser

Enable mouse gestures using Edge flags

• If the section is not available, exit the browser. And head over to your Desktop screen, where the icon for Edge is located.
• Now, right-click the Edge icon and open Properties in the properties window. Open the shortcut tab.
• In the Target field of the tab, next to the pre-existing text, paste the following flag details after a space:

--enable-features=msEdgeMouseGestureDefaultEnabled,msEdgeMouseGestureSupported

• Now click apply and save this.
• Repeat step three to Enable the mouse gesture feature.

Now that you’ve enabled the Mouse gesture feature, let’s proceed with understanding what functions you can assign to the mouse gestures and how to do that.

Read: Create a shortcut to open the Edge browser in InPrivate mode

How to configure and use Mouse Gestures in Microsoft Edge

There are a total of 21 different functions you can assign to 16 other gestures on the Microsoft Edge. To start customizing the gestures, click the Configure Mouse gestures option in the browser. Now, you will see all the different gestures. Click on the drop-down menu next to them to configure the functions of each motion. Below are all the 21 functions and a short description of all of them.

1. No action: This allows you to disable a gesture by not assigning any function.
2. Add to favorites: This adds the current page to the favorites. Favorites are just like Bookmarks on other browsers.
3. New window: This opens a new window with no tabs.
4. New InPrivate window: This opens a new InPrivate window. Your browsing history is not recorded in this window, and limited trackers are enabled.
5. Go back: This takes you a page back in the current tab.
6. Forward: This takes you a page forward in the current tab.
7. Scroll up: This will scroll up the page one time.
8. Scroll down: This will scroll down the page one time.
9. Close tab: This will close the current tab.
10. Reopen closed tab: This will reopen the last closed tab.
11. Open new tab: This will open a new tab in the current window.
12. Refresh: This will refresh the current page.
13. Switch to right tab: This will open the tab on the right of the current tab.
14. Switch to left tab: This will open the tab on the left of the current tab.
15. Stop loading: This will stop the current tab from loading.
16. Close all tabs: This will close all tabs in the current window.
17. Scroll to bottom: This will scroll the current page to the bottom-most.
18. Scroll to the top: This will scroll the current page to the top.
19. Close other tabs: This will close all the tabs except the currently open tab.
20. Close tabs to the right: This will close all the tabs to the right of the current tab.
21. Toggle fullscreen: This will toggle the browser window in full screen.

List of mouse gestures in Microsoft Edge

Now you know what functions you can assign to a mouse gesture and how to assign them. Let’s look at all the available gestures. To use a gesture, keep the right click pressed and perform the gesture. Here is the list of all the available gestures:

1. 1. Left
   2. Right
   3. Up
   4. Down
   5. Down then right
   6. Left then up
   7. Right then up
   8. Right then down
   9. Up then left
   10. Up then right
   11. Down then left
   12. Left then down
   13. Up then down
   14. Down then up
   15. Left then right
   16. Right then left

Microsoft Edge is one of the most user-friendly and streamlined browsers out there. The new mouse gestures features add to all this, saving you time and clicking if used correctly. We hope you found the article to be helpful. Please make sure that you share it with everyone.

What is mouse jiggler mode?

Mouse jigglers are the perfect solution for users who want to keep their screens active while focusing on other tasks. With this tool, you can avoid appearing inactive or away, ensuring you remain productive at all times.

What is a multi-touch gesture?

A multi-touch gesture involves using two or more fingers on a touch-responsive device like a smartphone, tablet, or touchpad to execute actions or instructions.