Gestures are everywhere, from our smartphones to smartwatches and PCs, but what about our web browsers? Well, most popular browsers like Chrome or Firefox don’t have the feature of Gesture navigation built into them, but you can have it by following a few simple steps. This article will teach us how to enable mouse gesture navigation in Firefox, Chrome, and Edge.
Enable Mouse Gesture navigation in Firefox, Chrome, and Edge.
While Microsoft Edge has the feature of mouse gesture navigation natively for Chrome and Firefox, you will have to install extensions that help enable the mouse gesture navigation feature in the browser. Here’s what’s discussed in this section:
- Enable Mouse Gesture Navigation In Firefox
- Enable Mouse Gesture Navigation In Chrome
- Enable Mouse Gesture Navigation In Edge
Let’s dive in!
1] Enable Firefox Mouse Gestures Navigation
We will use a Firefox addon called Gesturefy to enable mouse gesture navigation. It allows users to use gesture navigation in Firefox, create their gestures, add new gestures, and use them in any tab throughout the app.
Upon using the extension, we found that it works seamlessly. However, there are some limitations to it. It doesn’t work on native pages like Firefox’s new tab or add-ons website. We found the extension to be feature-packed, as you can use a predefined set of gestures and functions and customize them to the core.
Features:
- Create and customize gestures and functions.
- Change gesture activation keys.
- Show mouse gesture traces.
- Works on any website.
- Seamless functionality
Pros:
- Vast customization options.
- Feature to change gesture activation key
Cons:
- Limitations with the native Firefox websites and tabs.
2] Enable Chrome Mouse Gestures Navigation
You can use a Chrome browser extension called CrxMouse to enable mouse gesture navigation in Chrome browser. The extension is packed with features. It not only allows you to use mouse gestures but also allows you to modify the pointer icon. One standout feature from the extension is the Super Drag feature, which allows you to perform certain gestures with the texts and links on webpages. This extension in our usage has proven flawless, and like Gesturefy for Firefox, it also does not work on native Chrome pages like Flags, history, and Settings.
Features:
- Customizable gestures
- Show mouse gesture traces
- Gesture-based functions for webpage links and texts
- Customize mouse pointer
- Customize gesture functions
Pros:
- Additional features for text and links on web pages
- Extra customization options
Cons:
- The mouse pointer change feature does not work sometimes
3] Enable Microsoft Edge Mouse Gestures Navigation
Among three of the most popular browsers, Edge has the mouse gesture navigation feature built into it. The gesture navigation feature in Edge does not let you customize the gestures or functions. In total, there are 21 functions and 16 gestures that you can use. Here’s how to enable gesture navigation in Microsoft Edge:
- Open Edge Settings from the triple dot menu in the top right corner.
- Go to the Appearance section from the left pane, then head to the Customize Browser section.
- Now, toggle the Enable Mouse Gesture option to on.
- This will enable the default mouse gestures in Microsoft Edge.
- To customize mouse gestures and their functions, click the Configure Mouse Gesture option.
We hope this article was easy to follow and you can enable mouse gesture navigation in Firefox, Chrome, and Edge.
