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.

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Table of Contents

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Summary

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

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Next Steps

• Input Devices - Keyboard and mouse
• Laptop Configuration - Laptop setup
• ArchWiki Touchpad: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Touchpad_Synaptics

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