Even without Tablet mode, Windows 11 works quite well on touchscreens, whether they’re built into tablets, laptops, or even desktop monitors. When faced with a touchscreen device, these commands will help you maneuver through Windows 11. (The term swipe simply means to slide your finger along the screen.)
Press and hold: You can see detailed information without having to commit to an action. In some cases, pressing and holding opens a menu with more options.
Mouse equivalent: Hover over an item to see more options; if that doesn’t work, click the mouse’s right button.
Tap to perform an action: Tapping something causes an action, such as launching an app, following a link, or performing a command.
Mouse equivalent: Click an item to perform an action.
Slide to drag: Your fingertip can drag items across a tablet’s screen just like sliding a piece of paper across your desktop. Sliding is mostly used to pan or scroll through lists and pages, but you can use it for other interactions, too, such as moving an object or for drawing and writing.
Mouse equivalent: Click, hold, and drag the item. A scroll bar often appears at a screen’s edge, letting you shift your view by dragging the box embedded in the scroll bar.
Pinch or stretch: Place two fingers on the screen and then move them as if you were pinching or stretching a sheet of paper. The onscreen image expands or shrinks accordingly.
Mouse and keyboard equivalent: Hold down the control key on the keyboard while using the mouse wheel to grow or shrink an item on the screen.
Rotate to turn: Hold down two fingers onscreen and rotate them, just as if you were moving a sheet of paper on your desktop. As your fingers move, so does the onscreen object.
Mouse equivalent: None.
