Trackpad tapping doesn't work in Mavericks
Just installed Mavericks. It seems to be functioning correctly with one big exception. Tapping on the Trackpad doesn't work. Clicking works but that isn't easy and is tiring. I've had to use two hands on the trackpad in some instances such as highlighting a sentence or inserting the cursor. Using one hand to try to insert the cursor causes it to skitter off into anywhere but where I want it. Sometimes it takes several clicks before it works.
Another example, it takes two hands to 'Grab' as trying to click, grab and drag is virtually impossible with one finger.
Trackpad in System Preferences shows 'Clicking and Tapping' but only clicking is effective.
Suggestions gratefully accepted as my hands are getting tired from the extra effort.
Thanks
Comments
No luck trying to find an answer to tapping MTP either online or Apple Support. After ten minutes of having to click MTP, my finger is too sore and tired to continue. It takes numerous attempts to get the cursor on a button or whatever as it skitters away when I press on the MTP.
Tried using Magic Mouse. Worse. Cursor goes in opposite direction that I try to move it. I'm not referring to moving screen up or down. Using MM, there is no way to get the cursor on a button or anything. How can I correct either one of these problems. If it can't be done, how do I move back to a previous OS? Computer is completely worthless with Mavericks if I can't use MTP or MM.
I'm desparate and feel like I'm in hell. HELP, please~!!!!!!!!!
Using Better Touch Tool as a work around for moving and resizing a window. Can't find one for highlighting, inserting cursor, or editing sentences which I have to do a lot.
FYI, trackpad tapping is working just fine for me with Mavericks.
Have you tried changing the Preferences setting for it, then changing it back? ... MAYBE that'll re-set the thing.
I've tried changing TrackPad Preference settings and then changing back several times and have tried rebooting several times; no joy; however; tapping icons on desktop, in dock, Tabs, and in Preferences does work. Scrolling works. I've spent so much time looking for a fix that I haven't tried most of other Maverick stuff.
Oddly, tapping will uncheck items in TrackPad Preference setting but NOT check them; they have to be clicked to check them. That may be where the problem starts.
Other items in Preference will both check and uncheck by tapping, but can't use sliders by tapping to hold them; moving them while clicking/holding down the trackpad is difficult at best. When I go online to research the problem, the visual of that TrackPad is NOT what mine looks like. I've tried to find an upgrade that will give me that different TrackPad setting window, but I haven't found one.
Can't grab anything as before Mavericks unless I click and use both hands on the TrackPad. Can't grab window to expand or move, but can with BetterTouchTool. My main problem is editing. I do a lot of writing and editing. Still can't tap to highlight which makes editing so difficult that I give up after five or ten minutes. Having to use two hands on the TrackPad to click and highlight is insane. Moving cursor into a different part of a sentence doesn't always work with tapping. I have to either click it or tap it repeatedly in order to insert the cursor somewhere.
Tapping on the preview and submit buttons in AI doesn't always work.
I dislike Mavericks intensely; much of what I could do before doesn't work. Most of TrackPad doesn't work. Can't Drag and Drop; can't switch between windows; backspace; ad infinitum - ad nauseum.
Have reset PRAM; repaired permissions; repaired disks; rebooted numerous times; NOTHING helps; Mavericks is CRAP. I can't do what I need to do without jumping through hoops. Wasted time and effort. And who knows what other crap I'll run into.
Researching online shows that others are experiencing the same problems that I have. No one including Apple Support has resolved these issues. Mavericks is free alright; free to screw up computers. Do I sound bitter? You better believe I am. My computer is useless to me using Mavericks.
Sorry for the diatribe, but I had to vent somewhere. Apple Support doesn't care.
That sounds totally wrong.
I can't help but wonder what 3rd party PrefPane/Extensions/Apps you have installed that has somehow caused this.
I would expect that if it was actually a Mavericks problem, then EVERYone (rather than a tiny sampling) would have this problem.
Now, that said, I DO think an OS should be able to accommodate old/poorly written software ... If an update is going to cause something to break, it should be the 3rd party stuff that breaks, not the OS. (admittedly harder to do in the case of PrefPanes and stuff that needs ... that you have allowed... access to deeper level parts of the OS.)
I can't help but wonder what 3rd party PrefPane/Extensions/Apps you have installed that has somehow caused this.
If that were the case, why did everything work correctly before I installed Mavericks?
Weird~!!!!
After installing Mavericks, TrackPad was flaky.
Although I wasn’t able to get TrackPad to behave normally as before installing Mavericks, I found that using two or three fingers on the TP would accomplish what I want. These work-arounds seem to work fine:
3 finger tap to place cursor; 1 finger tap works but not consistently and has to be repeated several times to place it.
To Drag & Drop: Cursor on the item; 3 finger tap to drag and drop that item.
To Resize window: Tap cursor at any edge of a window - 3 finger tap & drag to resize.
To Move window: Tap cursor on the header bar - 3 finger tap & drag to new location.
To Switch between windows: 2 finger tap - then drag right or left to switch back and forth. The pages slide back and forth - not switch instanteously. This does coincide somewhat with what is checked on TP, but none of these others do. However, some on TP ‘Scroll & Zoom’ and ‘More Gestures’ do work.
To Highlight: 3 finger tap to place cursor at starting point; then drag highlight to ending point.
Much trial and error, but at least I can now use my computer to edit and - whatever.
Hopefully, they’ll continue to work.
I’d like to know if all or any of these work this way for anyone else.
BTW, I had been using BetterTouchTool to effect some of the above, but BetterTouchTool isn't needed anymore for any of them and has been disabled.
OOPS!! Mea culpa.
I've been saying TrackPad; I should have said Magic TrackPad. I suppose that makes a difference. I use the MTP with my iMac. I haven't installed Mavericks on my MBP, so I don't know if or how that'll affect a MBP TrackPad.
I have Quicken 2006 on the MBP; that won't work with Mavericks, so I probably won't install it until Intuit comes up with a new Apple compatible app - if I live that long. With the iMac, I use Mint - which leaves something to be desired.
OOPS!! Mea culpa.
I've been saying TrackPad; I should have said Magic TrackPad. I suppose that makes a difference. I use the MTP with my iMac. I haven't installed Mavericks on my MBP, so I don't know if or how that'll affect a MBP TrackPad.
I have Quicken 2006 on the MBP; that won't work with Mavericks, so I probably won't install it until Intuit comes up with a new Apple compatible app - if I live that long. With the iMac, I use Mint - which leaves something to be desired.
I had some similar problems with the trackpad when I moved to ML, and it turned out to be due to the additional trackpad settings that are controlled in the "Accessibility" preference pane. Specifically, under the "Mouse and trackpad > Trackpad options" section of "Accessibility", there is an option to enable dragging with or without drag lock. That has to be enabled otherwise only the 3 finger drag set in the main trackpad preference pane has any effect.
I've no idea why the had separate controls for the trackpad in different panes, or whether those persist in Mavericks since I haven't installed it yet, but maybe worth a look.
OOPS!! Mea culpa.
I've been saying TrackPad; I should have said Magic TrackPad. I suppose that makes a difference. I use the MTP with my iMac. I haven't installed Mavericks on my MBP, so I don't know if or how that'll affect a MBP TrackPad.
I have Quicken 2006 on the MBP; that won't work with Mavericks, so I probably won't install it until Intuit comes up with a new Apple compatible app - if I live that long. With the iMac, I use Mint - which leaves something to be desired.
I had some similar problems with the trackpad when I moved to ML, and it turned out to be due to the additional trackpad settings that are controlled in the "Accessibility" preference pane. Specifically, under the "Mouse and trackpad > Trackpad options" section of "Accessibility", there is an option to enable dragging with or without drag lock. That has to be enabled otherwise only the 3 finger drag set in the main trackpad preference pane has any effect.
I've no idea why the had separate controls for the trackpad in different panes, or whether those persist in Mavericks since I haven't installed it yet, but maybe worth a look.
YESSSSSS~! Great~!!!!!!!!!!!
That works except for switching between windows. Now, both 1 finger AND 3 finger tapping works but in slightly different ways,
For example, to grab header bar, 1 finger on header requires a double tap to grab it and another tap to let it go - while 3 finger requires only placing curser on the bar, no tap needed, and no need to tap it to let it go.
However, two finger switching windows stopped working. The back arrow does, but that’s a pain, so I'll try to find a way to make that happen using MTP. How do you do that?
Thanks. You’re a Mac Genius. Your fix doesn’t seem to appear on other Mac forums or Apple Support that I could find. Consider enlightening Apple.
OOPS!! Mea culpa.
I've been saying TrackPad; I should have said Magic TrackPad. I suppose that makes a difference. I use the MTP with my iMac. I haven't installed Mavericks on my MBP, so I don't know if or how that'll affect a MBP TrackPad.
I have Quicken 2006 on the MBP; that won't work with Mavericks, so I probably won't install it until Intuit comes up with a new Apple compatible app - if I live that long. With the iMac, I use Mint - which leaves something to be desired.
I had some similar problems with the trackpad when I moved to ML, and it turned out to be due to the additional trackpad settings that are controlled in the "Accessibility" preference pane. Specifically, under the "Mouse and trackpad > Trackpad options" section of "Accessibility", there is an option to enable dragging with or without drag lock. That has to be enabled otherwise only the 3 finger drag set in the main trackpad preference pane has any effect.
I've no idea why the had separate controls for the trackpad in different panes, or whether those persist in Mavericks since I haven't installed it yet, but maybe worth a look.
YESSSSSS~! Great~!!!!!!!!!!!
That works except for switching between windows. Now, both 1 finger AND 3 finger tapping works but in slightly different ways,
For example, to grab header bar, 1 finger on header requires a double tap to grab it and another tap to let it go - while 3 finger requires only placing curser on the bar, no tap needed, and no need to tap it to let it go.
However, two finger switching windows stopped working. The back arrow does, but that’s a pain, so I'll try to find a way to make that happen using MTP. How do you do that?
Thanks. You’re a Mac Genius. Your fix doesn’t seem to appear on other Mac forums or Apple Support that I could find. Consider enlightening Apple.
Yes - that's exactly the drag behavior that I saw, with both options working for dragging if you have three finger drag enabled in the regular trackpad preference pane. On the switching, if you mean between spaces, then a four finger sideways drag should do that.
Maybe they will get more bugs out of this OS and than perhaps your track pad will work correctly.
Yes - that's exactly the drag behavior that I saw, with both options working for dragging if you have three finger drag enabled in the regular trackpad preference pane. On the switching, if you mean between spaces, then a four finger sideways drag should do that.
The four finger ‘Swipe between full-screen apps’ works intermittently and not as shown on MTP ‘More Gestures’.
I meant moving back and forth between pages. The two finger ‘Swipe between pages’ (that slides the pages off to the side revealing the previous page) is working again. The three finger swipe is also working - a bit awkwardly though.
However, now, ‘Drag and Drop’ is flaky as hell and works only intermittently. It works well in some areas - not so much in others - since installing Mavericks. I haven't figured out why.
Maybe they will get more bugs out of this OS and than perhaps your track pad will work correctly.
And maybe I'll win the PowerBall lottery. The odds are better. But thanks for giving me hope.
Because Apple rushes to get out new products and operating systems without really getting out the bugs first to make it work correctly the first time. That is their problem!
This is Apple we’re talking about. Nope.
I notice that at least three posts on this thread no longer show up, at least, on my computer. That includes the last two and an earlier one showing my Activity Monitor readings about 'Kernel Task'. How did that happen?
My biggest concern at this point is that Activity Monitor shows that 'kernel task' is using:
670.6 MB of memory - 83 threads - 0 ports - 0 PID - root user.
Is that normal or a sign of a problem?
In addition: com.apple.IconServicesAgent is using, in three separate areas:
269.4MB; 121.2MB; and 120.9MB respectively.
Is that normal or a sign of a problem?
Is that something new that Mavericks now shows? They weren't reflected in Snow Leopard. I have no idea of what to do about that if it is a problem.
You are right.