How to Set up and Use Mouse Gestures in Chrome

Enhancing your browsing efficiency in Google Chrome can be as simple as incorporating mouse gestures. While keyboard shortcuts are useful, they might not suit everyone’s style. Mouse gestures offer an intuitive alternative, allowing you to navigate and control the browser with simple mouse movements.

To bring mouse gestures to Chrome, the CrxMouse Chrome Gestures extension is a powerful tool that offers extensive features and customization options.

Setting up mouse gestures in Chrome

Since Chrome doesn’t support mouse gestures natively, you’ll need to install an extension. The CrxMouse Chrome Gestures extension is a popular choice that can be added to your browser effortlessly.

Visit the Chrome Web Store at chrome.google.com/webstore and search for “CrxMouse Chrome Gestures.” Alternatively, access it directly through this link.

On the extension page, click the “Add to Chrome” button to install it.

A confirmation dialog will appear. Click “Add extension” to proceed.

Once installed, you’ll be redirected to the extension’s settings page, where you can review privacy features and data collection policies.

You have the option to “Agree” or “Disagree” with the terms. Agreeing enables advanced features that enhance mouse gesture efficiency, but the choice is yours.

Selecting “Agree” will take you to an interactive tutorial that helps you get accustomed to mouse gestures. If you choose “Disagree,” you might miss out on this helpful guide.

Configuring mouse gestures in CrxMouse

The CrxMouse Gestures extension offers a wealth of features to streamline your browsing. To customize its functions, click on the extension’s icon in the toolbar, then select the gear icon as shown below.

This will open the extension’s settings page. Here, you can explore various options and sections. If you wish to temporarily disable mouse gestures without uninstalling the extension, toggle the switch next to “Enable CrxMouse Gestures.”

Open CrxMouse settings with a mouse gesture

CrxMouse allows you to access its settings using a mouse gesture. Keep in mind that gestures function only on active webpages, not on blank new tabs.

To open the settings with a gesture, hold the right mouse button and drag the cursor right (➡), then down (⬇), left (⬅), and up (⬆), forming a square starting from the right. Refer to the illustration below for guidance.

Enable super drag

The “Super Drag” feature enhances functionality by allowing quick actions like opening images or links in new tabs, downloading images, copying text, and searching selected text on Google with simple drag motions.

If Super Drag isn’t enabled, access the extension’s settings using the mouse gesture described earlier, and toggle the switch next to “Enable Super Drag.”

Open image in a new tab

With Super Drag, you can quickly open images in new tabs positioned either to the right or left of your current tab.

To open an image in a new tab to the right, hold the left mouse button on the image and drag it to the right (➡).

To open an image in a new tab to the left, hold the left mouse button on the image and drag it to the left (⬅).

Download an image

To download an image directly, hold the left mouse button on the image and drag it downward (⬇). The image will be saved to your computer.

Open link in a new tab

Super Drag simplifies opening links in new tabs without the need for right-click menus.

To open a link in a new tab to the left, hold the left mouse button on the link and drag it to the left (⬅).

To open a link in a new tab to the right, hold the left mouse button on the link and drag it to the right (➡).

Google-search text on a webpage

To search selected text on Google in a new tab to the right, highlight the text and drag it to the right (➡).

To open the search results in a new tab to the left, highlight the text and drag it to the left (⬅).

Copy text on a webpage

To copy selected text, highlight it and drag downward (⬇). The text will be copied to your clipboard.

Mouse gestures for navigation

Navigating between pages and tabs becomes smoother with mouse gestures.

To go back to the previous page, hold the right mouse button and drag left (⬅) on an empty area of the page.

To move forward, hold the right mouse button and drag right (➡).

Navigate between tabs

To switch to the tab on the left, hold the right mouse button, drag up (⬆), then left (⬅).

To switch to the tab on the right, hold the right mouse button, drag up (⬆), then right (➡).

Mouse gestures for scrolling

Scrolling through pages is more intuitive with gestures.

To scroll down, hold the right mouse button and drag downward (⬇).

To scroll up, hold the right mouse button and drag upward (⬆).

To jump to the bottom of a page, hold the right mouse button, drag right (➡), then down (⬇).

To return to the top, hold the right mouse button, drag right (➡), then up (⬆).

Gestures to load pages

You can manage tabs and pages efficiently using gestures.

To reopen a closed tab, hold the right mouse button, drag left (⬅), then up (⬆).

To reload the current page, hold the right mouse button, drag up (⬆), then down (⬇).

To reload all open tabs, hold the right mouse button and drag left (⬅) then right (➡).

Window gestures

Managing browser windows is also possible with gestures.

To close the current window, hold the right mouse button, drag up (⬆), then right (➡), then down (⬇).

To open a new window, hold the right mouse button, drag down (⬇), right (➡), then up (⬆).

How to customize scrolling options

Access the CrxMouse extension settings. Ensure the “Enable Scrolling” feature is checked.

The “Scrolling” settings option will appear in the sidebar. Click on it to adjust scrolling preferences.

On the scrolling settings page, adjust the scrolling speed and acceleration to your liking by moving the sliders.

How to import/export configurations

In the CrxMouse settings, click on “Advanced Settings” in the sidebar.

To export your configurations, click the “Export” button.

A code will appear in the text box above. Copy this code and save it in a document for future use.

To import configurations, paste the saved code into the same text box and click “Import.”

How to sync gestures across all your desktop devices

To maintain consistent mouse gesture settings on all your desktop devices, you can sync the CrxMouse extension through your Google account.

Install the CrxMouse Chrome Gestures extension on Chrome for each of your computers.

Sign in to the same Google account on all devices. The extension’s configurations will automatically sync across your computers.

By integrating the CrxMouse Chrome Gestures extension into your browser, you can navigate and interact with web pages more efficiently using intuitive mouse movements tailored to your preferences.