MiddleDrag

A macOS menu bar app that enables middle-click and middle-drag functionality using three-finger trackpad gestures.

Features

• Three-finger tap → Middle mouse click
• Three-finger drag → Middle mouse drag (for panning in apps like Blender, CAD software, browsers, etc.)
• Works alongside system trackpad gestures without interference
• Configurable sensitivity and smoothing
• Menu bar icon with quick access to settings
• Launch at login support

Requirements

• macOS 15.0 (Seqoia) or later
• Built-in trackpad or Magic Trackpad
• Accessibility permissions (required for mouse event generation)

Installation

Homebrew (Recommended)

brew tap nullpointerdepressivedisorder/tap
brew install --cask middledrag

Manual Installation

1. Download the latest release from the Releases page
2. Extract and move MiddleDrag.app to your Applications folder
3. Launch the app
4. Grant Accessibility permissions when prompted (System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility)

Gatekeeper Notice

Since MiddleDrag is not notarized with Apple, macOS will show a warning on first launch. To open:

Option 1: Right-click the app → Open → click "Open" in the dialog

Option 2: Run in terminal:

xattr -cr /Applications/MiddleDrag.app

This is standard for open source macOS apps that aren't distributed through the Mac App Store.

Usage

Once running, MiddleDrag appears as a hand icon in your menu bar:

• Three-finger tap: Performs a middle mouse click (useful for opening links in new tabs, closing tabs, etc.)
• Three-finger drag: Performs a middle mouse drag (useful for panning/orbiting in 3D applications)

Menu Bar Options

• Enabled: Toggle gesture recognition on/off
• Drag Sensitivity: Adjust how fast the cursor moves during drag (0.5x - 2x)
• Advanced:
  • Require Exactly 3 Fingers: Only recognize gestures with exactly 3 fingers
  • Block System Gestures: Attempt to prevent system gesture interference
• Launch at Login: Start MiddleDrag automatically when you log in

How It Works

MiddleDrag uses Apple's private MultitouchSupport framework to receive raw touch data from the trackpad before it's processed by the system gesture recognizer. This allows it to:

1. Detect three-finger gestures independently
2. Generate synthetic middle mouse events via the Accessibility API
3. Suppress conflicting system-generated click events using a CGEventTap

Building from Source

Prerequisites

• Xcode 16.0 or later
• macOS 15.0 SDK or later

Build

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/MiddleDrag.git
cd MiddleDrag

# Build release version
./build.sh

# Or build and run debug version
./build.sh --debug --run

Xcode

1. Open MiddleDrag.xcodeproj
2. Select your signing team in project settings
3. Build and run (⌘R)

Project Structure

MiddleDrag/
├── Core/
│   ├── GestureRecognizer.swift    # Gesture detection logic
│   ├── MouseEventGenerator.swift  # Mouse event synthesis
│   └── MultitouchFramework.swift  # Private API bindings
├── Managers/
│   ├── DeviceMonitor.swift        # Trackpad monitoring
│   └── MultitouchManager.swift    # Main coordinator
├── Models/
│   ├── GestureModels.swift        # Configuration types
│   └── TouchModels.swift          # Touch data structures
├── UI/
│   ├── AlertHelper.swift          # Dialog utilities
│   └── MenuBarController.swift    # Menu bar interface
└── Utilities/
    ├── LaunchAtLoginManager.swift # Login item management
    └── PreferencesManager.swift   # Settings persistence

Compatibility

macOS Version	Status
macOS 15 (Sequoia)	✅ Fully supported
macOS 26 beta (Tahoe)	✅ Compatible

Works with both built-in MacBook trackpads and external Magic Trackpads.

Known Limitations

• Requires Accessibility permissions to generate mouse events
• Physical trackpad clicks (pressing down) with 3 fingers may still trigger system gestures - soft taps work best
• Some applications may not respond to synthetic middle mouse events

Troubleshooting

App doesn't respond to gestures

1. Check that Accessibility permissions are granted in System Settings
2. Try toggling the "Enabled" option in the menu bar
3. Restart the app

Gestures conflict with system gestures

1. Use soft taps instead of physical clicks
2. Adjust your trackpad settings in System Settings if needed

Menu bar icon shows disabled (slash through hand)

1. Check Accessibility permissions
2. Toggle "Enabled" in the menu

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Inspired by the need for middle-click functionality on macOS trackpads
• Uses the MultitouchSupport private framework for raw touch access