Use and Customize the TalkBack Gestures
Learn how to use and customize the TalkBack gestures on your Android device.
Gestures
Learn all the default TalkBack gestures.
Basic Navigation
| Action | One-Finger Gesture | Multi-Finger Gesture |
|---|---|---|
| Select Item | Tap to hear an item | |
| Activate Selected Item | Double-tap | |
| Long Press Selected Item | Double-tap and hold | |
| Adjust Slider | Swipe up or down | |
| Move to Next Item | Swipe left | |
| Move to Previous Item | Swipe left | |
| Scroll Up or Down | Swipe up or down with two fingers | |
| Scroll Left or Right | Swipe left or right with two fingers | |
| Move to the Next Reading Control | Swipe up then down | Swipe up with three fingers |
| Move to the Previous Reading Control | Swipe down then up | Swipe down with three fingers |
| Activate Screen Search | Swipe left then down | |
| Read from Next (Continuous Reading) | Triple-tap with two fingers |
The above table has the default gestures, which can be customized. Learn how to customize the gestures below.
Device Gestures
| Action | One-Finger Gesture | Multi-Finger Gesture |
|---|---|---|
| Go Home | Swipe up then left | When Gesture navigation is on, two-finger swipe up from the bottom |
| Go Back | Swipe down then left | When Gesture navigation is on, two-finger swipe from the left or right edge of screen |
| Recents (App Switcher) | Swipe left then up | When Gesture navigation is on, two-finger swipe up from the bottom and hold |
| Access Notification Panel | Swipe right then down | Swipe down from the top of the screen with two fingers |
| Access Quick Settings | Swipe down with two fingers twice |
The above table has the default gestures, which can be customized. Learn how to customize the gestures below.
TalkBack Gestures
| Action | One-Finger Gesture | Multi-Finger Gesture |
|---|---|---|
| Pause and Resume Speech | Tap with two fingers | |
| Pause or Resume Media | Double-tap with two fingers | |
| Call Answering | Double-tap with two fingers | |
| TalkBack Menu | Swipe down then right | Tap with three fingers |
| TalkBack Help | Double-tap with four fingers |
The above table has the default gestures, which can be customized. Learn how to customize the gestures below.
Text Editing Gestures
| Action | Multi-Finger Gesture |
|---|---|
| Selection Mode | Double-tap and hold with two fingers |
| Copy | Double-tap with three fingers |
| Cut | Double-tap and hold with three fingers |
| Paste | Triple-tap with three fingers |
The above table has the default gestures, which can be customized. Learn how to customize the gestures below.
Braille Keyboard Gestures
Learn how to setup and use the TalkBack Braille Keyboard >
| Action | Gesture |
|---|---|
| Space | Swipe right with one finger |
| Delete Letter | Swipe left with one finger |
| Delete Word | Swipe left with two fingers |
| Return | Swipe right with two fingers |
| Submit | Swipe up with two fingers |
| Exit | Swipe down with two fingers |
| Switch to Next Keyboard | Swipe down with three fingers |
Customize Gestures
You can access to the TalkBack settings through the TalkBack Menu or follow the steps below:
- Open Settings
- Scroll down and tap Accessibility
- Tap TalkBack
- Tap Settings
- Under the Controls section, tap Customize Gestures
- Tap a gesture to assign an action to it
Important: Two-finger swipe gestures cannot be customized.
Last updated: May 30, 2025
Reference the original support article by Apple here: Use TalkBack Gestures & - Google Support
All references to Google. and their products and services are trade-marked and are used in these articles for educational purposes.