7 Reasons to Use a Desktop Touchpad Instead of a Mouse

While the mouse has been the preferred choice for years, there’s a new contender: the desktop touchpad. This might seem like something that should stay in the world of laptops, but there are reasons to use it on the desktop.

Touchpads Have Potentially Better Ergonomics

One of the most significant benefits of opting for a touchpad is the possibility of improved ergonomics. Conventional mice need extensive arm movements, which can become fatiguing and may even lead to discomfort or pain. The grip you’re required to exert can also create long-term comfort issues.

RELATED: 5 Reasons You Should Switch to a Trackball Mouse

With a touchpad, you can use your hands in a relaxed fashion that feels more natural. Not only that, but you only have to use your fingers, with larger movements being unnecessary.

Trackpads Are Ambidextrous

Using a right-handed mouse can be exasperating for lefties, but touchpads are made to accommodate both hands equally. It’s always a struggle to find left-handed mice, and often ambidextrous mice turn out to be equally bad regardless of the hand you use.

A trackpad offers its best experience whether you’re using your right hand or left hand, or if you’re one of those people with strangely prehensile feet.

Touchpads Need Less Space

Touchpads are ideal for those who operate in limited desk spaces. They occupy less area than a mouse and eliminate the need for a mousepad. As a result, you can work in a clutter-free setting with more space for your projects.

Like trackball mice, trackpads end up being great for all sorts of workspace setups where a mouse just wouldn’t have room to operate comfortably.

Multi-Touch Gestures Are Great

A variety of multi-touch gestures are at your disposal with touchpads, enabling you to streamline your workflow. Two-finger scrolling, swiping for app-switching, and pinching for zooming in or out are all intuitive and efficient, allowing you to boost your productivity for work that includes photo editing, video editing, or even working with spreadsheets.

For both Windows and macOS, it’s now also possible to use some apps that were originally designed for touch screen devices. Trackpads are a great substitute here as well, so you can have more versatility in the types of software you use on your desktop system.

Touchpads Are Quiet

The clicking sounds from conventional mice can be disruptive in quiet environments, but touchpads operate in near silence. This lack of noise is particularly beneficial when working in libraries, coffee shops, or shared office spaces.

Touchpads Last Longer

Touchpads generally outlast traditional mice, since they lack mechanical components and are less prone to wear or breakage. We don’t know about you, but we’ve certainly worn through mouse buttons at an alarming rate, fueled by coffee and deadlines!

A Consistent Mobile to Desktop Experience

If you already use a touchpad on your laptop or tablet, transitioning to a desktop touchpad will be a breeze. You’ll be familiar with the gestures, and your muscle memory will easily adapt. We’ve often run into an issue where we’ve started to rely on certain trackpad gestures to speed up our workflow, only to find that those convenient shortcuts are gone when we sit down to a traditional mouse and keyboard setup.

Who Should Not Go for a Desktop Touchpad

While touchpads boast numerous advantages, they’re not suitable for everyone. Gamers, for example, might favor the precision and speed offered by a gaming mouse. Similarly, those working with intricate graphics or designs might find a mouse better fit for the really fine-grained adjustments they have to make. If you do lots of drag-and-drop operations, then (ironically) a touchpad might be a drag to use.

Of course, nothing stops you from keeping your traditional mouse right next to your desktop touchpad, switching between them based on the tasks you need to perform. If you already have a mouse, you might as well try this, but modern trackpads are so intuitive that even some tasks you could only imagine doing with a mouse might end up being a good fit for a trackpad.