The Perfect (almost) Touchpad Settings on Linux
Proceed with caution
Some users have reported that these settings have messed up their trackpads. We'll leave this guide up to serve as a reference, but as a general rule, don't go copy and pasting settings all willy-nilly. :)
The touchpad on my Macbook is my #1 concern about switching to linux full time. The option set for touchpad drivers on the Macbook are as follows: Synaptics, libinput, and mtrack. They all have their flaws. Usually it's palm detection, ignoring the thumb resting on the touchpad, and not having enough settings to emulate the "feel" of the Macbook's touchpad.
Mtrack + a ton of testing configuration has come the closest and addresses all of my concerns. The main problems it solved for me are the following:
- sufficient palm detection (libinput is great as well, synaptics not so much)
- sufficient thumb detection (since I always rest my thumb on the touchpad while tracking)
- ignoring the thumb during click (since I wish to perform a single click with my thumb while my pointer is still on the touchpad)
- having sufficient settings to customize the feel
Here's how to replicate my setup.