Windows 8.1 Bible

APPENDIX D: Windows 8.1 Touch Gestures

IN THIS APPENDIX

Getting acquainted with the touch interface

Exploring Windows 8.1 touch gestures

The Windows 8.1 touch interface is designed to be used on different platforms with different inputs. Users on regular laptops or desktop computers can use keyboard and mouse movements to select, deselect, or move items, resize windows, and perform other tasks. With Windows-based tablets, however, you can use Windows 8.1 touch interface gestures. These are hand gestures you can use instead of relying on simple clicks or requiring that a mouse device performs Windows tasks.

Table D.1 lists touch gestures and a description of those gestures. Keep in mind that other gestures may be available based on a particular Windows 8 app that you're running. Also, not all these gestures are available with every app. It's up to the app developer to program them into their app.

Tip

Semantic Zoom is used in Microsoft Windows 8.1 apps to allow users to navigate large amounts of data presented in a single view. For example, users can view full-size maps by pinching and zooming into a region on the map or a small location on the map. Conversely, the user can zoom out from a point on a map to a larger view.

Table D-1 Windows 8.1 Touch Interface Gestures

This Action	Does This
Slide your finger left or right.	Scrolls through the screens.
Tap once.	Starts an app.
Swipe from the right side of the screen toward the middle.	Displays the Charms Bar, which ...