Your laptop’s touchpad isn’t just for pointing, clicking, and zooming in and out. That rectangular surface also supports gestures that let you switch between apps, control media playback, manage files ...

Trackpads on laptops have come a long way over the years, and that does double for Windows machines. These input devices used to be tiny, sluggish, and only able to detect a single touch input.

Touchpads have been a more portable alternative to mice since the 1980s, but the robustness, tactility, and reliability of a mouse are hard to beat. That said, touchpads have evolved well past their ...