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MacBook Trackpad on Windows 11: Xiaomi Redmibook 3-Finger Drag

Replicate MacBook Air M1 trackpad on Xiaomi Redmibook Pro 16 Windows 11: enable two-finger text selection and three-finger drag without double-tapping using Precision Touchpad, Xiaomi drivers, and ThreeFingerDragOnWindows tool.

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How can I replicate MacBook Air (M1) trackpad behavior on Windows 11? Specifically, on my Xiaomi Redmibook Pro 16 (2025), how can I enable selecting text by moving two fingers (without double-tapping) and dragging files or windows by moving three fingers (three-finger drag) without double-tapping? Are there built-in settings, driver options, or third-party tools to achieve this, and how do I configure them?

Yes — you can get very close to MacBook trackpad behavior on Windows 11 (two-finger text selection and a true three-finger drag) on a Xiaomi Redmibook Pro 16 (2025), but it typically requires: 1) confirming you have a Precision Touchpad and up-to-date Xiaomi/OEM drivers, 2) disabling conflicting built-in Windows gestures, and 3) using either the open-source ThreeFingerDragOnWindows utility or an AutoHotkey fallback for the macOS-style three-finger drag. Below I’ll show exactly how to check drivers, change Windows touchpad settings, install and configure the third‑party tools, and troubleshoot common problems.

Contents

Overview: MacBook trackpad Windows 11 on Xiaomi Redmibook

macOS gives you immediate, finger-down selection and movement: put two fingers down and drag to select text, put three fingers down and drag to move windows/files — no double-tap. Windows 11 supports many multi-finger gestures via the Precision Touchpad stack but doesn’t always expose the exact macOS-style “finger-down = drag” behavior in the same way. That gap is often bridged by OEM drivers (which sometimes add extra options) or by small third‑party helpers that intercept touch input and emulate a left‑mouse drag when N fingers are detected.

Before you change anything, ask: does Windows recognize your pad as a Precision Touchpad? If yes, you’ve got the best chance. If not, installing the correct Xiaomi/OEM driver or the Windows Precision driver is the place to start. The official Microsoft touch-gestures documentation explains the built-in options and limitations: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/touch-gestures-for-windows-a9d28305-4818-a5df-4e2b-e5590f850741

Check hardware and drivers: Precision Touchpad & Xiaomi Redmibook

  1. Confirm Precision Touchpad (quick):
  • Press Win + I → Bluetooth & devices → Touchpad.
    If you see “Your PC has a precision touchpad” at the top, great. If not, Windows is using a generic driver and you should update.
  1. Update drivers:
  1. Device Manager check:
  • Open Device Manager → Human Interface Devices (or Mice and other pointing devices). You should see an entry like “HID-compliant touchpad” or a vendor driver (Synaptics/ELAN). If it says PS/2 or Generic, that can limit gesture support.
  1. Why this matters:
  • Multi-finger detection (true two- vs three-finger gestures) depends on hardware and driver support. If the hardware can’t reliably report finger count, no software fix will make it perfect.

Windows 11 touchpad settings: enable two-finger selection & remove conflicts

Start with the built-in controls — sometimes that’s all you need.

  1. Open the touchpad panel:
  • Win + I → Bluetooth & devices → Touchpad (or search “Touchpad” in Settings).
  1. Two-finger text selection:
  • Look for options labeled like “Two‑finger drag”, “Tap twice and drag to multi-select”, or gesture toggles under Accessibility → Touchpad. OEM drivers may expose a true two-finger-drag option that works without a double-tap. If you see it, enable it and test.
  1. Three-finger gestures:
  • Under Touchpad settings scroll to Three-finger gestures (or Gestures & interaction). Set Swipes to “Nothing” while you’re testing a three-finger drag — Windows’ default three-finger swipe actions (switching apps/desktops) will conflict.
  1. Disable tap-to-drag conflict:
  • Search Settings for “tap twice and drag” (some UIs place it under Accessibility). Turn off Tap twice and drag to multi-select so the pad won’t treat a single finger hover/tap sequence as the primary drag method.
  1. Test after each change:
  • Restart or sign out if needed. Try selecting text with two fingers and moving windows with three fingers.

Note: Windows’ wording and locations change between updates and OEM skins. If you don’t see a particular label, search Settings for “gesture”, “drag”, or “multi-select”, or check the vendor touchpad control panel that came with Xiaomi drivers.

Third-party tools: ThreeFingerDragOnWindows and AutoHotkey

When built-in and OEM options fall short, two practical approaches reproduce macOS behavior:

  1. ThreeFingerDragOnWindows (recommended for real-time three-finger drag)
  • What it does: detects three-finger contact and emulates a left‑mouse button hold while you move the fingers — so you get direct, finger-down dragging like macOS.
  • Requirements: a Precision Touchpad and the usual Windows runtime prerequisites noted in the repo (follow the README). Many users report the best results when Windows’ three/four-finger gestures and the “tap twice and drag” option are disabled first.
  • Install: grab the project at https://github.com/ClementGre/ThreeFingerDragOnWindows, follow the release and README instructions, then enable the app (choose “Start with Windows” if you want it always available).
  • Pros: closest to macOS feel for moving windows/files; low latency if your hardware reports finger counts accurately.
  • Cons: it’s an extra utility running in the background and needs correct driver support to see three fingers reliably.
  1. AutoHotkey (practical fallback)

A note about external Apple hardware: if you’re connecting a Magic Trackpad instead of using the built-in pad, there are other drivers/community projects (e.g., https://github.com/imbushuo/mac-precision-touchpad) that can help make Apple trackpads act like Windows Precision devices. That’s outside the Xiaomi built-in path, but useful if you want an Apple-like hardware experience on Windows.

Step‑by‑step: Quick checklist for your Xiaomi Redmibook Pro 16 (2025)

Follow this ordered checklist. Stop once the behavior works the way you want.

  1. Win + I → Bluetooth & devices → Touchpad. Confirm “Your PC has a precision touchpad.” If yes, continue. If not, install OEM driver (step 3).
  2. Update Windows fully (Settings → Windows Update) and reboot.
  3. Download and install Xiaomi’s official drivers from https://www.mi.com/in/service/support/laptopdriver.html (or try the device page at https://www.drvhub.net/laptops/xiaomi/redmi-book-pro-16-2025 if you need an alternate source).
  4. In Touchpad settings: set Three-finger gestures → Swipes to “Nothing” and turn off any three-finger swipes/taps that conflict.
  5. Search Settings for “tap twice and drag” and turn that feature off (some vendor UIs put it in Accessibility → Touchpad).
  6. Test two-finger selection: open a text file in Notepad/Edge, place two fingers down and drag. If it selects immediately — you’re done.
  7. If two-finger select or three-finger drag still fail, try ThreeFingerDragOnWindows:
  1. Test three-finger drag: place three fingers and move — windows and files should drag without double-tapping.
  2. If ThreeFingerDragOnWindows doesn’t work on your hardware, consider the AutoHotkey toggle script approach (see https://blog.carsoncheng.ca/2021/02/enable-3-finger-drag-on-windows.html).
  3. Tweak sensitivity and delay in the tool (where provided) to reduce false triggers.
  4. If gestures are laggy or unreliable, update/reinstall the touchpad driver (vendor download), and re-check Device Manager entries.
  5. If nothing helps, confirm hardware capability — older or low-end pads sometimes can’t report stable finger counts and can’t be fixed in software.

Troubleshooting & practical tips

  • Gesture still not recognized?
  • Reconfirm the pad reports as Precision in Settings. If not, install OEM drivers and reboot.
  • Make sure you disabled Windows’ three-finger swipes and the “tap twice and drag” option — those often intercept the gesture first.
  • App won’t detect three fingers:
  • Some vendor drivers report fingers differently. Try both the Xiaomi/OEM driver and the generic Windows Precision driver to see which reports more accurate finger counts.
  • App won’t start on boot:
  • Use the app’s “Start with Windows” option if it has one, or place a shortcut in the Startup folder (%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup).
  • Performance issues:
  • Close other heavy background apps; check for touchpad driver updates; check for BIOS/firmware updates from Xiaomi.
  • Don’t like the AHK tap-lock interaction?
  • That’s expected: AHK solutions typically implement a tap-to-lock drag, not direct finger-down tracking. Use ThreeFingerDragOnWindows for the closest macOS experience.
  • Want to revert everything?
  • Remove the third‑party app, re-enable any Windows gestures you prefer, and reinstall the OEM driver if you changed it.

If you want a one-liner summary: verify Precision Touchpad → install Xiaomi/OEM drivers → disable conflicting Windows gestures → install ThreeFingerDragOnWindows for true three-finger drag (fallback: AutoHotkey). For official docs on Windows gesture settings see Microsoft’s guide: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/touch-gestures-for-windows-a9d28305-4818-a5df-4e2b-e5590f850741

Sources

Conclusion

You can replicate the MacBook trackpad experience on Windows 11 with a Xiaomi Redmibook Pro 16 (2025), but it’s a three-part job: confirm a Precision Touchpad and install the right Xiaomi/OEM drivers, turn off conflicting Windows gestures (especially three-finger swipes and tap-to-drag), then use a small helper app such as ThreeFingerDragOnWindows (or an AutoHotkey fallback) to get true macOS-style two-finger text selection and three-finger drag without double-tapping. Start with driver and Settings checks, and if the native options don’t give you the exact feel, the open-source tool will usually deliver the closest MacBook trackpad Windows 11 behavior.

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MacBook Trackpad on Windows 11: Xiaomi Redmibook 3-Finger Drag