How to Disable Swipe Navigation Gestures in Google Chrome for Mac
Many Mac apps support a two-finger swipe to go back / forward gesture, but not all users wish to use the scrolling gesture. For those who use Google Chrome, you may find that if you have disabled the system-wide “Swipe between pages” feature, you’ll still have the swipe navigation available in the Chrome app. This is because the swipe navigation feature is built into Chrome which lets the feature be separate from the scrolling gesture at the Mac OS X level.
In any event, if you want to disable two-finger swipe forward and swipe backward navigation gestures in the Google Chrome browser on a Mac, you can use a defaults command string to do so.
How to Disable Chrome Swipe Gesture on Mac
Open the Terminal and enter the following command string:
defaults write com.google.Chrome.plist AppleEnableSwipeNavigateWithScrolls -bool FALSE
You will not need to restart Chrome for the change to take effect, it should be immediate either way. You can confirm this by using a two-finger swipe gesture and it should no longer navigate back or forth in the browsing history of an active window or tab.
Re-Enable Chrome Navigation Swipe Gestures on Mac
If you wish to turn this back on, simply enter the following defaults command string, the only difference being that “FALSE” has been changed to “TRUE”:
defaults write com.google.Chrome.plist AppleEnableSwipeNavigateWithScrolls -bool TRUE
For most users, these swipe gestures are generally good to leave enabled, particularly since they’re the same in many iOS apps and many other Mac apps too, making it a somewhat universal back / forth navigation function that is applicable to both Mac OS X and iOS devices.
This work on chrome on OS 11.1. Thank you.
Used this one:
defaults write com.google.Chrome.plist AppleEnableSwipeNavigateWithScrolls -bool FALSE
Only took it after I restarted chrome.
For other chrome based Browsers:
# Chrome
defaults write com.google.Chrome.plist AppleEnableSwipeNavigateWithScrolls -bool FALSE
# Chrome Canary
defaults write com.google.Chrome.canary AppleEnableSwipeNavigateWithScrolls -bool FALSE
# Chromium
defaults write org.chromium.Chromium AppleEnableSwipeNavigateWithScrolls -bool FALSE
# Microsoft Edge
defaults write com.microsoft.Edge.plist AppleEnableSwipeNavigateWithScrolls -bool FALSE
I can confirm this worked for me on Mojave 10.14.6
remember to quit Chrome
defaults write com.google.Chrome AppleEnableSwipeNavigateWithScrolls -bool FALSE
Any ideas on what the command line for Mojave 10.14.4 could be? Both lines (the first one and later for High Sierra) are not working anymore.
Thanks!
Yeah, can confirm this no longer works
Yeah this worked for me, just removed the plist:
defaults write com.google.Chrome AppleEnableSwipeNavigateWithScrolls -bool FALSE
Im on Mojave 10.14.1
I can confirm it works on Mojave 10.14.6
defaults write com.google.Chrome AppleEnableSwipeNavigateWithScrolls -bool FALSE
Thank you. Had to restart the app for the chance to take effect.
Can confirm NOT working on High Sierra 10.13.6.
Also, turning off the trackpad 2 finger swipe gesture does NOT work.
defaults write com.google.Chrome AppleEnableSwipeNavigateWithScrolls -bool FALSE
(without .plist)
must restart chrome to take effect.
this stupid gesture drive me crazy….. and thanks!
This is also not working on macOS High Sierra.
Working for macOS High Sierra 10.13.4
Copy and paste (entire command as one) below in terminal and hit enter.
defaults write com.google.Chrome AppleEnableSwipeNavigateWithScrolls -bool FALSE
thx it works
Can confirm this is also not working on High sierra
Worked a treat! Thanks!
Great tip thanks. Still works in Sierra, just remove the .plist and restart and you’re good to go.
Thanks mate, it works.
For Sue and others who don’t want to use the terminal, try this if you’re on a Mac:
System Preferences > Trackpad > More Gestures > Under “Swipe between pages” just uncheck that box.
Hope it works for you like it did for me.
Thanks! the terminal approach doesnt work for me but this one did indeed!
I actually like this in safari because you swipe for the whole screen, so it’s not easy to do it accidentally. I only want to disable it with chrome. Unfortunately, the term method doesn’t work for me.
thank you!
Thanks! This worked. The terminal thing didn’t work.
Thank you, Nick! Terminal wasn’t working anymore, this worked.
THIS WORKED and is much better than using the terminal
Lifesaver! I had to remove .plist as well, but then it worked like a charm. Such a relief!
So useful! Many thanks…i had to take of .plist per @Toto AND restart
man, toto delivering again. bless those rains
What a help this is! I had to take off .plist as @Toto said, but it worked like a charm.
Worked on El Capitan, thanks!
Oh for gods sake is there no way to do this without the terminal???
Terminal.app is an application in your /Applications/Utilities/ folder, use Spotlight if you can’t find something on the Mac.
You’re WELCOME, I know I am HELPFUL to you. Now ask yourself Sue, do YOU want to help someone who is rude and cussing at everyone? Probably not, so remember the Golden Rule.
I am a Mac newbie and didn’t know where the terminal was either, thanks for this! The swiping was also driving me nuts.
Wow bekep, no need to be a dick
Not working for me. I’m on 10.11.3 (El Cap), Chrome 49.0.2623.87. :(
Not working on Yosemite. Any ways to change this?
THANK YOU SO MUCH! This was driving me absolutely crazy! Oh, joyous day!
*Update* : it works on el capitan, but i need to restart chrome
very helpful, did the same thing
not working on el capitan public beta. maybe they changed something in elcapitan
Perfect, thank you a lot!
This two-finger swipe forward and swipe backward navigation gestures in Chrome drove me crazy.
Now i use Better Touch Tool for changing the tabs with the same gesture.! Works Great!!
The domain part of the command should be “com.google.Chrome” without “.plist” at the end or it won’t work.