Start with Mousetroke for gestures across your desktop
For most mouse users who want familiar actions across apps, Mousetroke offers free MIT-licensed global gestures, screen corners and per-app rules. Edit about 50 built-in strokes, with Lua and popup menus available to everyone.
Mac support is in active development, with a beta available now.
Start with your scenario
Mouse-first, global gestures and corners → Mousetroke
- One configuration for browsers, file managers and desktop apps, with per-app adjustments.
- Screen corners, Lua and popup menus, plus about 50 editable built-in gestures.
- Free business use, MIT source, explicit Windows 11 support and a Mac beta.
If your core need is web pages and tabs → a browser extension
Gesturefy for Firefox and CrxMouse for desktop Chrome suit tasks that stay entirely within the relevant browser.
See comparisonIf your core need is multi-finger touch → a touch-focused tool
FastGestures lists three-finger touchpad dragging; GestureSignv2 lists touchpad, touchscreen and TipTap input. Match the documented inputs to your device.
See comparison · GestureSign / GestureSignv2If your core need is a macro IDE and text expansion → Input.Observer
Input.Observer offers macro recording, script completion and text expansion on Windows x64, with a paid license and a 30-day trial.
See comparison
Comparisons to explore
WGestures 1 / WGestures 2
Directional strokes, selected-text search, Lua, hot corners and action menus all have counterparts in Mousetroke. Get free MIT source, explicit Windows 11 support and a modern settings UI in 10 languages.
Compare options →StrokeIt
Mousetroke brings familiar mouse strokes to an explicitly supported Windows 11 setup. Business use and Lua are free, with screen corners, per-app rules and a modern settings UI.
Compare options →StrokesPlus.net / Input.Observer
Rebuilding your gesture setup? Mousetroke gets everyday actions going with about 50 editable built-in gestures, direct action settings, Lua and screen corners. The app is free and its source is MIT-licensed.
Compare options →GestureSign / GestureSignv2
Mousetroke focuses on strokes drawn while holding a mouse button: a portable 13.2 MB Windows exe with shape gestures, per-app rules and screen corners. No .NET install is needed; settings use system WebView2.
Compare options →FastGestures
Use Mousetroke's directional and shape strokes for daily actions, then adjust volume and brightness at the screen edge. It is MIT-licensed and free for business use; Windows also supports DDC/CI brightness for external monitors.
Compare options →MouseInc / Aitiy
Bring everyday strokes and screen corners into Mousetroke: free MIT source, a portable Windows app and per-app actions. Version 0.2.1 shipped on 2026-10-20, with one-click in-app updates.
Compare options →Gesturefy / CrxMouse
Mousetroke brings Back, Close Tab and window actions to different browsers, file managers and desktop apps with one configuration. System-level strokes also work on extension-restricted pages, with screen corners added. It is free and MIT-licensed.
Compare options →Scope and licensing at a glance
| Tool | Platforms | System-wide or browser-only | Price, business use & license |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mousetroke | Windows 10 1809+/11 x64; macOS 11+ (Apple silicon & Intel, beta) | System-wide; per-app rules and exclusions | Free for everyone, including business use; MIT open source; no ads, account or telemetry |
| WGestures 1 | Windows 7+; README lists 7/8/10 | System-wide mouse gestures; per-app settings can opt out of global gestures | Free, GPL-2.0 open source |
| WGestures 2 | Windows 10 1607+; macOS 10.15+ | System-wide mouse gestures; per-app trigger inheritance and overrides | Commercial: site lists RMB 36.99 per activation code, up to 4 computers at once (as of 2026-10-21) |
| StrokeIt | Windows; site mentions Win95–Win7 | Mouse gestures to control Windows applications | Free for individual and eligible nonprofit charity use; business, government and education require a license (as of 2026-10-21) |
| StrokesPlus.net | Windows | Mouse gestures and hotkeys across Windows apps | — |
| Input.Observer | Windows 10 1809+/11 x64; Windows ARM unsupported | Global and per-app gestures, hotkeys and text expansion | One-time personal license for 1.x; full 30-day trial, free keys for eligible former community members (as of 2026-10-21) |
| GestureSign | Windows tablets | Windows window control, keyboard simulation and program actions | GPL-2.0 open source |
| GestureSignv2 | Windows 11 focused; x64 and ARM64 | Per-app gesture and command management | GPL-2.0 open source |
| FastGestures | Windows 7/8/10/11 | System-wide mouse, touchpad and touchscreen gestures | — |
| MouseInc | — | — | — |
| Aitiy | Windows 10/11 x64; macOS 11+, Intel and Apple silicon | Global/per-app mouse gestures, hotkeys, screenshots and OCR | Free for personal use (as of 2026-10-21) |
| Gesturefy | Firefox extension | Browser web pages; excludes about:addons, restricted Mozilla pages and similar pages | GPL-3.0 open source |
| CrxMouse | Desktop Chrome extension | Browser navigation, tabs and custom gestures | — |
Based on the official sites, checked 2026-10-21. "—" = not stated there.
Frequently asked questions
When should I choose Mousetroke?
Start with Mousetroke when you mainly use a mouse and want shared gestures across browsers and desktop apps. It has global strokes, screen corners and per-app rules, free business use and MIT source. Lua, popup menus and about 50 built-in gestures are ready to configure.
Does Mousetroke support Windows 11 and Mac?
Yes. It supports Windows 10 1809+/11 x64. The Mac beta supports macOS 11+ and runs natively on Apple silicon and Intel. Both platforms have one-click in-app updates, available on Mac since v0.2.1.
Can Mousetroke manage a large gesture library?
Settings come in 10 languages. Search by name, stroke or action, filter by button or position, duplicate gestures and import/export configurations. Imports can replace or merge.
Start with one everyday gesture
Go back, close a tab, manage a window or trigger an action from a screen corner. About 19 MB resident on Windows and 13 MB on Mac.
Unsigned Windows exe: SmartScreen may appear on first run (More info → Run anyway). Mac beta: if first open is blocked, use Privacy & Security → Open Anyway, then follow setup.
Sources
Sources: WGestures 1, WGestures 2, StrokeIt, StrokesPlus.net, Input.Observer, GestureSign, GestureSignv2, FastGestures, MouseInc, Aitiy, Gesturefy, CrxMouse. Details and official links are on each comparison page; see also the Mousetroke changelog. Last checked .