Apple turned the iPhone’s back panel into a huge button in 2020 when iOS 14 introduced the Back Tap accessibility feature. Users who own an iPhone 8 (or later) can customize the feature for several years, as Back Tap continues to be available in the new iOS 27 version, supporting double-tap and triple-tap gestures. In all these years, Apple hasn’t adapted the feature to other devices, but developers have come up with Back Tap alternatives for the MacBook, which bring iPhone-like gestures to the laptop’s palm rest. MacTap is one of the free apps that you can download immediately on supported MacBooks to achieve this. Additionally, interested users can choose from a variety of apps offering identical functionality.
Before we look at what MacTap has to offer, it’s important to understand how Back Tap works on the iPhone. Apple envisioned this feature as an accessibility tool that allows quick actions on the handset without additional keys. The iPhone’s back panel becomes a button as the software allows the phone’s motion sensors to recognize double and triple presses against the frame and turns those gestures into actions.
MacBooks don’t have a native equivalent to Back Tap, and that’s understandable. Interacting with a laptop can be even easier than interacting with a smartphone, because you have access to the trackpad, a full keyboard, and powerful keyboard shortcuts to help you control apps and multitask quickly. Additionally, the name Back Tap would make no sense, as it would be tedious to touch the back of the lid or the bottom of the case. This is why apps like MacTap, launched in early September 2026, use the palm rest for taps.
How MacTap works
Available for download from the developer’s site or from GitHub, MacTap supports two types of gestures. If you’re holding the laptop on your lap, you may want to press down on the palm rest to run a specific shortcut. If the laptop remains stationary on a desk, it may be even more convenient to type on the desk, as the shock would reflect on the chassis. The GitHub documentation states that MacTap will work on MacBook Air (M2 and later) and MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, M1 Max and later) models because motion sensor data must be available to apps. This way, the software can listen to and interpret movements such as taps and bangs and associate them with actions.
created a stupid little app for Mac called MacTap.
you tap the aluminum next to your trackpad and it does stuff. pic.twitter.com/jOvkvFGrJV
– Jaskirat Singh (@jaskirat) September 8, 2026
Back Tap can help you turn on the flashlight, call up Control Center, take a screenshot, turn rotation lock on and off, open apps, and run complex shortcuts on iPhone. Users can assign an action to each of the two gestures. MacTap is even more versatile, as it can support a variety of customizable gestures, including per-app actions. According to the developer, the app can record single, double and triple clicks. Each can be turned into a specific command on the screen. For example, you can tap once to copy the content and twice to paste it. A triple tap can be associated with an action such as quickly locking the screen when you leave your desk. The examples above can be assigned to one of two palm rests, meaning you can customize up to six gestures, three on each side.
MacTap also comes with built-in presets that tailor actions to a specific application (like an AI coding tool), media playback, or the macOS operating system as a whole. These orders can be personalized.
Other alternatives exist
Since MacTap is distributed as a free download, users may wonder how private and secure the app is. Jaskirat Singh, the developer of MacTap, explains on the website and on GitHub that taps are filed on the device and no data leaves the laptop. This is especially important since accessibility features may require sensitive permissions that may involve keyboard and local data. Since MacTap is available for download directly from the developer, the app has not passed Apple’s Mac App Store review process. However, the GitHub page explains that MacTap is a “signed and notarized developer ID.”
Users who want to enable Back Tap gestures on their MacBook, but might be concerned about downloading software from developers (or from GitHub), have a few alternatives, including apps that can be installed from the Mac App Store. InputConfig is an example. It launched in early July 2026, and tap support was added in mid-September.
Additionally, premium applications like MacTap exist, in case you want to avoid free software. Tapcut is priced at $6.99 after a free trial period. It supports double, triple and quadruple taps. Finally, Shortap, seen in the video above, costs $5 for a MacBook and supports single, double, and triple presses on either side of the palm rest.
