Opera Tips & Tricks: Mouse Gestures

December 18, 2009 · by Aleksander Aas

Let's have a look at mouse gestures in Opera for this installment of Opera Tips & Tricks.

Simply put, a mouse gesture is a specific mouse movement that the browser recognizes and uses to perform a simple action, like going back a page, or reloading the current one. The mouse gestures are there to help you perform easy tasks quickly.

The first time you perform a mouse gesture, Opera will automatically ask you if you would like to activate mouse gestures. However, if you said "no" back then, and regret it now, it's easy to enable them manually. Just go to Tools > Preferences >Advanced > Shortcuts and select "Enable mouse gestures".

Get started:

	Previous page	To go one page back; hold right button and move mouse left, or hold the right button and click left button.
	Next page	To go a page forward in the history, hold the right mouse button and move mouse right or, or hold the left mouse button; then, click right mouse button.
	Open link in new tab	This gesture lets you easily open a link in a new tab.
	Open link in background.	Hold your mouse over a link, hold the right mouse button, and move mouse down, then up.
	Minimize tab	Hold the right mouse button; then, move down then to the left.

To see all the mouse gestures, go to www.opera.com/browser/tutorials/gestures/.

Readers' comments 31

Left under the original article, as archived.

LukášFriday, December 18, 2009 12:42:21 PM
Open link in background - error in image - 1. down 2. up
szantosFriday, December 18, 2009 1:13:06 PM
Drag this image in panel for quick help:

http://files.myopera.com/szantos/albums/1310561/gestures_4.png -

Feel free to edit/resize the image or crop the gray section at the bottom, etc. It was made to best fit my setup.
LeNaFriday, December 18, 2009 2:34:14 PM
That's cooool
zoqueteFriday, December 18, 2009 3:40:13 PM
Minimize tab is probably not that useful. But close tab as its mirror!

I use only 3 gestures: fix. 1, 2, and close tab.
TomFriday, December 18, 2009 3:41:56 PM
Everything including moving the mouse, doesn't work for me.
zoqueteFriday, December 18, 2009 3:43:53 PM
szantos, I will make it svg
Aleksander AasFriday, December 18, 2009 3:52:08 PM
Originally posted by lukaydo:

Open link in background - error in image - 1. down 2. up

Fixed
ks328Friday, December 18, 2009 3:52:15 PM
This is the feature I used the most in Opera.
I don't need any buttons on addressbar except address, search and bookmarks!
zoqueteFriday, December 18, 2009 6:24:10 PM
Mouse gestures in svg!
http://yo-lobo.eu/svg/gestures.svg
szantosFriday, December 18, 2009 8:24:26 PM
Originally posted by zoquete:

Mouse gestures in svg!
http://yo-lobo.eu/svg/gestures.svg

Great job!

Mine was just made from the images and text found on the official page.
All simply aligned in a word doc, and converted to png. I've made efforts on aditing and wrapping the text in multiple lines to spare width; it had to fit in my panel setup.
zoqueteFriday, December 18, 2009 8:26:20 PM
thank you, szantos
techlawsamFriday, December 18, 2009 8:35:14 PM
wow thanks didn't know about the last two lol
Charles SchlossFriday, December 18, 2009 9:13:43 PM
http://files.myopera.com/Tamil/Smilies/Happy.gif -
zoqueteSaturday, December 19, 2009 5:20:40 AM
gestos del ratón - versión española: http://yo-lobo.eu/svg/gestos.svg
Yeni SetiawanSaturday, December 19, 2009 8:53:38 AM
this is one of reasons why I love Opera very much.
praetor87Saturday, December 19, 2009 10:38:07 PM
Originally posted by lukaydo:

Open link in background - error in image - 1. down 2. up

Oh it's a good one. I didn't know it.
Deddy kamaruddinSaturday, December 19, 2009 10:57:52 PM
how do i get start and online
Lena ApothekeSunday, December 20, 2009 8:21:49 AM
That's cool!!! Thank's
ouzowtfSunday, December 20, 2009 11:48:18 AM
What I miss a little in Operas Mouse Gestures is the colored Mouse Trail thats drawn in other mouse gesture solutions like Firegestures. I think a red line (matching Opera colors! ) would be quite nice. Or is there a userscript that can do this?

And what I experienced is, that other mouse gesture solutions are a bit more tolerant the gesture concerning. You do not have to draw it this "perfect" like in Opera.

But I still love it!
hallawanyThursday, December 24, 2009 7:15:28 AM
lovricSunday, January 3, 2010 8:51:09 PM
great
dachyroxyMonday, January 4, 2010 11:08:36 PM
I can not understand why you would want to make communication with a rodent so precise and complex
MaduratnaTuesday, January 5, 2010 2:09:44 AM
Thank you...
Dunia Berita TerkiniThursday, January 7, 2010 12:04:52 AM
That's Awesome thanks
merlin!Thursday, January 7, 2010 7:39:13 PM
I started using Opera because of the mouse gestures and probably look very stupid when I try to use them in IE when not at home.
JoekelyFriday, January 8, 2010 4:22:58 PM
hmmm like it mouse gesture
david bronkSunday, January 10, 2010 4:53:33 AM
my mouse is going to be abused
petirosso64Sunday, January 10, 2010 4:34:59 PM
Ciao a tutti buona serata a tutti
MichaelThursday, January 14, 2010 11:31:30 AM
Wow, that's great! Works like a charm.
Nicolas ChevallierSaturday, January 16, 2010 7:18:33 PM
@merlin : same for me
petirosso64Monday, January 25, 2010 5:02:17 PM
Buona sera a tutti