# How to turn on trackpad haptics in Figma on Mac: desktop app steps for beginners > To turn on trackpad haptics in Figma on Mac, open Preferences from the Figma menu and switch on Trackpad Haptic Feedback. Then check Force Click on your Mac. URL: https://www.lazur.app/how-to/turn-on-trackpad-haptic-feedback-in-figma Updated: 2026-11-06 To turn on trackpad haptic feedback in Figma on Mac, open the Figma desktop app, choose Preferences from the Figma menu, and switch on Trackpad Haptic Feedback. Your Mac also needs Force Click and haptic feedback turned on under System Settings > Trackpad > Point & Click. ## Quick answer - Open the Figma desktop app for Mac and choose Figma > Preferences. - Switch on Trackpad Haptic Feedback. Figma's help guide uses this exact name. - Check System Settings > Trackpad > Point & Click, and turn on Force Click and haptic feedback. - If you still feel nothing, turn Force Click off and on, update macOS, then restart. Applies to: Figma desktop app for Mac on macOS 12 or later, with a Force Touch trackpad. Time: 5 min. Difficulty: Easy. ## What you need - Figma desktop app for Mac, running macOS 12 or later - A trackpad that supports Force Touch - Access to Figma > Preferences - Access to System Settings > Trackpad ## How to Turn on trackpad haptics in Figma for Mac in Figma on a Mac 1. **Open the desktop app.** Open Figma as the desktop app, not in a browser tab. Figma's help guide describes trackpad haptics for the desktop app, and it says haptics work only with trackpads on macOS. Open any file so the Figma menu is ready to use. 2. **Open the Figma menu.** (Figma) Click Figma in the menu bar, next to the Apple menu. Figma's help pages also call this the Figma dropdown menu or the main menu. Labels can shift between versions, so look for the item that leads to Preferences. Tip: Community threads use the same Figma > Preferences route, so the menu name is consistent even when the help pages say something else. 3. **Choose Preferences.** (Figma > Preferences) Select Preferences from the Figma menu. Figma's documentation does not list a keyboard shortcut for Preferences, so use the menu. The same route appears in a solved Figma community thread about a trackpad clicking sound. 4. **Switch on Trackpad Haptic Feedback.** (Figma > Preferences > Trackpad Haptic Feedback) In Preferences, find the toggle named Trackpad Haptic Feedback and switch it on. That name comes straight from Figma's help guide. Leave the window open until you have checked the Mac setting in the next step. Tip: Figma's help pages do not tie this feature to a version number. If the toggle is missing, update the app and open Preferences again. 5. **Turn on Force Click in System Settings.** (System Settings > Trackpad > Point & Click > Force Click and haptic feedback) Open System Settings, then choose Trackpad. Open the Point & Click pane and switch on Force Click and haptic feedback. Apple's support article says this option appears only on Force Touch trackpads. Tip: On older versions of macOS, the app is called System Preferences. Apple's article lists both names. 6. **Test it on a prototype connection.** Use a file with at least two frames. Draw a prototype connection from one frame to the other, and feel for a short tap when the connection completes. In FigJam, emotes and high-fives also give a tap. Tip: Scrub a numeric value, such as opacity, to test a second kind of pulse. Some people find those pulses distracting. 7. **Turn haptics off when you need quiet.** (Figma > Preferences) Go back to Figma > Preferences and switch off Trackpad Haptic Feedback. This step is inferred from the toggle, since Figma's help pages do not spell out the off state. Tip: The macOS setting is separate. Leave Force Click on if you want the trackpad to respond in other apps. ## What trackpad haptics do in Figma Trackpad haptics are the small taps your trackpad gives back while you work in Figma. Figma's help guide says they give feedback for actions such as creating prototype connections. In FigJam, the same feedback comes with emotes and high-fives. The feature changes how the trackpad feels. It does not change your file. The setting lives inside the Figma app, so you turn it on once. You do not need to change anything in a design. Once it is on, the taps show up in the desktop app whenever a supported action happens. The Mac has a separate switch, so you also need one check in macOS. ## What your Mac needs before you start Three things must be true before you feel a tap. First, you need the Figma desktop app for Mac. Figma's help guide says the desktop app needs macOS 12 or later. Second, your Mac needs a trackpad that supports Force Touch. Apple says trackpads without Force Touch do not give haptic feedback at all. Third, the macOS option for Force Click and haptic feedback has to be on. Figma's help guide also says haptics work only with trackpads on macOS devices. A mouse will not produce these taps, even with the Figma toggle switched on. If you use a mouse most of the day, check the trackpad before you blame Figma. ![Designer using a Mac trackpad to turn on trackpad haptics in Figma](https://lfobmih1tpj3sgpo.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/content-images/howto/turn-on-trackpad-haptic-feedback-in-figma/how-to-turn-on-trackpad-haptics-in-1-101d6e.jpg) ## Check the Mac side of the setting The Figma toggle does nothing on its own. Your Mac has a separate switch. Apple's support article puts it under System Settings > Trackpad, in the Point & Click pane. Turn on Force Click and haptic feedback there. Apple's article adds that older versions of macOS call the app System Preferences. The two switches are easy to mix up. Figma can be on while the Mac switch is off, and then you feel nothing. Check both switches before you change anything else. If both are on and you still feel nothing, move on to the troubleshooting section below. ## What you should feel, and where Start with prototype connections. They make the clearest test in the desktop app, because the tap arrives at a clear moment. Drag from one frame to another and finish the connection. If both switches are on, you should feel a short tap as the connection completes. Then try a numeric field, such as opacity or corner radius, and drag the value slowly. In a Figma community thread, one user found pulses while scrubbing numeric values distracting and asked how to turn them off. Replies pointed to the help guide. The thread had 649 views and no reply from Figma staff, so read it as one person's experience. - **macOS 12 or later** Lowest macOS version the Figma desktop app supports, according to Figma's help guide ([source](https://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/articles/5601429983767-Guide-to-the-Figma-desktop-app)) - **6 months** Time after a release before a previous Figma desktop app version loses support ([source](https://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/articles/5601429983767-Guide-to-the-Figma-desktop-app)) ## Turning haptics off again Switch the Figma toggle off in Figma > Preferences to stop the Figma taps. Figma's help pages do not describe the off state in full, so this comes from reading the toggle itself. The Mac setting works differently. Force Click and haptic feedback belongs to macOS and applies across the whole Mac. Turning it off changes trackpad feel in every app, not only in Figma. ## Does trackpad haptics work in a browser tab? Figma's help guide describes trackpad haptics only for the desktop app. No official Figma page I checked says whether the web app supports them. Treat the browser version as unconfirmed. If you need the taps, use the desktop app. If a browser tab gives no taps, that does not prove your setting is broken. ## Why the menu names look different Figma's help pages say Figma dropdown menu or Main menu. Community posts say Figma > Preferences. Apple renamed System Preferences to System Settings, and its article names both. Labels can drift between releases, so match the idea, not the exact word. Look for the app menu named Figma and the Trackpad pane in System Settings. ## Keyboard shortcuts and Preferences Figma's keyboard shortcuts page lists ⌃⇧? for the keyboard shortcuts panel on Mac. It does not list a shortcut for Preferences. Do not guess that ⌘, works in Figma. The same page says keyboard controls are enabled by default and cannot be disabled. Use the menu for Preferences, and use the panel when you want the full list. Our [guide to the keyboard shortcuts panel in Figma on Mac](https://www.lazur.app/how-to/show-the-keyboard-shortcuts-panel-in-figma) walks through it. ## Keeping the Figma app and macOS current The help guide says previous app versions lose support six months after release. An old build is a bad place to debug a feature. Update the Figma desktop app first. Then check macOS under System Settings > General > Software Update, because haptics depend on the operating system too. Companies that deploy Figma have a separate path. Figma's Deploy on macOS page says the installer covers both Intel and Apple silicon Macs. Auto-updates need write access to the Applications folder, and installing to ~/Applications avoids special permissions. Without write access, Figma supports desktop versions for about two months, so admins must push updates by hand. ![Designer at a desk with a Mac laptop reviewing screens for a Figma prototype](https://lfobmih1tpj3sgpo.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/content-images/howto/turn-on-trackpad-haptic-feedback-in-figma/how-to-turn-on-trackpad-haptics-in-2-9c27a2.jpg) ## Common mistakes to avoid - Turning on the Figma toggle but leaving Force Click off in System Settings. - Testing on a trackpad without Force Touch, then assuming Figma is broken. - Looking for haptics in a browser tab without checking the desktop app first. - Trying ⌘, to open Preferences without confirming that shortcut works in Figma. - Forgetting that the Mac setting affects every app, not only Figma. - Changing five settings at once, so you cannot tell which change helped. ## Fixing haptics that stop working Work through the causes from cheapest to slowest. Confirm the Figma toggle first. Then turn Force Click off and back on in System Settings, and restart your Mac. If taps still do not come back, update macOS. MacBreeze's guide follows a similar order, then adds SMC and NVRAM resets, Safe Mode and Apple Support. Its reset steps are older Intel-era instructions that the source did not check against Apple's current pages for Apple silicon. Use Apple's own support pages before any low-level reset. If taps still fail after these checks, note your macOS version and the exact Figma menu labels you see. Those details make a support request faster to answer. Send them to Figma support or Apple Support, depending on which side seems to be failing. ![Person using a MacBook to design app screens in Figma on Mac](https://lfobmih1tpj3sgpo.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/content-images/howto/turn-on-trackpad-haptic-feedback-in-figma/how-to-turn-on-trackpad-haptics-in-3-4ec840.jpg) ## Related Figma tasks on Mac Haptics show up most when you link frames. If that is the work you are doing, read [how to create a prototype in Figma on Mac](https://www.lazur.app/how-to/create-a-prototype-in-figma). To show the result to someone, see [how to present a prototype in Figma on Mac](https://www.lazur.app/how-to/present-a-prototype-in-figma). If your file has many frames, [how to select layers with keyboard in Figma on Mac](https://www.lazur.app/how-to/select-layers-with-the-keyboard-in-figma) shows how to pick layers without the mouse. ## Shortcuts - Show Figma's keyboard shortcuts panel: ⌃⇧? ## If it does not work - **No taps after the Figma toggle is on** Turn Force Click and haptic feedback off in System Settings > Trackpad > Point & Click, turn it back on, then restart your Mac and reopen Figma. - **Trackpad Haptic Feedback is missing from Preferences** Update the Figma desktop app, then open Figma > Preferences again. Figma's help pages I checked give no version number for this feature, so the update is the simplest test. - **Force Click option is missing from System Settings** The option appears only on Force Touch trackpads. Trackpads without Force Touch do not give haptic feedback, so no setting will add it. - **Still no taps after a restart** Update macOS under System Settings > General > Software Update, then restart again. If the problem remains, contact Apple Support. - **Taps are too strong or distracting while scrubbing** Switch off Trackpad Haptic Feedback in Figma > Preferences. That is the only Figma switch the help pages describe for haptics. ## With Lazur Lazur is a voice assistant for the Mac that lives in the notch. Hold ⌥ ⌘ and ask; it sees your screen, answers out loud, points at buttons and walks you through apps. Hold fn to dictate. Free for 3 days, then $18/month: https://www.lazur.app/download - “Hold Option and Command, then ask: where is the trackpad haptic feedback toggle?”: Lazur draws a circle and a label around Trackpad Haptic Feedback so you can find it on screen. (Points at it) ## FAQ ### Is trackpad haptics the same as trackpad haptic feedback in Figma? For practical purposes, yes. People search for haptics, but the toggle in Figma's Preferences is named Trackpad Haptic Feedback. Look for that name when you open the settings. ### Do I need to change anything in macOS as well? Yes. The Figma toggle is only half of it. Force Click and haptic feedback must also be on under System Settings > Trackpad > Point & Click, according to Apple. ### Which macOS version do I need for Figma haptics? Figma's help guide says the desktop app requires macOS 12 or later. Haptic feedback on the Mac side also needs a trackpad that supports Force Touch. ### Does a regular mouse give haptic taps in Figma? No. Figma's help guide says haptics work only with trackpads on macOS devices. A mouse will not give these taps, so check your input device first. ### Does the setting also cover FigJam? The help guide ties haptics to FigJam emotes and high-fives as well as to Figma actions. It does not describe a separate FigJam switch, so the same toggle covers both. ### Is there a keyboard shortcut to open Preferences in Figma? Figma's keyboard shortcuts documentation does not list one. Use the Figma menu, and do not assume a shortcut works until you test it on your Mac. ### Does the web app support trackpad haptics? No official Figma page I checked says so. Treat the browser version as unconfirmed, and use the desktop app if you need the taps. ## Sources 1. [Guide to the Figma desktop app](https://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/articles/5601429983767-Guide-to-the-Figma-desktop-app), Figma Help Center, checked 2026-11-07 2. [How to force click and get haptic feedback on Apple trackpads](https://support.apple.com/en-in/102309), Apple Support, checked 2026-11-07 3. [Macbook touchpad clicking sound while using Figma](https://forum.figma.com/ask-the-community-7/macbook-touchpad-clicking-sound-while-using-figma-29281), Figma Community, checked 2026-11-07 4. [Haptic feedback on rolling values not useful, even distracting](https://forum.figma.com/ask-the-community-7/haptic-feedback-on-rolling-values-not-useful-even-distracting-turn-on-off-26587), Figma Community, checked 2026-11-07 5. [Keyboard shortcuts in Figma](https://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/articles/360040328653-Keyboard-shortcuts-in-Figma), Figma Help Center, checked 2026-11-07 6. [Deploy Figma on macOS](https://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500012289622-Deploy-Figma-on-macOS), Figma Help Center, checked 2026-11-07 7. [Fix Trackpad Haptic Feedback not Working on Mac](https://www.macbreeze.com/trackpad-haptic-feedback-not-working/), MacBreeze, checked 2026-11-07