Accessibility and on-device processing

The purpose

Why PowerTrackpad asks for Accessibility

macOS protects software-generated input. PowerTrackpad needs Accessibility permission before it can post these configured actions:

• keyboard shortcuts, including custom shortcuts;
• middle clicks at the current pointer location; and
• standard system-volume key presses from an edge slide.

The permission is broad because macOS controls it at the application level. PowerTrackpad uses it for the action types above; granting it does not change which rules you enabled.

Separate behavior

What does not depend on Accessibility

Advanced shell-command actions use your macOS user permissions rather than Accessibility. They are disabled by default and require a separate explicit warning acknowledgement.

Your privacy

Gesture processing stays on your Mac

PowerTrackpad reads trackpad contact frames and decides whether they match an enabled rule locally. It does not send individual gestures, gesture history, rule contents, keyboard shortcuts, commands, URLs, application names, or file paths to PowerTrackpad as analytics.

Saved rules and preferences remain in your macOS user account. The local Trial, onboarding progress, reminder state, and local usage evidence also remain on the Mac. Purchased activation is a separate one-time network request described in the Privacy Policy.

One-time setup

Allow Accessibility permission

1. Open PowerTrackpad and choose Allow… on the Overview, or Allow Accessibility… in the app status area.
2. In System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility, enable PowerTrackpad.
3. Approve with an administrator password or Touch ID if macOS requests it.
4. Return to PowerTrackpad. The permission warning should disappear when the app becomes active.

A standard macOS user may need an administrator to approve the change. PowerTrackpad does not receive the administrator password or Touch ID information.

Confirm the setup

Test recognition and action output separately

1. Choose Test Gestures on the Overview and perform your gesture. The test reports detection without running any configured action.
2. Close the test sheet, confirm gestures are enabled, and try a rule that sends a harmless keyboard shortcut, middle click, or volume change.
3. If detection works but the action does not, review Accessibility permission rather than recreating the gesture rule.

You stay in control

Remove Accessibility permission

Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility, select PowerTrackpad, and turn it off or use the remove control. Keyboard shortcuts, middle clicks, and volume changes will stop working until permission is granted again.

Removing this permission does not delete rules, reset the Trial, change Pro activation, or remove the app. See the uninstall and data-removal guide if you want to remove PowerTrackpad itself.

Troubleshooting

If an action still does not work