Trackpad gestures stop working randomly after monterey update

Having this issue, too (i.e. trackpad gestures will randomly stop working).

@sivaprashantK's solution of quitting "Dock" process from Activity Monitor resolves without needing to reboot, works for me, too.

Get this fixed, Apple!

System: Monterey 12.0.1 | MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021) | M1 Max | 64GB

Same issue here... but mine is a Macbook Pro 13 2020, with the INTEL processor (Core i5)! The 'click' on the touchpad also randomly works and then doesn't. A reboot sometimes fixes that, but not always. Was perfect until the Monterey update. I expect this kind of sloppy behaviour with drivers etc on Windows, but Apple make both the hardware and software so this is inexcusable in my opinion.

Same issue here.

Running "killall Dock" in the terminal fix the problem without having to reboot / logout.

Yeah, this seems to be a really large bug with macOS Monterey version 12.0.1 that affects Apple Silicon machines.

It is also happening on my brand new 16" MacBook Pro (M1 Pro) as well.

Several times throughout the day, all of the trackpad gestures that are set underneath the "More Gestures" panel (in the Trackpad System Preference) stop working altogether.

For example, I've got Mission Control set to "Swipe up with 3 fingers". This will work for about an hour, and then it suddenly stops working altogether.

The only solution is to log out and log back in again.

Same thing with all of the other Trackpad options that are on the "More Gestures" panel. For example, I've got App Expose set to "Swipe down with 3 fingers", and that also stops working at the exact same time as all the other gestures stop working.

Hopefully Apple will fix this soon, or else I may need to return this new laptop because this laptop can't be downgraded to macOS 11.

Be sure to report this bug to Apple on their macOS feedback website here:

https://www.apple.com/feedback/macos.html

Hello sivaprashantK,

Thanks for reaching out to Apple Support Communities. We've reviewed your question and it looks like you are having an issue with the trackpad on your Mac after updating to macOS Monterey. It's understandable that you'd want this resolved, so allow us to assist with that. Let’s start out by testing to see when this behavior occurs. We understand that this is an intermittent issue, but the following testing will be very beneficial to help narrow down this issue.

First, put your Mac into safe mode and test. Booting into safe mode will disable any startup and login items from automatically opening, which can help us to isolate the source of the issue further. When you do this, you’ll see some unusual behavior from the display; this is to be expected. Please follow the steps in this article: How to use safe mode on your Mac. 

Next, let's see if this behavior persists in a second user account on your Mac. If you have a second account, please log into that and see how it works. If you don't have one you can use, please follow these steps to make a test account that can be deleted later: Set up users, guests, and groups on Mac.

Additionally, please let us know if you notice this behavior when charging, after going into or exiting from Sleep Mode, when using certain apps, etc. Anything you can identify that is consistent would be helpful.

If you have follow-up questions, please let us know. We're here for you. Have a fantastic day!

I might have a fix you can try. After talking with some Apple Support people, they recommended I do a reinstall of OS Monterey. So far, that seems to have worked to fix the issue. I'm still holding my breath to be honest, but it's worth a shot. It was very easy to do the reinstall too. Here's a link to an article on how to do it (and make sure to back up your computer beforehand, of course): How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support

For context of my situation, when I switched to my 2021 MacBook Pro 14-inch with an M1 chip, I was coming from a 2015 MacBook Pro that was operating on Big Sur. There may have been a glitch that occurred when transferring files because of the difference in OS.

If I do end up having an issue with my trackpad gestures (or the F3 button or hot corners, as they were all connected for me) I will post an update on this thread. But for right now, the problem seems fixed.

Same here, 16" Macbook Pro M1 max, clean system install a week ago, now updated to 12.2.1, rosetta not installed, I have added "Little Snitch", "1Password", "iStat Menus", "Firefox", "Final Cut, and "Handbrake" to the system. So far I have only gotten the locked up trackpad gestures while running "handbrake" when Screen Saver activates while it's running and if I then close the screensaver and reactivate it with a hot corner the trackpad then returns to normal operation. Handbrake uses a lot of resources while running and really fires up the processor much more so than other apps I've run so far. I am going to try a running something more intensive with "Final Cut" and see if that recreates the issue. I am including to screen grabs from iStat menus if it helps.

I wasn't able to share the actual shortcut because of security limitations on links in Discussions, but here's the quick way I can reset the gestures (I didn't know about activating the screensaver.

I agree that it sucks that Apple hasn't fixed this. I reported it, and I think that other users here should make sure that they do as well so they know how put out people are.

I reported my issues as you suggest. Not really sure if Apple pays that much attention considering most of these issues have been going on for quite a long time and through several updates. FYI, if it helps anyone. I, too, have issues waking my external monitor while in clamshell mode. One thing I've done that has facilitated a work around is to open the lid on my M1 so that both monitors are active. Then go to system prefs - displays - click display settings on the bottom left. Make sure your external monitor is selected as "main".

This has allowed my external to wake while the M1 macbook is in clamshell with just a single click of the wireless trackpad or a key on the external keyboard. This is only a work around however as it works MOST of the time for me. Every once in a while, I have to open the lid of my M1 just enough to wake it's screen and then my external wakes as well and shows as my main monitor.

The only other very strange issue I have with waking my external monitor seems to be tied to the many time machine backup external drive issues I've seen many people on the forums having (myself included). My external backup drive rarely (but not never) shows the "disc ejected improperly" window. I also finally found an external backup drive that didn't randomly eject itself (an issue I had when I first set up time machine on a different bus powered drive). The issue now is that when my M1 has been idle for some time, backups still happen, though sometimes at greater intervals than 1 hour). But, my external drive is supposed to shut down completely after it backs up (i.e. the blue light on the drive turns off/goes completely dark). That doesn't always happen - sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't and it appears random at least as far as I can tell. When it does not turn off as it is supposed to. My first trackpad click to wake the machine and my external monitor actually only wake my backup drive which then immediately shuts down as it was supposed to do on its own. Once it DOES shut down, I can then click my trackpad or any key and wake my external monitor with one click. Phew!

I mean, I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried. Just looking at what I've typed makes me feel exhausted.

I've been on macs since OS6 and I've never had a buggier and literally weirder new machine than this. I'm sharing here in the hopes that even pieces of what I share helps someone else more easily work around their issues. This is how I found my work arounds, trying every little suggestion and piece of information I could find until I found some things that allow me to work with minimal restarting and down time.

It is disappointing and sad that this is what Apple has become. It's an expensive investment to be leaving users out on an island by themselves with only each other to try to find work arounds for a multitude of issues with apparently little to no help from Apple itself.

Hi, I have the same issue with MBP 14". Today it happened for me and I just left the laptop and started to search for a solution with my cellphone. Meanwhile, my laptop was on the screen saver and when I just touched the trackpad all the gestures activated again.

I just sent feedback and reported this bug for Monterey version 12.0.1 and I suggest you do the same.

Same story for me. I'm using the newest 2021 16" MBP with M1 Max. It happens super randomly that I can't use my trackpads gestures. I can still click around and use it in its basic functions, but all the swipes and gesture features are gone. Restarting is the only fix, at the moment. Hope this gets addressed in future OS updates.

I have a work Imac 27 that is running Intel, and a Laptop which is the M1 MB Pro 13.3".

Both are using newest software version, and both have a Magic Mouse that are exclusive to each machine. The problem is the same on both machines, suddenly you cannot scroll in browser-pages with the swipe motion.

So this is BOTH machines, and with TWO different mice that have worked find until now, and now suddenly have the same error. So I think I can say pretty clearly that this is not an Apple Silicon error, or a problem with the pointing device - but a software error in the latest OS (Running 12.0.1).

My go-to fix is rather simple, which is to power off the mouse, and power it on again. Always works.

On my Macbook Pro 2020 (Intel) it's completely random. A reboot does not always fix it. And it will work one moment, and not the next. It's infuriating! I've even wiped and cleanly-rebuilt it with Monterey, and the problem persists, so I think it's pretty obvious it's a bug in the Monterey operating system. Come on Apple - sort it out!