BetterTouchToolIntermediate11 min

BetterTouchTool Remote and Custom Widgets: Control Your Mac from iPhone and iPad

Sora Tanaka

Productivity Writer

|Jan 18, 2026|11 min read|14.7K views

Build a custom remote control for your Mac using BTT Remote on iOS. Create widgets, trigger automations, and design a personalized control surface.

BetterTouchTool is the Swiss Army knife of macOS input — trackpad gestures, window snapping, custom widgets, Touch Bar, and remote control from iOS.

By the end of this 11 min guide, you'll have a working BetterTouchTool setup and practical BetterTouchTool workflows you can use immediately.

Install BetterTouchTool:

brew install --cask bettertouchtool

Tip: Verify the installation with btt --version or btt -V after installing.

BTT has three main areas: Trackpad (gestures), Window Snapping (drag to edges), and Triggers (keyboard/normal). Configure each in the left sidebar.

Here's a foundational configuration to start with:

-- AppleScript via BTT trigger
tell application "Safari"
activate
end tell

With BetterTouchTool configured, these BetterTouchTool-specific workflows will save you time every day:

Pro tip: Don't try to adopt everything at once. Start with Three-finger swipes to switch spaces and add more as it becomes habit.

Once you're comfortable with BetterTouchTool basics, these advanced techniques will transform your BetterTouchTool workflow:

Here are the most common BetterTouchTool issues and how to fix them:

Congratulations — you now have a solid BetterTouchTool foundation. Here's where to go next:

Explore the official BetterTouchTool documentation for features not covered here
Join the BetterTouchTool community (GitHub Discussions, Discord, or Reddit)
Check the related tutorials below for deeper BetterTouchTool dives
Build your own BetterTouchTool configuration and share it with the community