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Touchpad
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{{Short description|Type of pointing device}} [[File:Acer CB5-311 series touchpad.jpg|thumb|Closeup of a touchpad on an [[Acer Inc.|Acer]] CB5-311 laptop]] [[File:Macbook touchpad.jpg|thumb|Closeup of a touchpad on a [[MacBook (2015β2019)|MacBook]] 2015 laptop]] [[File:Touchpad at keyboard G80-11900 by Cherry GmbH.jpg|thumb|[[Computer keyboard]] with integrated touchpad made by [[Cherry AG|Cherry]]]] A '''touchpad''' or '''trackpad''' is a type of [[pointing device]]. Its largest component is a tactile sensor: an electronic device with a flat surface, that detects the motion and position of a user's fingers, and translates them to 2D motion, to control a [[Cursor (user interface)#Pointer|pointer]] in a [[graphical user interface]] on a [[computer screen]]. Touchpads are common on [[Laptop|laptop computer]]s, contrasted with [[desktop computer]]s, where [[Computer mouse|mice]] are more prevalent. Trackpads are sometimes used with desktop setups where desk space is scarce. Wireless touchpads are also available, as detached accessories. Due to the ability of trackpads to be made small, they were additionally used on [[personal digital assistant]]s (PDAs) and some [[portable media player]]s.
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