Touch Mode

Touch mode makes the user interface easier to interact with when you use a touch-enabled device. It optimizes the size of on-screen handles, context toolbars, breadcrumbs, and selection.

To turn on touch mode, click View > Touch Mode .

Touch mode is optimized for left- or right-handed users based on your Windows settings.

When you turn on touch mode, a toolbar of commonly used tools appears on the left or right side of the SOLIDWORKS window, including:
Escape Exits the current mode or selection.
Shortcut (S) Key Opens the shortcut bar.
Multi-select Lets you:
  • Select more than one item at a time. It is equivalent to Ctrl + select with a mouse.
  • Drag your finger to box select or lasso entities.
Lock 3D Rotate (Sketch mode only) Locks the ability to rotate the model so you do not accidentally rotate the model while sketching.
  • When you select an entity in the graphics area, Drag to Copy appears in the touch toolbar. Turn on Drag to Copy and drag the selected entity to copy and move it.
  • Select + drag to move entities. You can touch the entities to select them and then drag your finger to move them.
  • Click Delete in the touch toolbar to delete a selected item.
  • While sketching an entity, if you hold your finger on the screen around an area for some time, the Selection tool appears around your finger. To turn it off, click Tools > Options > System Options > Touch and clear Automatically pop up Selection tool while hunting for precise location. The Selection tool helps in precise selection of vertices, edges, and small faces.
  • Rotate lock turns on when you enter sketch mode and turns off when you exit sketch mode. The Rotate lock tool locks 3D rotate and 2D roll.
  • Icons around the pointer and tooltips moved to the upper-left side of the pen for right-handed users and upper-right side for left-handed users to solve occlusion problems. The same applies to stylus and touch input methods.
  • When you unpin the Task Pane, tap anywhere in the graphics area to collapse the Task Pane.