Touch and pen interaction terms

Today's customer can interact with UI in a variety of ways. This section covers terms for UI interactions done with gestures of the hand or body and tablet pen.

In general, use input-neutral terms, which support all input methods. If you're writing content specific to touching a screen or using a pen, use tap and double-tap instead of click and double-click. Tap means to press the screen with a finger or pen tip and then to lift it, usually quickly.

Learn more For information about input-neutral terms, see Describing interactions with UI.

When you need to write specifically about touch and pen UI interactions, use these terms.

Term	Usage
tap	Use to describe selecting, opening, or activating a button, icon, or other element on the screen with a finger or the pen by tapping it once. Don’t use tap on.
double-tap	Use to describe selecting, opening, or activating a button, icon, or other element on the screen by tapping twice in rapid succession. Hyphenate. Don’t use double-tap on.
tap and hold	Use only if required by the program to achieve a specific result. Don’t use touch and hold.
flick	Use to describe moving one or more fingers to scroll through items on the screen. Don’t use scroll.
pan	Use to describe moving the screen in multiple directions at a controlled rate, as you would pan a camera to see different views in the environment. For contact gestures, use to refer to moving a finger, hand, or pen on the device surface to move through screens or menus at a controlled rate, rather than quickly skipping through content using the flick gesture. Don’t use drag or scroll as a synonym for pan.
pinch, stretch to zoom	Use to describe touching the screen or a UI element with two or more fingers, and then moving the fingers toward each other (pinch) or away from each other (stretch) to zoom the view in or out.
rotate	Use to describe putting two or more fingers on a UI element and then turning the hand. This action rotates the item in the direction of the turn.
select	Use to describe pressing hardware buttons and keys on the keyboard (on-screen or physical).
select and hold	Use to describe pressing and holding an element in the UI.
slide	For touch UI, use to describe pressing and briefly dragging an element in the direction opposite to the way the page scrolls, and then moving it to a new location. For example, if the page scrolls left or right, the item is dragged up or down. The item is released to relocate it.
swipe	For touch UI, use to describe a short, quick movement in the direction opposite to the way the page scrolls. For example, if the page scrolls left or right, an item is selected by swiping it up or down.
swipe or slide from the edge	Use to describe swiping a finger quickly or sliding across the screen from an edge. This action may: Open charms. (Swipe from the right edge.) Open a recently used app or switch between recently used apps. (Swipe from the left edge.) Open another app at the same time. (Slide from the left edge without lifting your finger, and drag the app until a divider appears. Then move the app where you want it, and slide the divider to adjust the app.) Show a list of recently used apps. (Slide in from the left edge without lifting your finger, and then push the app back toward the left edge.) Show commands for the current app, such as New or Refresh. (Swipe in from the top or bottom edge.) Close an app. (Slide down from the top edge without lifting your finger, and then drag the app to the bottom of the screen.)