How can I enable touch-like scrolling in Firefox or Chrome?

Question

I want to enable point-and-grab scrolling on Linux in Chrome or Firefox. Is there an extension, script or setting that enables this?

For an example of what I mean, take a look at most touch tablet and phones. But instead of on a tablet or phone, I'm on a desktop. So I want to use my mouse.

Instead of using the scrollbars and scrollwheel I could point the cursor at the page and move the content.

Solution 1

For Chrome you can use the chromeTouch extension.

Firefox has an equivalent addon, Grab and Drag.

For Opera I believe you can configure this internally by going to opera:config#Scroll Is Pan and ticking the "Scroll is Pan" checkbox.

Solution 2

On Twitter @rutgersmit responded with another option called Quick Scrolling.

Solution 3

A lot of mouse drivers let you use the middle button/wheel-click for this, with the benefit that it will work in all apps, not just web browsers. I know Logitech's have done this for years.

If you're using a non-OEM mouse have a look through the mouse applet in control panel, you may well already have this on your PC.

Comments

[Admin]

Do you want to reverse the scrolling direction? I mean - when you want to scroll down then you'd swipe up on the touchpad?

[Admin]

I actually wanted to use the mouse. I'm on a desktop.

[Admin]

So you want scroll by clicking and dragging anywhere on the page (not just the scrollbar), right? But is the dragging direction important as well? On smartphones you would drag "up" to go "down" the page but the default direction on computers is usually the opposite

[Admin]

I would like to grab a point on the page and move it somewhere else.

[Admin]

Chrome should work out-of-the-box now, for Firefox see askubuntu.com/a/868076/25639

[Marcus Chan]

This isn't what the question is asking about.

[Shimon Rura]

Note that in Firefox on Linux a special environment variable is required, see bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1268599#c10

[Lissanro Rayen]

Both links are dead. Are there addons for Firefox and Chrome which work with current browsers?

[Ruslan]

This link is also dead.