Control your laptop with hand gestures, using only the webcam.
Important
Setup takes 2 minutes. Follow the numbered steps for your computer, in order, and don't skip any. The first time, Windows or macOS shows a security warning. That's normal: the app is free and not registered with Microsoft or Apple. The steps below show exactly what to click.
| Gesture | What it does |
|---|---|
| 👍 Thumbs up | Volume up (keeps going while you hold it) |
| 👎 Thumbs down | Volume down (keeps going while you hold it) |
| 👉 Point right with your index finger | Right arrow |
| 👈 Point left with your index finger | Left arrow |
| 🤏 Pinch thumb and index together | Space bar (one press per pinch) |
The window shows your camera with the hand skeleton drawn on your hand, so you can see what it sees.
- Download HandControl-windows.zip
- Right-click the zip and choose Extract All.
- Open the
HandControlfolder and double-click HandControl.exe. ⚠️ If Windows shows "Windows protected your PC", click More info, then Run anyway.
Warning
Needs a Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) and macOS 13 or newer. Intel Macs are not supported.
- Download HandControl-mac.zip and open it.
- Drag HandControl into your Applications folder, then double-click it there.
⚠️ macOS says it could not verify the app. Click Done, open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down, click Open Anyway next to HandControl, then Open.- Click Allow when macOS asks for the camera.
⚠️ When macOS asks to let HandControl control the computer, click Open System Settings and switch on HandControl under Accessibility. This lets it press the arrow keys and space bar.⚠️ Quit HandControl (press Q) and open it again. The arrow keys and space bar only work after this restart.
You can drag the window's edge or press - / + to resize it. You can minimise it and it keeps working; click its Dock icon to bring it back. To quit, press Q in the window, or right-click the Dock icon and choose Quit.
Warning
Do these steps every time you update, or the arrow keys and space bar will stop working.
- Quit HandControl (press Q).
- Delete the old HandControl from Applications. Keep only one copy on the Mac.
- Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility, select HandControl, and click –.
- Drag the new HandControl into Applications and open it from there. If macOS blocks it, use Open Anyway like the first time.
- When macOS asks, switch HandControl on under Accessibility.
- Quit HandControl and open it again.
If the orange message "macOS is blocking the arrow and space keys" still appears, restart the Mac and repeat steps 3–6.
- Arrow keys and space go to the window you clicked last. Click your slides, video or photo viewer once after starting Hand Control. Volume works everywhere.
- Hold a gesture for a moment before it fires. Keep your hand upright or level; diagonal gestures are ignored on purpose.
- In the Hand Control window: P pauses, Q or Esc quits.
- If the camera cannot be opened, close other apps that use it (Zoom, Teams, the Camera app).
The camera picture is processed on your computer only. Nothing is recorded, saved or sent anywhere, and the app does not use the internet.
Free to use. © 2026 Mahmoud Wael. Provided as is, without warranty.
Built with MediaPipe hand tracking and OpenCV; their licences are included in the download.