A computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage media having thereon computer-executable instructions that are structured such that, when executed by one or more processors of a local computing system (100, 210), cause the computing system to perform a method for accessing and controlling a remote desktop of a remote computing system using a multi-touch display (112, 211) of the local computing system, the method comprising: displaying the remote desktop on the multi-touch display of the local computing system; upon detecting (305, 312) a first user contact with the multi-touch display when the display is not engaged as a trackpad, engaging the multi-touch display as a trackpad, and assigning the first user contact as a cursor pointer for controlling the multi-touch display as the trackpad, the cursor's position being independent of an initial position of the first user contact; upon detecting a second user contact while the first user contact is still applied to the multi-touch display, the second user contact having a first relative position to the first user contact, interpreting the second user contact as a pressing of a pointer control and causing a pointer control activation message to be transmitted to the remote computing system; and if detecting a third user contact while the first and the second user contacts are still applied to the multi-touch display, the third user contact having a second relative position to the first user contact, interpreting the pointer control as remaining pressed until either the first user contact has ended or all user contacts with a third relative position to the first user contact have ended, after which a pointer control release command is transmitted to the remote computing system, wherein the display is engaged as a trackpad if a trackpad functionality of the display is enabled and a user is interfacing with the display as a trackpad, wherein the first relative position is a relative position left of the first user contact or a relative position right of the first user contact, wherein if the first relative position is the relative position left of the first user contact, the second relative position is a relative position left of the first user contact, the third relative position is a relative position left of the first user contact, the pointer control is a left pointer control, the pointer control activation message is a left pointer control activation message, and the pointer control release command is a left pointer control release command, and wherein if the first relative position is the relative position right of the first user contact, the second relative position is a relative position right of the first user contact, the third relative position is a relative position right of the first user contact, the pointer control is a right pointer control, the pointer control activation message is a right pointer control activation message, and the pointer control release command is a right pointer control release command. displaying the remote desktop on the multi-touch display of the local computing system; upon detecting (305, 312) a first user contact with the multi-touch display when the display is not engaged as a trackpad, engaging the multi-touch display as a trackpad, and assigning the first user contact as a cursor pointer for controlling the multi-touch display as the trackpad, the cursor's position being independent of an initial position of the first user contact; upon detecting a second user contact while the first user contact is still applied to the multi-touch display, the second user contact having a first relative position to the first user contact, interpreting the second user contact as a pressing of a pointer control and causing a pointer control activation message to be transmitted to the remote computing system; and if detecting a third user contact while the first and the second user contacts are still applied to the multi-touch display, the third user contact having a second relative position to the first user contact, interpreting the pointer control as remaining pressed until either the first user contact has ended or all user contacts with a third relative position to the first user contact have ended, after which a pointer control release command is transmitted to the remote computing system, wherein the display is engaged as a trackpad if a trackpad functionality of the display is enabled and a user is interfacing with the display as a trackpad, wherein the first relative position is a relative position left of the first user contact or a relative position right of the first user contact, wherein if the first relative position is the relative position left of the first user contact, the second relative position is a relative position left of the first user contact, the third relative position is a relative position left of the first user contact, the pointer control is a left pointer control, the pointer control activation message is a left pointer control activation message, and the pointer control release command is a left pointer control release command, and wherein if the first relative position is the relative position right of the first user contact, the second relative position is a relative position right of the first user contact, the third relative position is a relative position right of the first user contact, the pointer control is a right pointer control, the pointer control activation message is a right pointer control activation message, and the pointer control release command is a right pointer control release command.