How to Get My Touchpad to Work Again

Why is my laptop mouse touchpad not working?

Updated: 02/01/2021 by Figurer Promise

This page covers the most common means to resolve a non-functioning laptop touchpad. If you cannot resolve your laptop's touchpad after trying the solutions on this page, the touchpad is probably non working due to a less common cause. In this case, nosotros recommend taking the laptop to a computer repair shop for further analysis.

Operating organization not responding

The first thing to bank check is whether the computer and the operating organisation is not responding as well. It could be that the computer is frozen, meaning it is not responding to any commands yous give it. In this case, the touchpad would also non be working.

To bank check for this issue, try pressing the Windows key to see if the First Carte du jour opens.

• What should I do when a reckoner freezes or locks upwardly?

Fn primal combination

Some laptops take an Fn key + function key combo to enable and disable the touchpad. If your laptop has this feature, printing the button or keys to plough the touchpad on and off a few times.

External device

Some USB input devices automatically disable the touchpad when connected. Every bit a troubleshooting footstep, turn off the figurer, disconnect all external devices, then outset the reckoner again to ensure one of them has not turned off the touchpad. If this fixes your trouble, y'all can reconnect the USB device to go along troubleshooting or changing settings discussed in the adjacent sections.

Plough on or enable touchpad in touchpad settings

Wait at your mouse/touchpad settings, every bit they may keep your touchpad from working or disable the touchpad entirely. To access the mouse settings, follow the steps below.

Windows users - Touchpad settings

1. Press the Windows fundamental, blazon touchpad, and select the Touchpad settings option in the search results. Or, printing Windows key+I to open up Settings, then click Devices, Touchpad.
2. In the Touchpad window, make sure the Touchpad On/Off toggle switch is fix to On. If it'southward Off, modify it to be in the On position.
3. Test the touchpad to come across if it works.

Windows users - Mouse settings

1. Press the Windows key, blazon Command Panel, and and then printing Enter.
2. Click the Hardware and Sound option.
3. Under Devices and Printers, click the Mouse option.

Tip

If the Control Panel View by option is prepare to Pocket-size icons, click the Mouse option in step 2 in a higher place.

4. In the Mouse Properties window that opens, locate your touchpad settings. They are unremarkably under the far-right tab next to Hardware (the tab'due south name varies from manufacturer to manufacturer).
5. Ensure there is a check in the box next to Enable touchpad.
6. Arrange any other settings to your liking, so click Utilise, and then OK.
7. Exam the touchpad to run across if it works.

If you practise non see a touchpad tab in the Mouse Properties window, effort the following steps.

1. In the Mouse Properties window, click the Hardware tab.
2. Cheque for an entry in the Devices list named HID-compliant mouse. If you have a USB mouse connected to your laptop for troubleshooting purposes, you may see ii HID-compliant mouse entries. Click each entry to find the one that does not have a USB in the Location property.
3. When you find the HID-compliant mouse entry for the touchpad (the non-USB entry), click the Properties button.
4. In the HID-compliant mouse Properties window, cheque the Device condition to see if information technology states, "This device is working properly." If it states annihilation else, and then there is a problem with the touchpad.
5. If the touchpad device is not working correctly, yous can endeavour updating the drivers. Click the Alter settings button, click the Driver tab, and so click the Update Driver button. Click the Search automatically pick to allow Windows to look for an updated driver on the reckoner and the Net.

Note

If you practise non run across a not-USB HID-compliant mouse device on the Hardware tab, the touchpad may exist disabled in the BIOS (run across the BIOS setup department below). If the touchpad is not disabled in the BIOS, Windows may take issues (see the defective hardware section).

Apple macOS users

1. For macOS, access the System Preferences in the Apple card at the top of the desktop screen. For MacBook Pro, click the System Preferences icon at the bottom of the desktop screen.
2. In the System Preferences window, click the Trackpad icon to open the Trackpad settings.
3. Adjust whatever trackpad settings you prefer to change.
4. Test the trackpad to come across if it works.

Reset touchpad settings

If the touchpad is already turned on or enabled, resetting touchpad settings may fix the touchpad's bug.

Windows users

1. Press the Windows central, type touchpad, and select the Touchpad settings selection in the search results. Or, press Windows key+I to open Settings, so click Devices, Touchpad.
2. In the Touchpad window, scroll down to the Reset your touchpad department and click the Reset button.
3. Test the touchpad to see if it works.

Apple macOS users

In macOS, in that location isn't a manner to reset all default settings for the trackpad. Notwithstanding, you can reset a few trackpad settings by doing the post-obit.

1. Open up the Final app.
2. Enter the following commands, pressing the Return or Enter key later on each command.

defaults delete .GlobalPreferences com.apple.trackpad.scaling
defaults delete .GlobalPreferences com.apple.trackpad.scrolling

3. You lot can effort manually adjusting other trackpad settings to see if changes to the setting ready the effect and go the trackpad working again. Apply the steps in the macOS trackpad settings section above to admission and adapt trackpad settings.

Checking Device Director and updating drivers

If the touchpad however isn't working, the Windows Device Director can tell y'all detailed information about hardware bug and help you lot update drivers. For instance, if at that place's a yellowish assertion mark or cherry X side by side to it, there'southward a hardware or software issue. To locate the touchpad in Device Manager, follow the steps below.

1. Printing the Windows key and type device manager, and so press Enter.
2. Under Your PC, the touchpad is listed under Mice and other pointing devices or Human Interface Devices. If it's listed under Human Interface Devices, information technology likely is named as HID-compliant touchpad or similar. Double-click i of the two to locate the touchpad.
3. Locate the touchpad, right-click the icon, and select Update Driver Software.

Note

If you encounter two entries named HID-compliant mouse, right-click each and select Properties. In the Properties window, on the Full general tab, bank check the Location value. If the Location is "on I2C HID Device," that is the touchpad device on your laptop.

4. Click Search automatically for updated commuter software and follow the steps (if the drivers are out of date).

Tip

Correct-clicking the touchpad icon gives y'all the option to either enable or disable it, depending on the device's status. If disabled, re-enable and test the touchpad. If it'south already enabled, change it to disabled, and so re-enable information technology. Sometimes toggling this setting "resets" and fixes the touchpad.

Note

If you lot do not see the touchpad device listed in the Device Manager, it may be disabled in BIOS (run across the BIOS setup section below). If the touchpad is not disabled in BIOS, Windows may have bug (meet the defective hardware section).

• How to Identify problems in the Windows Device Director.

Check BIOS setup

Brand certain the touchpad is not disabled in the BIOS setup. Once in BIOS setup, cheque the hardware device settings and if the touchpad is disabled, re-enable it and restart the laptop.

• How to enter the BIOS or CMOS setup.

Corrupt operating arrangement files

Another possible crusade for a malfunctioning touchpad is decadent operating organization files. While yous would notice other issues as well due to decadent system files, this could result in the touchpad not working.

Fixing this requires y'all to actuate a restore point at a appointment before the touchpad stopped working, or you may need to perform an operating system repair installation. The repair installation requires you to access a restore partition on the hard bulldoze or use an operating system install disc.

• How to restore Windows to an earlier re-create.

Defective hardware

Finally, if the touchpad is still not working correctly later trying the troubleshooting options above, information technology may exist defective. Contact the computer manufacturer for further suggestions or accept the laptop to a computer repair shop. It could require replacement of the touchpad itself or another hardware component. If the touchpad cannot exist fixed, you could connect and use an external mouse as a workaround.

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Source: https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001497.htm#:~:text=Windows%20users%20%2D%20Touchpad%20settings&text=Or%2C%20press%20Windows%20key%20%2B%20I,to%20see%20if%20it%20works.

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