The touchpad might stop working due to damaged drivers, incorrect settings, being disabled within Windows, or affected by the physical switch. This guide offers various solutions to restore touchpad function. Before proceeding, it is advisable to connect an external mouse or use the laptop’s TrackPoint, if available.
Method 1: Check Mouse Settings
On some devices, the touchpad may stop working if an external mouse is connected. You can disable this setting in the same tab.
Method 2: Use the Windows Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter
The Windows Troubleshooter tool can identify and resolve undetected touchpad issues.
Method 3: Reinstall Touchpad Drivers
A malfunctioning or missing mouse driver may prevent your touchpad from working. Reinstalling the original drivers could resolve this issue. Driver failures often occur after a problematic update or when the operating system’s newer version doesn’t support the outdated drivers.
Method 4: Update Touchpad Drivers
The device manager provides information on hardware issues and assists with driver updates. For instance, an exclamation sign or X icon next to a device indicates software or hardware problems. Use the following steps to locate and update touchpad drivers.
Method 5: Checking the Physical Touchpad Switch
Computer users often unintentionally disable the touchpad using the physical switch, especially when it’s located at the corners. With multimedia mode on, you don’t need to press the Function Key to activate the touchpad on keyboards; simply press the touchpad key. Other laptops, such as HP, have the touchpad switch on the touchpad itself, requiring a different method to activate it.
Method 6: Check BIOS Settings
As a last resort, we will check if the touchpad option is disabled in the BIOS. Each laptop has touchpad settings in its BIOS that a user can enable or disable according to their preference. If the touchpad is defaulted to be disabled in the BIOS, altering other settings will be ineffective. Note: Do not alter unknown BIOS options.
