If you are having problems with your touchpad, and it does not work, this article will help you solve this problem and make your device back up and running normally.
When the touchpad on your notebook stops working, it is normal to panic. If you can not move the mouse cursor, it is difficult to use the computer. And if you do not have a mouse to connect to it, your tasks will be much more difficult.
But do not worry. There are great chances that your notebook’s touchpad might have a fairly simple solution. Check out the most common solutions for this type of problem.
Table of Contents
Did your computer crash?
That sounds a bit silly, but it’s worth checking out. If your touchpad has stopped working and your computer is completely locked, neither the touchpad nor the keyboard will work.
To test this, press the Windows key to open the Start Menu, and then press Ctrl + Alt + Delete to open Security Options. If none of these commands have any results, give your computer time to see if it returns. After a few minutes, if it is still frozen, you need to press and hold the Physical Power button to restart the machine.
Touchpad disabled
One of the most common causes of a notebook touchpad not working is that you accidentally turned it off with a key combination. Most notebooks have an Fn key, which combines with the F keys to perform special operations.
Many of them, such as changing the brightness or turning off the wireless functionality, are useful. However, one of these key combinations will disable the notebook’s touchpad. Since it’s easy to click on the combination by mistake, you can.
The exact combination depends on the model of your notebook (this will differ between Dell, Asus, HP, Lenovo, and other models), but usually has a square icon with a touchpad appearance, sometimes with an X next to it. Some keyboards show a light on this key, so you know the touchpad is off.
Below, you can see the F5 key on an HP Elitebook, which turns off the mouse when combined with Fn. Look for this symbol on your keyboard.
Remove the mouse
Moving on, another simple yet important troubleshooting step is to unplug the USB and Bluetooth mice that you plugged into the notebook.
The reason for this is that some notebooks have a feature that automatically turns off the touchpad when you connect an external mouse. That may be why the touchpad has stopped working. For best results, turn off the computer, unplug all non-essential devices, and boot up again.
If you restart and your touchpad works, you have encountered the problem. You can adjust this setting to keep your touchpad active even when the mouse is connected.
Review mouse settings in Windows
Take a look at the mouse settings in Windows. To do so, go to Settings> Devices> Touchpad.
Check the sensitivity settings of the touchpad and see if it does not have the sensitivity too low, which may be preventing it from making the arrow move around the screen when you play.
You can go to “Additional Settings”, and verify that the touchpad is being recognized. Take a look at the other touchpad options to make sure you get the most out of the touchpad, and to behave as expected.
Device Manager
If your touchpad and your notebook are still not working, you will have to go into deeper troubleshooting. Open Control Panel> Hardware and Sound> Device Manager.
Click Mouse and other backing devices, open the flip and choose the touchpad option. Double-click this option until the settings are opened.
Right-click and choose Disable Device and Enable Device again.
Then click the right mouse button and select At Autalizar driver and then automatically search for updated driver software. This is unlikely to really find a new driver to fix the problem, but sometimes it works.
Finally, it is worthwhile to access the website of your notebook manufacturer and download the latest driver. Generally, the manufacturer’s driver works better than the generic drivers that Windows uses and can solve your problems.
To do this, do a Google search for the name of your notebook and look for the Downloads or Updates section on the device page. Before installing the driver, uninstall the device, as previously shown.
Browse the touchpad settings in the BIOS
Your computer’s BIOS or UEFI controls many settings, regardless of the operating system used. It is possible that your touchpad is disabled in the BIOS, preventing Windows from accessing it.
You will need to access your PC’s BIOS by pressing F2, Del or something similar as soon as you turn it on. From there, look for an entry called Internal pointing device, Touchpad, Trackpad or similar. This may be under an advanced heading. Make sure it is not disabled.
If all else fails, you may have a hardware problem
The above steps should cover most touchpad issues. However, there is a chance that your device is still not working.
In this case, you probably have a hardware problem. A cable may be damaged or the touchpad may be worn. In such cases, you should take your computer to a service and get a professional opinion – or just start using an external mouse.
If you need help, have doubts or concerns, do not hesitate to leave a comment in the comment box below and we will try to help you as soon as possible!