How to disable touchpad on laptop: Windows 7/10/11

How to disable touchpad on laptop: Windows 7/10/11

If your touchpad no longer works, there are several things you can try. This article will show you how to enable or disable the touchpad of your Windows laptop. This guide should work for Dell, HP, Asus, Acer and any other Windows enabled device.

How to disable the touchpad on Windows 11?

To disable, or enable, the touchpad on a laptop or PC running Windows 11 it is simple. There will either be a dedicated function key on your keyboard that disables the touchpad (a key with the touchpad icon on it). If you have this key, press it together with the Fn (function) key to disable the touchpad. A message should appear confirming that your touchpad has been disabled. 

  • If you do not have a dedicated key, then go into the Windows 11 Settings app and go the Bluetooth & devices menu in the left sidebar. 
  • Select Touchpad and you will see a number of different settings that allow you to control the touchpad gestures, sensitivity, cursor speed and more. 
  • Next to touchpad, there will be an on/off switch. This allows you to disable and enable the touchpad. Note that doing so will disable you touchpad, and if you do not have a mouse installed, then it will be difficult to use your cursor (if the computer doesn't have a touch screen). 

How to disable (or enable) the touchpad on Windows 10?

Lock or Unlock touchpad manually:

  • Next to the touchpad, you should see a small LED (orange or blue). This light is your touchpad's sensor.
  • Simply double-tap on the sensor to enable your touchpad.
  • You can disable your touchpad by double-tapping on the sensor again.

If the yellow/orange/blue light is ON, it indicates that your touchpad is locked. This status indicates that the pointer and the use of your touchpad is disabled. It is not indicative of an error or hardware failure.

Lock or Unlock touchpad through Settings:

  • Press Windows + I.
  • Select Devices, then Touchpad.
  • On the right, click on Additional settings (under Related settings).
  • From the Mouse properties window, select UltraNav or Device settings.
  • If you chose UltraNav: Under the Touchpad section, according to your preferences, check or uncheck the Enable touchpad box. Confirm by clicking Apply
  • If you chose Device settings: select your touchpad and click enable/disable according to your preferences. Click Apply to confirm.

Unlock the touchpad with keyboard:

To unlock the touchpad, try one of the following combinations (different combinations work for different models): Fn + F5, Fn + F6, Fn + F9, Fn + F12, Fn + F5, Shift + F5.

Reinstall the driver:

If none of the solutions above work, then try to reinstall the touchpad driver.

  • Launch Apps & Features from the Start menu.
  • Find the driver in the list.
  • Click Uninstall and wait for the process to end.
  • Find and download the correct driver.
  • Open the file and follow the instructions to install it.

Reboot:

If none of the above works, you can always restart your laptop.

Lock or Unlock from BIOS:

Another way to fix this problem is to enable the touchpad from BIOS.

  • Turn on your device and press the appropriate key (Del, F2, or F10 according to your model) during the loading screen to access BIOS.
  • Go to System Properties > Keyboard/Mouse Features > Device Options.
  • Go to Internal Pointing Device.
  • Press Enter. 
  • Select Enable/Disable

How to enable/disable the touchpad on Windows 7?

From Control panel:

  • Open the Control Panel from the Search menu.
  • Double-click Mouse.
  • Select Device settings.
  • Check if Touchpad is On/Off. Change it according to your preferences.

You can try some other solutions listed in the previous section, such as rebooting your laptop, checking the LED light on the touchpad, and updating the drivers. For more details, refer to the Windows 10 section.

How to enable/disable the touchpad lock on HP Elitebook 840?

Go to your PC settings and from there, select Touchpad. According to your preferences, check/uncheck the Leave touchpad on when a mouse is connected box. If this solution doesn't work for you, you can try some of the tips suggested in the first section of the article.

How to enable/disable the touchpad lock on HP Elitebook 8470p?

The same solutions as for HP Elitebook 840 apply.

How to disable touchpad on HP laptop when mouse is connected?

Go to PC settings > Touchpad. From there, uncheck the Leave touchpad on when a mouse is connected box.

Is there a shortcut to disable the HP laptop touchpad?

Press Ctrl + Tab to access the TouchPad, ClickPad, and Device Settings, among others. To directly lock or unlock your keyboard, use one of the following combinations (according to your model): Fn + F5, Fn + F6, Fn + F9, Fn + F12, Fn + F5, Shift + F5.

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