Fix Laptop Touchpad or Trackpad Not Working

Problem overview

The laptop touchpad or trackpad is completely unresponsive to taps, clicks, or gestures, forcing you to rely entirely on an external mouse or keyboard navigation.

Common causes

• Touchpad toggle key pressed accidentally (Fn + F6/F7/F9 depending on manufacturer)
• Touchpad disabled in Windows Settings
• Corrupted or outdated I2C HID precision touchpad driver
• Power management turning off the trackpad controller to save battery

Solution 1: Toggle the physical touchpad key

Most laptops have a dedicated function key to enable or disable the touchpad.

1. Look at the top row of keys (F1 through F12) for an icon resembling a touchpad with an ‘X’ or line through it.
2. Press Fn + the corresponding key (for example, Fn + F6 on Lenovo, Fn + F7 on Acer, Fn + F9 on ASUS).
3. Test if cursor movement resumes.

Solution 2: Enable touchpad in Windows Settings

If you have a mouse connected:

1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
2. Navigate to Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad.
3. Toggle the Touchpad switch to On.
4. Expand the Touchpad section and check Leave touchpad on when a mouse is connected.

Solution 3: Roll back or update the trackpad driver

1. Press Win + X and select Device Manager.
2. Expand Human Interface Devices or Mice and other pointing devices.
3. Right-click HID-compliant touch pad or Synaptics/Elan Touchpad and select Properties.
4. Select the Driver tab and click Roll Back Driver if available.
5. If Roll Back is unavailable, select Uninstall device, check Attempt to remove the driver for this device, and click Uninstall.
6. Restart your laptop. Windows will automatically reinstall the default precision touchpad driver.