How to fix the touchpad if it is not working (After upgrading to Windows 10)

If your laptop's touchpad isn't working when you try to use it, you may have accidently pressed the keyboard shortcut combination (Fn + a key), or the dedicated key which disables the touchpad. Also, if you have recently upgraded your laptop to Windows 10, it is possible that your touchpad is disabled. All you need to do in both cases is to enable it.

You can enable the touchpad using keyboard shortcuts (key combinations on the keyboard, e.g. Fn + a key), or via the operating system itself (Windows, MacOS).

• Windows 7:

Start -> Control Panel -> Mouse -> Click on the touchpad tab (Synaptic, Elan and etc.) -> Enable the touchpad

• Windows 8(.1)/10:

Start -> Settings -> Devices -> Mouse & Touchpad -> Scroll down to Related Settings and click Additional mouse options -> When the mouse properties window pops up, click on the ELAN (or SYNAPTIC) tab -> select your device and click Enable

• MacOS:

Click the Apple logo at the top of the screen -> System Preferences -> Universal Access -> Select the Mouse & Trackpad tab -> Trackpad Options -> clear the Ignore Built-in Trackpad checkbox

The outdated chipset drivers may prevent your touchpad from working properly. They are the "bridge" between the CPU (the processor) and all the other components that comprise your computer. That is why it is very important to keep them updated. Updating the chipset drivers is a good solution to this problem.

To learn how to download and install the latest chipset drivers, check out the don't know how to download and install drivers solutions.

Note: When you update drivers, make sure to connect the laptop to the AC adapter, to avoid driver-related conflicts.

Maybe a program you recently installed prevents your touchpad driver from functioning properly or is responsible for the touchpad scroll not working issue. Cleaning the registry should help you solve the problem.

To learn how to clean the registry and speed up your computer, check out the computer is slow solutions.

If your touchpad started misbehaving after you have installed or updated the touchpad driver, it is possible that something went wrong with the driver-installation process. To fix this issue you need to reinstall the driver.

1. Go to the website of your motherboard's manufacturer and search for the touchpad driver (check the don't know how to download and install drivers guide to learn how to download and install the appropriate driver);
   
   
2. When you find and download the touchpad driver, uninstall the previous one in your computer (check the don't know how to uninstall a program / an application guide to learn how to uninstall programs);
   
   
3. Install the new driver you have downloaded;

Note: The best way to uninstall software (in this case, driver) is via uninstaller software. The uninstaller software uninstalls the driver (or software) and performs a thorough scan for leftovers. Sometimes, among those leftovers there are settings that will remain when you install the "fresh" driver and that might cause a conflict again.

The best uninstaller software include Revo Uninstaller Pro, Advanced Uninstaller PRO, iObit Uninstaller, Ashampoo Uninstaller and etc. All you need to do is to install one of them and follow the user-friendly instructions.

Maybe an external USB device (e.g an USB mouse) automatically disabled the touchpad. Turn off the laptop, disconnect all external devices and then, turn it on again.

If the touchpad starts working, that means that one of the external devices prevented it from working properly; however, if your touchpad still doesn't work, then something else is the problem (check out the other solutions).

If you cannot tap on your laptop's touchpad, but the physical left and right click buttons are working properly, the Tap to click option might be disabled.

To access the Tap to click option:

• Windows:

Start -> Control Panel -> Mouse -> Device Settings -> Settings -> Tapping -> check Enable tapping and apply the changes

• MacOS:

System Preferences -> Trackpad -> Point & Click -> check the box next to Tap to click

Note: If this option was already enabled, disable it and re-enable it again.

If too many programs start when Windows starts, they sometimes might prevent the touchpad driver from starting. If this happens frequently, you'll have to disable some startup programs.

To learn how to disable startup programs, check out the don't know how to disable startup programs solutions.

If you have bought a new laptop and you experience problems with the touchpad, take it back to the store and have it re-examined by the technical staff. They will diagnose the problem, repair the touchpad, or provide you with a replacement (if they fail to repair ir).

If your touchpad stopped working, or if you have the touchpad scroll not working issue, updating the touchpad driver in Device Manager might solve the problem.

To learn how to update the touchpad driver, check out the don't know how to update drivers solutions.

Windows has a troubleshooter which can locate and fix the problem with your touchpad, instead of you. All you need to do is to run it.

To run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter do the following, go to Start -> Control Panel (or type control panel in the start menu search box) -> type troubleshooting in the search box -> click on Troubleshooting -> Hardware and sound -> run the troubleshooters one by one.

Note: Do not interrupt the troubleshooting process.