Touchpad not working on Windows 11: how to fix it

Your laptop touchpad stopped responding, the cursor won’t move or only two-finger gestures stopped working? Most of the time the touchpad was turned off by a key or a setting — and you can fix it in a few minutes.

In this article

1. Step 1: the key that turns the touchpad on and off
2. Step 2: turn on the touchpad in Settings
3. Step 3: reinstall the driver
4. Step 4: check the BIOS
5. FAQ

Step 1: the key that turns the touchpad on and off

Look for a key with a touchpad icon (a rectangle, sometimes crossed out). It’s usually F5, F6, F7 or F9, alone or with Fn. Press it once and test.

Some laptops have a dot in the corner of the touchpad: double-tapping it turns the touchpad on and off.

Step 2: turn on the touchpad in Settings

1. Open Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Touchpad.
2. Turn on the Touchpad toggle.
3. Click Touchpad to expand it and check Leave touchpad on when a mouse is connected — without it, the touchpad turns off whenever a USB or Bluetooth mouse is connected.

If gestures stopped, check that the options under Three- and four-finger gestures and Taps are on. At the bottom of the page, Reset restores the touchpad defaults.

Step 3: reinstall the driver

1. Right-click the Start button and open Device Manager.
2. Expand Mice and other pointing devices and Human Interface Devices. The touchpad may show up as I2C HID Device, Synaptics, ELAN or Precision touchpad.
3. If there’s a yellow warning or the device is disabled, right-click it and choose Enable device or Uninstall device, then restart.
4. If it continues, download the touchpad (and chipset) driver from your laptop maker’s website, searching for your exact model.

Step 4: check the BIOS

On some models, the touchpad can be disabled in the BIOS/UEFI. Enter the BIOS (usually F2, F10 or Del at startup) and look for Touchpad or Internal Pointing Device: it should be Enabled. Some Lenovo laptops have an Advanced/Basic option — use Advanced on Windows 11.

FAQ

The cursor moves on its own or jumps.

Clean the touchpad, dry your hands and lower the sensitivity under Taps. It also happens when a swollen battery pushes the touchpad from below: if the touchpad is raised or the case is bulging, stop using the laptop and get it serviced.

Clicking works, but tapping doesn’t.

In Settings › Touchpad › Taps, turn on Tap with a single finger to single-click.

It worked after an update and then stopped again.

Install the laptop maker’s driver instead of the generic one, and check for pending optional driver updates under Windows Update › Advanced options › Optional updates.