A dead touchpad turns a laptop into a desktop that you cannot move. You reach for the cursor out of habit, and nothing happens. The usual advice, just plug in a mouse, misses the point: you bought a laptop to be portable.

Touchpad failures cluster around three causes: the touchpad got disabled (by a keypress, a setting, or a mouse), the driver broke (usually after a Windows update), or the BIOS turned it off. All three are fixable without opening the laptop. For Synaptics-specific issues, see our Synaptics touchpad guide .

The methods below are the ones that actually work, collected from years of community troubleshooting threads and repair-bench experience, ordered from fastest to most involved.

Why this happens

  • The touchpad was disabled by a keyboard shortcut: Most laptops have an Fn combination that toggles the touchpad, and it is easy to hit accidentally.
  • The Windows Settings toggle is off: Updates and mouse utilities can flip the touchpad setting without asking you.
  • A broken touchpad driver: Windows Update frequently replaces precision touchpad drivers with incompatible versions.
  • The BIOS disabled the internal pointing device: A BIOS reset can turn the touchpad off at the hardware level.
  • A connected mouse auto-disabling it: The leave-touchpad-off-when-mouse-connected option does exactly what it says.
  • Corrupted HID or I2C drivers: The touchpad communicates over I2C or PS/2 buses whose drivers can also break.
  • Physical ribbon cable failure: Rare, but drops and liquid damage can disconnect the touchpad internally.

How to fix it

Work through these in order — diagnose first, then act.

Fix 1: Toggle the touchpad with the Fn shortcut

Before anything else, check whether the touchpad is simply switched off. Laptop makers put the toggle on the function row, and brushing it during typing is remarkably common.

  1. Look at your function keys for a touchpad icon, usually on F5, F6, F7, or F9.
  2. Press Fn plus that key and watch for an on-screen touchpad indicator.
  3. Test the touchpad immediately after toggling.
  4. If the icon key does nothing, try it without Fn, since Fn lock state varies.
  5. Some laptops show a small LED near the touchpad that indicates its on or off state.

Fix 2: Re-enable the touchpad in Windows Settings

Windows has its own touchpad master switch, and it can end up off after updates or when mouse software meddles with it.

  1. Open Settings and go to Bluetooth and devices, then Touchpad.
  2. Make sure the Touchpad toggle is switched on.
  3. Expand the toggle and uncheck Leave touchpad on when a mouse is connected if you want it always active.
  4. Adjust cursor speed and gestures while you are there to confirm the page responds.
  5. If the Touchpad page is missing entirely, skip to the driver fixes below.

Fix 3: Reinstall the touchpad driver

This is the heavy hitter for update-caused failures. A clean reinstall replaces whatever Windows Update broke with the manufacturer’s known-good driver.

  1. Open Device Manager and expand Human Interface Devices and Mice and other pointing devices.
  2. Right-click the touchpad device (often labeled I2C HID Device or the brand name) and choose Uninstall device.
  3. Tick Delete the driver software if offered, then restart the laptop.
  4. Download the touchpad driver from your laptop maker’s support page and install it.
  5. Restart once more and test taps, scrolling, and multi-finger gestures.

Fix 4: Roll back a recent driver update

If the touchpad died right after a Windows update, the new driver is the suspect. Rolling back takes a minute and is fully reversible.

  1. Open Device Manager and find the touchpad device.
  2. Open Properties, go to the Driver tab, and click Roll Back Driver if available.
  3. Choose a reason and confirm, then restart.
  4. If the button is greyed out, install the older driver manually from the maker’s site.
  5. Block the bad driver version so Windows Update does not reinstall it.

Fix 5: Enable the touchpad in the BIOS

The BIOS can disable the internal pointing device entirely, which makes it invisible to Windows no matter what drivers you install. A BIOS reset sometimes flips this setting.

  1. Restart and enter the BIOS with F2, Delete, or the brand-specific key.
  2. Look under Advanced, Devices, or Configuration for Internal Pointing Device or Touchpad.
  3. Set it to Enabled.
  4. Save and exit, then boot into Windows.
  5. Check Device Manager to confirm the touchpad device now appears.

Fix 6: Check for interfering mouse software

Third-party mouse utilities sometimes include a disable-touchpad-while-typing or disable-on-external-mouse feature that gets stuck on. If the touchpad works in Safe Mode but not normally, software interference is likely.

  1. Open Settings, then Apps, and look for mouse or touchpad utilities.
  2. Temporarily uninstall or disable any third-party mouse software.
  3. Disconnect external mice and receivers during testing.
  4. Boot into Safe Mode and check whether the touchpad works there.
  5. If it works in Safe Mode, re-enable startup programs one group at a time to find the culprit. Related keyboard issues sometimes share the same interfering software.

Fix 7: Test with a Linux live USB to isolate hardware

When every Windows fix fails, a Linux live USB gives a definitive verdict: if the touchpad works in Linux, Windows is still the problem; if it fails there too, the hardware has failed.

  1. Create a bootable Ubuntu USB drive on another computer.
  2. Boot the laptop from the USB and choose Try Ubuntu without installing.
  3. Test the touchpad in the live environment.
  4. If it works, consider a Windows in-place repair or clean install.
  5. If it fails, the touchpad cable or unit needs professional replacement.

Closing

Touchpad outages are almost never hardware. The Fn toggle, the Settings switch, and a driver reinstall resolve the overwhelming majority, and the BIOS check catches the rest of the software-side cases. Only when the touchpad is dead in Linux too should you book a hardware repair.

Frequently asked questions

Why did my touchpad suddenly stop working?
The most common reasons are the touchpad being disabled with the Fn key shortcut, a Windows update breaking the touchpad driver, or the touchpad getting turned off in Settings. Press the Fn key combined with the touchpad function key first. If that fails, check Settings under Bluetooth and devices for the touchpad toggle.
How do I re-enable my touchpad in Windows 11?
Open Settings, go to Bluetooth and devices, then Touchpad, and make sure the toggle is on. Also check for a Leave touchpad on when a mouse is connected option, which can disable it unexpectedly. If the Touchpad page is missing entirely, the driver is not installed correctly.
Can a Windows update disable my touchpad?
Yes, this is a frequent complaint. Updates can replace the manufacturer’s precision touchpad driver with a generic one or corrupt the existing driver. Reinstalling the touchpad driver from the laptop maker’s support page, or rolling back the recent driver, usually restores full functionality.
What if my touchpad works in BIOS but not Windows?
That confirms the hardware is fine and Windows is the problem. The cause is almost always the driver or a Windows setting. Reinstall the touchpad driver, check the Settings toggle, and look for third-party software that might be disabling the touchpad, such as mouse utilities with a disable-touchpad feature.