The touch pad (touchpad, touchpad) in laptops sometimes tends to turn off. This may be due to the fact that it is simply deactivated, disabled in the system or out of order. We will not consider the last case, we will look at the solution of problems by generally accessible methods.
What is a touchpad on a laptop?
The touchpad on laptops is a touchpad that is responsible for controlling the cursor on the screen or issuing commands to the computer system.
Management is carried out by sliding your finger across the panel, pressing the touchpad space with one or more fingers, and also using two or more buttons located lower or higher. Next, we will give several ways to solve the problem of how to enable the touchpad on a laptop (Windows 10 on board) using various means.
What to do first?
If for some reason the touchpad is disabled, it may have been due to a system failure or a short-term malfunction.
In the simplest version, you can just try to restart the laptop. Since the touchpad does not work, you will have to use the Win button, which calls up the Start menu, and then use the up arrow to go to the shutdown line, press the enter key, select the restart with the up arrow and confirm with the Enter key again.
It is important to remember that forced shutdown by a long press of the power button is not recommended, since this can cause system errors and, during the reboot stage, you will have to restore the system.
How to enable or disable the touchpad on a laptop (Windows 10) in the simplest way?
Laptops are complex and fairly specific devices. However, in almost all models there are several combinations that are responsible for turning on and off some devices and basic functions (sound, Wi-Fi, screen brightness, etc.).
Now, a solution to the problem of how to enable the touchpad on a laptop. Windows 10 as an operating system is not important in this case. All the same, it is not related to the inclusion of the touch panel, so to speak, mechanically. With this option, the Fn key and one of the F1-F12 function buttons located in the very top row of the keyboard are used simultaneously.
Depending on the equipment manufacturer, F4, F5, F7 and F9 can be used as the power key along with the Fn button, less often - F1.
Features of inclusion of the touchpad on HP laptops
Among all such devices, it is worth mentioning separately about HP laptops. In them, the manufacturer did not provide a way to enable or disable the touchpad above.
To solve the problem of how to enable the touchpad on a laptop (Windows 10 - operating system, manufacturer Hewlett Packard) in this way, you need to look at the keyboard. It must be separately made corresponding button.
In some models, it may be absent, and the solution to the problem of how to enable the touchpad on a laptop (Windows 10) is a double or long press in the upper left corner of the panel.
BIOS settings
In some cases, a situation may occur when the device is in the disabled state in the BIOS settings.
To correct the situation, when you turn on the laptop, a certain key combination is used to enter the settings of the primary input / output system, where in the Advanced section you should find the Internal Pointing Device. To enable it, set the Enabled parameter, and then save the changes (F10). Next, the laptop will reboot, and the touchpad will work.
Turning the touchpad on or off
Now let's see how to turn on the touchpad directly using Windows 10. First, enter the standard “Control Panel”, choosing it from the right-click menu on the “Start” button. You can also use the control command in the Run menu (Win + R).
Next, you need to set the display of small icons as a view, and then select the mouse section. The properties window then uses the special Click Pad tab, where the checkmark is removed from the disconnect line of the internal pointing device when connecting an external (USB). After that, the power button is pressed. If such actions for some reason did not give the desired result, you should click the restore default values button. In the panel that opens, the recovery of all parameters is selected, and then the system reboot follows.
Automatic driver update
Sometimes the problem of shutdown or inoperability can be associated with the presence of outdated drivers or the absence of them as such. It is logical to assume that they need to be installed or updated. Since such drivers are initially installed in laptops, you will have to upgrade. Let's see how to configure the touchpad on a laptop (Windows 10) in this way.
This is done in the "Device Manager", which can be accessed from the same "Control Panel". But the easiest way to get to it is by entering the devmgmt.msc command in the Run menu.
Here we find the desired device (as a rule, it has a name like Synaptics PS / 2 Port TouchPad). Right-click to open an additional menu and select the driver update line. In a new window we use automatic search and installation. If updated components are found, the system will issue a notification. But the touchpad itself could be turned off, so it's worth checking its status.
Update drivers using third-party utilities
Sometimes in your own Windows database suitable drivers may not be found. The system will simply write that at the moment, the latest drivers are installed for the device. You can update them manually by visiting the website of the laptop manufacturer, where you can find your model and download the appropriate driver.
But why do this if the update can be done automatically? The best solution is to install software like Driver Booster. Such utilities are able to independently access the resources of equipment manufacturers on the Internet, search and install the appropriate drivers without user intervention. The advantage of such applications is that they work exclusively directly with the sites of equipment manufacturers and software developers for its components and find the latest updates for absolutely all the drivers defined in the system during the scanning process.
If nothing helps
Finally, if none of the above solutions has any effect, it is possible that the touchpad malfunctions are associated with the action of a specific virus (such also occur). If the scan didn’t identify the threats, it seems that the touch panel has physical damage, and then you can’t do without repair or replacement.
Conclusion
In general, the issue of enabling or disabling the touchpad should not cause any particular difficulties. Using keyboard shortcuts is the easiest. As for the settings made in the system, by default, the touch panel is not disabled when using an external mouse. It turns out that someone turned them on intentionally or accidentally. Maybe some software failure affected the change in these parameters. This is especially common when the user is his own administrator and installs specific software that requires access to change system configuration settings.