How to Turn on the Touchpad on Your Laptop

Follow this easy guide to enable your touchpad and get back to clicking and scrolling

Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: November 2, 2024 Fact Checked

This wikiHow will teach you how to activate the touchpad on a Windows laptop if you disabled it or it's not working. You'll also find tips about how to activate your touchpad without a mouse and troubleshooting steps you can take on a Mac laptop.

How to Unlock the Touchpad on a Laptop

Open your Windows Settings by clicking the gear icon in the Start Menu.
Click Devices (usually paired with a keyboard and speaker icon).
Click Touchpad (paired with an icon of a touchpad).
Click the switch under “Touchpad” to the “On” position.

Steps

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1
Open your Windows Settings. You'll find the gear icon after you click the Start Menu icon.^{[1]
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- This method will only work if you can navigate menus. If you don't have an external mouse, you can also the keyboard--press the Windows key, type "touchpad," and press Enter, and the touchpad Settings menu will open. You can skip the next steps that use a mouse.
- Some laptops have a hotkey that activates/deactivates the touchpad, so check your laptop's manual to see if it has a FN + F1-12 hotkey that will enable it instead of going through the Settings > Touchpad menu.
This is usually in the second column next to an icon of a keyboard and speaker.^{[2]
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You'll see this in the menu on the left side of the window next to an icon of a touchpad.^{[3]
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4
Click the switch to enable it
under "Touchpad." You can also change the other settings for your touchpad here, including the cursor speed.^{[4]
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- If you're not using a mouse, you can tap the Tab key until the touchpad toggle switch is highlighted (usually 3 times), then tap the Space key to switch it on.

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Tips

If you're experiencing issues with a Mac trackpad, you can check to see if there are software updates available for your trackpad. Click the apple logo > software update > trackpad firmware update (if applicable) > Install^{[5]
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Check for a swollen battery in your Mac by turning your Macbook off and flipping it over. A swollen battery can push on the trackpad mechanism and cause it not to function correctly.^{[6]
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If your touchpad on your Windows laptop is enabled, but you're still having trouble, make sure your drivers are up-to-date in Device Manager > Mice and other devices. If the driver doesn't work or updating didn't solve your problem, you can use the generic Windows driver. Right-click your touchpad driver in Device Manager, select Update driver software > Browse my computer > Let me pick > HID-compliant mouse > Next.^{[7]
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