Trackpad Not Working? Fixes to Try Before You Call
If your trackpad has stopped working, the cause is usually one of four things: it has been switched off by a keyboard shortcut or setting, Windows is holding a faulty driver, something is interfering with it (like a USB mouse or a dirty surface), or the hardware itself has failed. The first three you can check in about ten minutes. The fourth needs a technician.
This guide takes you through the checks in the order that saves the most time, including how to get your cursor back when you can’t point at anything. It also covers two problems that often turn up on the same laptop: a second monitor that isn’t detected and a missing Wi-Fi option. If you’d rather have someone do it, we visit homes across Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich and Redlands.
TL;DR
Press the touchpad key (often Fn plus an F key with a touchpad icon) and check Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad. A disabled trackpad is the most common cause.
Unplug any USB or Bluetooth mouse, clean the surface, then save your work and restart.
If it still fails, update or reinstall the touchpad driver in Device Manager, and check for Windows updates.
A trackpad that clicks oddly, moves by itself, or sits on a bulging case needs a hands-on repair, not more settings.
We offer on-site laptop repairs under a ‘No Fix, No Fee’ guarantee.
Table of Contents
First, get a working pointer
Most of the fixes below involve clicking through menus. If the trackpad is dead, you need another way to move around. Here are three options.
Plug in a USB mouse. This is the simplest fix. Any basic wired mouse will do.
Use the keyboard. Press the Windows key to open Start, type “touchpad” and press Enter. This opens the touchpad settings page. Use Tab and the arrow keys to move between options, and the spacebar to flip a switch.
Use Windows Mouse Keys. Search for “Mouse keys” in Settings with the keyboard, and turn it on. The number pad can then move the cursor.
One catch: some laptops turn the touchpad off automatically when a mouse is connected. We cover that in the settings step below.
Step 1: Check the touchpad is switched on
This fixes more cases than any other step, so start here.
The keyboard shortcut
Many laptops have a function key with a small touchpad icon, usually somewhere in the F1 to F12 row. Hold Fn and press that key. On some models the icon is a rectangle with a line through it. It is easy to hit by accident, especially while cleaning a keyboard or when a child has been playing on the laptop.
On some machines the key works only after the manufacturer’s hotkey software is installed. If nothing happens, move on to the settings check.
The Windows setting
On Windows 11, go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad and make sure the main switch is on. On Windows 10, the same page sits under Settings > Devices > Touchpad.
While you’re there, look for a tickbox that says to leave the touchpad on when a mouse is connected. If it’s unticked, Windows disables the trackpad whenever a mouse is plugged in. That looks like a fault when it’s really a setting.
Check it hasn’t been disabled in the BIOS
A few laptops have an option in the BIOS or UEFI setup screen to turn the internal pointing device on or off. It’s rare, but if the trackpad also fails on the sign-in screen, it’s worth knowing about. If the trackpad works in the BIOS but not in Windows, the problem is almost certainly software. If it doesn’t work there either, suspect hardware.
Step 2: Remove the obvious interference
Before you touch drivers, rule out the simple physical causes.
Disconnect external devices. Unplug the USB mouse, wireless dongle and any docking station, then test the trackpad alone.
Clean the surface. Grease, sweat, food and moisture confuse a touchpad. Turn the laptop off, wipe the pad with a slightly damp, lint-free cloth, and dry it. Do the same for your fingers. A trackpad needs clean contact with your skin to read your touch.
Check your fingers. Very dry skin, hand cream and cold hands can all make a touchpad ignore you. Try a different finger, or a different person.
Look for a screen protector or sticker. A film or sticky label on the pad can block input.
Step 3: Save your work and restart
It sounds like a cliché, but a restart clears stuck drivers and processes. Save your documents, close your programs and restart the laptop from the Start menu, not by closing the lid.
After the restart, leave the trackpad alone until Windows has fully loaded. Many touchpads calibrate themselves during startup, and touching them too early can leave them misreading input.
If you use Windows with Fast Startup, a normal shutdown doesn’t fully reset the hardware. Choose Restart rather than Shut down, since Restart does a full reload.
Step 4: Update or reinstall the touchpad driver
A missing, outdated or corrupted driver is the usual software cause when the settings are fine. Microsoft’s own guidance points to updating, then reinstalling, the touchpad driver.
Update the driver
Right-click the Start button and choose Device Manager (or search for it).
Expand Mice and other pointing devices.
Right-click your touchpad. It might be named after the manufacturer, such as an ELAN, Synaptics or “HID-compliant mouse” entry.
Choose Update driver, then Search automatically for drivers.
No mouse? Use Tab and the arrow keys to move through Device Manager, and press the Menu key (or Shift plus F10) to open the right-click menu.
Reinstall the driver
If the update finds nothing, or the problem remains:
In Device Manager, right-click the touchpad and choose Uninstall device.
Restart the laptop.
Windows should detect the touchpad on startup and download the latest driver from Windows Update.
If the pointing device has vanished from Device Manager
Sometimes the “Mice and other pointing devices” entry holds only a mouse, or the touchpad entry is gone entirely. Try Action > Scan for hardware changes in Device Manager. If it still doesn’t appear, install the touchpad driver from your laptop maker’s support page using your model number, and check Windows Update for optional driver updates. A touchpad that has disappeared from the list altogether can point to a loose or failed internal connection, which is a job for a technician.
If drivers are a recurring headache on your machine, our article on diagnosing graphics driver crashes explains why reinstalling over and over rarely solves the underlying problem.
Step 5: Check Windows updates and recent changes
Think about what changed just before the trackpad stopped working.
A recent Windows update. Check Settings > Windows Update > Update history. If the fault started right after an update, a further update may fix it, or you can roll the driver back from Device Manager (right-click the touchpad, choose Properties > Driver > Roll Back Driver, if available).
New software. Utilities that control mouse or gesture behaviour can clash with the touchpad driver.
A drop, spill or battery issue. Physical events change the diagnosis entirely. See the section on hardware faults below.
Paying attention to the timing helps a technician too. “It stopped after the last update” and “it stopped after I dropped it” lead to very different fixes.
Not every trackpad problem is a dead trackpad
The symptom changes where you should look.
What you see | Likely cause | What to try |
Cursor doesn’t move at all | Touchpad disabled, driver fault or hardware failure | Fn key, Settings toggle, restart, reinstall driver |
Cursor moves but clicks don’t register | Tap-to-click turned off, or a worn click mechanism | Check tap settings, then test the physical click |
Cursor jumps or drifts by itself | Dirty pad, moisture, or a failing touchpad | Clean the surface, disconnect accessories, then seek repair |
Gestures like scrolling don’t work | Missing or generic driver | Reinstall the manufacturer driver |
Works at first, then stops | Overheating, driver conflict or loose connection | Restart, update, then book a technician if it repeats |
Cursor frozen but keyboard works | System hang or touchpad disabled | Try Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager and restart Windows Explorer |
If the whole screen is slow or unresponsive rather than just the pointer, the cause might be elsewhere. Our guide to restarting File Explorer when it’s not responding covers that situation.
When the trackpad is a hardware fault
Stop troubleshooting and arrange a repair if any of these apply.
The trackpad still doesn’t work after the steps above.
It works on and off.
It doesn’t respond to clicks or taps even when the cursor moves.
The cursor moves on its own.
The laptop has been dropped, or liquid has been spilled on it.
The trackpad or the area around it is raised, or the case looks bulged.
That last one deserves care. A trackpad that lifts or a case that no longer sits flat is often caused by a swollen battery pushing up from underneath. Stop charging and using the laptop, keep it away from anything flammable, and have a technician look at it promptly. Don’t press on the pad or try to pry it open.
Other hardware causes include a loose ribbon cable between the trackpad and the motherboard, a worn click mechanism, or liquid damage. These are physical repairs. Our laptop and computer repairs cover diagnosis and repair at your home, so you don’t need to carry the laptop anywhere. If the battery is also playing up, this step-by-step guide on a laptop battery that won’t charge may help you read the signs.
Buying a second-hand laptop
A trackpad that looks fine but misbehaves is a common problem with used machines. If you’re shopping on a local marketplace, work through basic checks on a used laptop before handing over any money, and test the trackpad’s clicks, gestures and corners as part of that.
Related problem: second monitor not detected
People who lose their trackpad often find their desk setup misbehaving too, especially after a Windows update or a move. If your second monitor, external monitor or dual display isn’t being detected, work through these in order.
Press the Windows key plus P and make sure Extend is selected. If it says “PC screen only”, Windows won’t send anything to the second display.
Check the cable at both ends. Push it in firmly on the laptop and the monitor. Power cables and power buttons count too.
Try a different cable or port. Cables fail more often than people expect, and not every USB-C port carries video.
Choose the right input on the monitor. If the monitor is set to HDMI 2 and you’re plugged into HDMI 1, you’ll see nothing.
Test one monitor at a time. Connect just one screen to find out which one, or which cable, is the problem. If you use a docking station, reseat the dock and its cables.
Open Settings > System > Display and select Detect under multiple displays.
Restart the laptop with the monitor connected and powered on.
Update the graphics driver through Device Manager under Display adapters.
Still nothing? Our guide to HDMI no signal goes through the causes in more depth, and the graphics driver article covers the driver side.
Related problem: Wi-Fi option missing or authentication errors
Two more problems turn up regularly alongside trackpad faults, particularly after a big Windows update.
No Wi-Fi option in Windows 11
If the Wi-Fi icon has gone or Windows 11 shows no Wi-Fi networks:
Check that Airplane mode is off and the Wi-Fi switch in quick settings is on. Some laptops also have a physical switch or an Fn key for wireless.
Open Device Manager and look under Network adapters for your wireless adapter. If it’s disabled, right-click it and choose Enable device. If it’s missing, choose Scan for hardware changes.
Restart the laptop. Then try Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Network reset if the adapter is present but still not showing networks. This removes saved networks and passwords, so have your Wi-Fi password ready.
Update or reinstall the wireless driver in the same way as the touchpad driver above.
Wi-Fi authentication problem
An “authentication problem” message, on a laptop or an Android phone, nearly always means the device and router disagree about the password or security type.
Forget the network on the device, then reconnect and type the password again, watching for capital letters and look-alike characters.
Restart the router and the device.
Check the router’s security setting. Older devices can struggle with newer security modes, and the reverse.
If only one device fails while others connect fine, the fault is on that device. If all devices fail, the router is the place to look.
If the router, extenders or coverage are the real problem, our in-home Wi-Fi and internet support can sort it out on site.
What a technician does that a quick fix doesn’t
A settings check, a restart and a driver reinstall rule out the common software causes. A technician then goes further:
Tests whether the trackpad works outside Windows, to separate hardware from software.
Checks the internal connection and the condition of the battery and case.
Rebuilds a damaged Windows profile or system files if the fault follows a particular user.
Replaces the trackpad assembly where it has failed.
We bring that to your home in Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich or Redlands, which suits people who can’t be without their laptop, or who find tech jargon tiring. We explain what we find in plain English.
Need a hand with your laptop?
NextGen IT sends a local technician to your door for laptop and computer repairs, Wi-Fi problems, printers, email and scam protection. We aim for same-day home visits, and our ‘No Fix, No Fee’ guarantee means you pay only when we resolve the problem. Pricing is explained clearly before any work starts, with no hidden fees.
Book a visit through our laptop and computer repairs page, or if you’re on the Windows side of things, see our Microsoft, Windows and Surface support for Brisbane. Mac owners can find help on our Apple support page.
A note for Mac users
If your MacBook trackpad isn’t working, the steps differ. Check System Settings > Trackpad, restart the Mac, and disconnect any Bluetooth mouse to test. A trackpad that feels stuck or a case that no longer sits flat can also indicate a swollen battery, and that needs repair rather than settings changes. A spinning wheel that comes with it is explained in our guide on the spinning wheel on a Mac.
Keeping the trackpad working
A few habits cut down on repeat problems.
Wipe the pad regularly and don’t eat over the laptop.
Keep Windows and the manufacturer’s drivers up to date, and install updates when prompted rather than ignoring them for months.
Don’t carry the laptop by pressing on the palm rest, and use a padded sleeve.
Keep liquids away from the desk where the laptop sits.
If you notice the trackpad getting stiff or the case lifting, get it checked early.
Other small faults are often connected, like a webcam that stops working on Windows 11 after the same update that disrupted the trackpad. Checking them together can save a second visit.
FAQ
How do I get my cursor back on a laptop?
Plug in a USB mouse, or press Fn plus the touchpad key, which usually has a touchpad icon on an F key. Then check Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad and make sure the switch is on. If the cursor is still missing, restart the laptop.
How do I unfreeze my touchpad?
Save your work, then restart the laptop and avoid touching the pad until Windows has fully loaded. If it’s still frozen, unplug any external mouse, clean the pad and check the touchpad setting. A driver reinstall in Device Manager is the next step.
Why is my touchpad not working after a Windows update?
An update can replace the touchpad driver with one that doesn’t suit your model. Check Windows Update for a further fix, or roll back the driver in Device Manager. If neither helps, install the driver from your laptop maker’s support page for your exact model.
Is a trackpad that doesn’t respond always a hardware fault?
No. Most cases are a switched-off setting, a driver problem or a dirty surface. Hardware faults are more likely after a drop, spill or battery swelling, or when the trackpad fails the same way on every restart.
Can someone fix my trackpad at home in Brisbane?
Yes. Our technicians visit homes across Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich and Redlands, diagnose the fault on the spot and explain it plainly. Under our ‘No Fix, No Fee’ guarantee, you pay only when the problem is resolved.
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