Windows 11 is still in the experimental stage and since the new update issues with input peripherals like mouse and keyboard seems to be a common issue with users. Touchpad is a very important input device for any laptop user, as it helps you to navigate through your device and keep you productive. With a recent Windows 11 update, many users are reporting their laptop touchpad are not working and it has been very annoying for the users. The issue is been very common with intel 8th generation chipsets but it can happen to any device as well.
Even if the touchpad is working a little, many features like zoom, pan or force touch is not functioning properly. In most cases, this is either due to a driver issue or hardware fault itself. Although you can use any external mouse to tackle this problem shortly, if you wish to use a touchpad only – then here are some troubleshooting ways to fix this issue.
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Fix: Touchpad Not Working After Windows 11 Update
Touchpad problems can ultimately render multiple productivity problems as, without your touchpad, you cant open many apps and most of the flexibility goes away. These issues can be due to accidentally disabling some touchpad related features, but in some cases, it’s due to driver failure.
Clean the Touchpad
When you don’t clean your touchpad regularly, it might not register your fingers for input and ultimately you will face issues with using the touchpad altogether. We recommend you to clean the touchpad with a dry microfiber cloth and use screen cleaner solutions to clean gently. Once clean, try to use the trackpad and see if it resolves the issue.
Check Touchpad Function Key
Every laptop comes with function keys which can give you quick access to disable wifi, screen or touchpad. These are designed so that you can disable these input devices easily while in presentation mode. But it is possible that you might disable the touchpad accidentally via these function keys.
You can find this key at the top of your laptop keyboard, mostly mapped with F9 or F7 keys.
Enable Touchpad from Settings
Windows 11 has advanced gestures such as pinch and zoom. These are some additional features that work only if you enable the touchpad. So follow the below steps and enable the touchpad.
Open Windows search and search for touchpad.
Open touchpad settings and enable the touchpad feature.
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Enable Touchpad in BIOS
If you don’t find the enable button for touchpad on Windows 1, it probably means the touchpad hardware is disabled from the BIOS itself. This usually happens when you update your windows and some BIOS settings may get changed accidentally. But do worry, you can enable this from BIOS again.
Open Windows settings and navigate to System >> Recovery options.
Here click on the Advance startup option. This will boot your laptop in advance mode.
Navigate to the config tab and make sure Trackpad & Trackpoint features are enabled.
Note: BIOS menu may be different for different kinds of laptops. In some laptops, manufacturers keep “input pointing device” instead of the “trackpad” option.
Stop tablet input service
If you are using Windows 11 on a laptop with touch functionality, this happens due to conflict between touchpad and touchscreen services. Windows has a service called TabletInputService which often has disputes with touchpad functionality. So the best way is to disable this service right away.
Open the Windows search bar and search for Services.
After the Services app opens, locate – Tablet PC Input Service or TabletInputService.
Right-click the service and select – Stop.
After this, reboot your laptop and see if the issue is resolved.
Uninstall other mouse drivers
In many cases, when you use a different external mice with Windows 11, it remembers them. But this can cause an issue when multiple mouse drivers are installed on your laptop. Once you remove these additional mouse drivers, the issue of Touchpad Not Working After Windows 11 Update will go away.
Open the Windows search bar and search for device manager.
Here go under mice and pointing devices option.
Make sure to uninstall other drivers which are not touchpad related.
Adjust Touchpad Speed and sensitivity
In Windows 11, you can set up the cursor speed and sensitivity according to your liking. But you might have changed these settings accidental which is causing the issues you are currently facing.
Open the Windows settings app and navigate to Bluetooth & devices >> Touchpad.
Here set the sensitivity and cursor speed to your comfort level and save the settings.
Install Touchpad Drivers
In most cases, the issue is due to faulty or outdated drivers. We recommend you to instal the latest touchpad drivers available.
You can download the latest touchpad drives by going to your manufacturer’s website >> Downloads >> Drivers section.
Conclusion
Here are some ways to fix the Touchpad Not Working After Windows 11 Update issue. These will definitely help you to fix the issue, but in case you have hardware damage to the touchpad itself, you have to use an external mouse. If your laptop is still under warranty period, it would be nice to connect with the customer support team and check for any hardware damage.