7 Ways to Fix Dell Touchpad Not Working

Touchpads, often known as trackpads, are the most common pointing devices found in computer systems. On the other hand, Windows is not impervious to errors and malfunctions. Regardless of the manufacturer or operating system, every laptop user has experienced touchpad problems and malfunctions. On the other hand, Dell laptop owners have reported increasing touchpad problems in recent years. However, this post will concentrate on fixing the dell laptop touchpad not working because we have another, more comprehensive lesson with a list of eight options for restoring a non-functioning one.

One of two things is to blame if your Dell laptop touchpad not working. To begin with, the touchpad may have been accidentally disabled by the user, and second, the touchpad drivers may be out-of-date. Touchpad issues are often the result of a faulty Windows software update, but they can also appear out of nowhere.

Fortunately, restoring the touchpad’s functionality is as simple as fixing the dell laptop touchpad not working. If the Dell laptop touchpad not working, try these fixes.

7 Ways to Fix Dell Touchpad Not Working

In the case that something goes wrong, make a restore point.

There are just two possibilities if your touchpad doesn’t respond to your mild touches. We’ll try to fix both of them simultaneously and see if we can bring back your touchpad.

Before anything else, we’ll check to see if the touchpad is activated, and if it isn’t, we’ll turn it on via the Control Panel or Windows Settings. Delete the current touchpad drivers and reinstall the most recent laptop drivers if the touchpad functionality does not return.

Method 1: Use the Keyboard Combination to Enable Touchpad

To quickly turn on and off the touchpad on your laptop, look for a set of hotkeys on the keyboard. The key combination is useful to avoid a conflict between two pointing devices when using an external mouse. Turning off the touchpad while typing is a good idea to avoid accidental palm touches.

There are two squares on the bottom half of the rectangle with a diagonal line crossing over it, which is typically the hotkey symbol. Typically, Dell PCs use Fn + F9; however, it might be any of the f-keys. You may do this by searching for the same (or doing a quick Google search for your laptop’s model number) and then pressing the fn and touchpad on/off keys simultaneously to enable the touchpad.

To disable the Touchpad light and activate the Touchpad, double-tap the TouchPad on/off indicator.

Method 2: Enable Touchpad via Control Panel

Additionally, you may turn the touchpad on and off via the Control Panel. Activating the touchpad in the control panel repaired touchpad issues reported by several Dell users after installing a Windows update. Use the following steps to enable your touchpad in the Control Panel:

1. Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard to open the run command. Press the enter key after typing the control or control panel, and press the enter key in the search box. Control Panel (Alternatively, you can search for Control Panel and open it by clicking the Start button.)
2. Select Hardware and Sound, then Mouse and Touchpad in the Control Panel box.
3. Now is the time to check out the other mouse options available. You can also use Microsoft’s Windows Settings to get more mouse options. In Windows Settings, select Devices by pressing the Windows Key + I. Under Mouse and Touchpad, select Additional mouse options (found on the right or bottom of the screen).
4. To open the Mouse Properties window, click the mouse. By tapping the Dell touchpad tab, you can see if your touchpad is activated or not. To locate your touchpad, go to the ELAN or Device Settings tab and select it from the devices list.) 
5. Simply press the toggle button to activate your touchpad if it is off.

Reopen the run command, type main.cpl, and hit Enter if you can’t find the toggle switch.

Click if you aren’t presently on the Dell touchpad tab.

Finally, press the Touchpad’s on/off switch to turn it on. Afterward, click Exit. Check to see whether the touchpad is working again.

Method 3: Enable Touchpad from Settings

1. The Windows Key + I, followed by Devices.
2. Select Touchpad from the left-side menu.
3. Then, make sure that the Touchpad toggle is on.
4. To keep your modifications, restart your computer.

However, if you continue to have problems with your Dell Touchpad on Windows 10, please see the following remedy.

Method 4: Enable Touchpad from BIOS Configuration

If the touchpad is disabled in the BIOS, the Dell touchpad not working issue may return. To fix the Dell laptop touchpad not working, go into BIOS and turn on the touchpad. To access the BIOS, launch Windows and hit F2, F8, or DEL when the Boot Screen appears. Look for Touchpad options in the BIOS and turn on the touchpad if it isn’t already.

Method 5: Remove Other Mouse Drivers

If you’re using more than one mouse with your laptop, you may encounter issues with the Dell touchpad not working. Drivers are installed when you connect these mice to your laptop, and they don’t get deleted when you unplug them. You must remove each of these other mouse drivers one by one because it is likely that they are interfering with your touchpad.

1. Press Windows Key + R, type devmgmt.msc, and press Enter to access Device Manager.
2. Expand the Device Manager’s window to include Mice and other pointing devices.
3. Any additional mouse devices (other than the touchpad) can be removed by right-clicking on them and selecting Uninstall.
4. Select Yes if you’re asked for confirmation.
5. To keep your modifications, restart your computer.

Method 6: Update Touchpad Drivers (Manually)

Defective or out-of-date device drivers are another potential source of touchpad issues. For hardware to communicate with an operating system, it needs drivers. Hardware manufacturers frequently provide new and updated drivers to stay up with operating system improvements. You must update the latest recent drivers to get the most out of your connected devices and avoid issues.

You can use the device manager to manually update your touchpad drivers or third-party tools to update all your drivers at once. The first of the two statements can be explained using this approach.

1. We begin by opening the Device Manager. Many methods are available, some of which are outlined here. Follow the most convenient path.
   1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run command. Enter devmgmt.msc in the Run box and click the OK button.
   2. You can access Device Manager by typing (or pressing the Windows key + S).
   3. To access Device Manager, go to the Control Panel and follow the steps outlined in the preceding paragraph.
   4. Press the Windows key + X or right-click on the start menu to access Device Manager.
2. Double-clicking the label of a mouse or pointing device in Device Manager will make it expand.
3. Right-clicking on the Dell Touchpad brings up the Properties menu.
4. You should now select the Driver tab in the Dell Touchpad Properties box.
5. To get rid of any old or broken driver software, click the Uninstall driver option.
6. Click on the Update Drivers button now.
7. Search automatically for updated driver software in the following box.

You can also download the Dell touchpad drivers directly from Dell’s website. To download touchpad drivers manually, go to:

1. Go online and look up “Dell laptop model driver download” on your preferred web browser. Don’t forget to swap out the laptop model with your own.
2. By clicking on the first link, it will take you to the official driver download website.
3. The keyword field accepts Touchpad as an entry. Select your system architecture by selecting the drop-down menu next to “Operating System.”
4. The download should be the final step. To see the driver’s version number and the date it was last updated, click the arrow next to the Download Date. The Windows extractor or WinRar/7-zip can be used to extract the file.
5. After completing steps 1 through 6, select “Browse my computer for driver software.”
6. Navigate to the downloaded directory by selecting the Browse option. To update your touchpad drivers, click Next and follow the on-screen instructions.

Simply double-click the.exe file and follow the on-screen directions to install the drivers.

Method 7: Update Touchpad Drivers (Automatically)

You can also use a third-party tool to update your touchpad drivers automatically. Find the correct driver version for a specific laptop model; there are times when this is not possible. If this is the case, or if you simply don’t have the time or inclination to update your drivers manually, you may want to consider using a program like Driver Booster or Driver Easy. Free and premium editions are available and a long range of additional features.

Take your laptop to a service center if the touchpad issue persists. A specialist will do a full diagnostic on your laptop. Physical damage to your touchpad may need its replacement. On the other hand, the methods listed above can help you fix the dell laptop touchpad not working.