When your HP laptop mouse pad/touchpad suddenly stops working, it’s very frustrating. And trying to fix them can be even more frustrating. But don’t worry. You can fix the issue easily with the simple instructions below.
Here are five solutions for your to fix the problem. You may not have to try them all. Just work your way down at the top of the list until you find the one that works for you.
- Update the touchpad driver
- Roll back the touchpad driver (especially when you upgraded the system to Windows 10)
- Enable the touchpad with the Fn key
- Enable the touchpad In Mouse Properties
- Perform a hard reset
Solution 1: Update the touchpad driver
If the touchpad driver is outdated or corrupt, the touchpad will stop working. To fix your HP laptop touch pad not working issue, try to update the touchpad driver. If you don’t have the time, patience or computer skills to update the driver manually, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy.
Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to risk downloading and installing the wrong driver, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing.
You can update your drivers automatically with either the FREE or the Pro version of Driver Easy. But with the Pro version it takes just 2 clicks (and you get full support and a 30-day money back guarantee):
1) Download and install Driver Easy.
2) Run Driver Easy and click Scan Now. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
3) Click the Update button next to a flagged touchpad device or a flagged synaptic point device to automatically download the correct version of this driver, then you manually install it (you can do this with the FREE version).
Or click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system (this requires the Pro version – you’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All).
Solution 2: Roll back the touchpad driver
If your touchpad didn’t working after you upgraded the system, the touchpad driver may be incompatible with the new operating system. If that’s your case, try to roll back the touchpad driver.
Follow steps below to roll back the driver.
1) On your keyboard, press the Win+R (the Windows logo key and R key) at the same time to invoke the run box.
2) Type devmgmt.msc and click the OK button.
3) Expand the category Mice and other pointing devices. Double-click on your touchpad device.
4) Select the Driver tab and click the Roll Back Driver button.
5) Restart your computer and check to see if your touchpad works.
Solution 3: Enable the touchpad using the Fn key
When the touchpad stops working, the touchpad may be disabled accidentally. So to resolve this issue, try to re-enable the touchpad. One easy way enable the touchpad is using the Fn key and the function key combination.
You just need to do this:
On your keyboard, hold down the Fn key and press the specific function key. The function key could be F6, F7, F9 or other function keys depending on your PC model. If you’re not sure which function key works, try F1 ~ F12.
If the Fn key and the function key combination doesn’t work for you, try Solution 4 to enable the touchpad.
Solution 4: Enable the touchpad In Mouse Properties
If the touchpad is disabled, you can re-enable it in Mouse Properties. Follow steps below:
1) Type control panel in Windows search bar, and select Control Panel from the pop-up menu.
2) View by Small icon, click on the Mouse to open Mouse Properties.
3) Go to the last tab (the tab right next to the hardware tab). This tab is for touchpad configuration, and its name is different depending on different laptop model.
4) Select your touchpad in the Devices list, then click Enable. (Your touchpad configuration screen may look different from the shown screen below. Just find and enable the touchpad.)
5) Check to see if your touchpad works again.
Solution 5: Perform a hard reset
The problem can be caused by some unknown setting changes in your computer. The final solution you can try is perform a hard reset. A hard reset will get your hardware, software or drivers back to their default settings.
Follow the instructions below to reset your computer.
If your laptop has a removable battery, follow these steps:
1) Turn off your laptop.
2) Remove the computer from any port replicator or docking station.
3) Disconnect any peripheral devices such as USB devices, external displays and mobile phones.
4) Unplug the AC adapter from the computer.
5) Remove the battery.
6) Hold the power button for about 15 seconds to drain any residual electricity on the computer.
7) Put the battery back into the laptop.
8) Plug the AC adapter back to the laptop.
9) Power on the computer to see if the mouse pad works.
If your laptop doesn’t have a removable battery, follow these steps:
1) Turn off your laptop.
2) Disconnect any peripheral devices such as USB devices, external displays and mobile phones.
3) Unplug the AC adapter from the computer.
4) Hold the power button for about 15 seconds to drain any residual electricity in the computer.
5) Plug the AC adapter back into the computer.
6) Power on the computer to see if the mouse pad works.
Hopefully the solutions above help you resolve your HP laptop mouse pad not working issue. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to leave your comments below.