How to fix scrolling on a laptop’s touchpad not working?

Several reasons could cause your touchpad to stop working. It could be that the touchpad button is disabled. Some laptops have a button on the keyboard or a function combo key which can activate or deactivate the touchpad. Sometimes connecting an external mouse or other peripheral devices can be responsible for the touchpad deactivation. It can also be caused by Windows update components. Issues with your touchpad can also be a result of corrupted system files causing changes in your registry. Whatever the case may be, do not worry because we have created this article to show you how to fix the laptop’s touchpad stopped working error.

It will help if you have an external mouse to navigate your computer during this tutorial.

Table of Contents

1. Check your keyboard for an activation or deactivation button or function combo key.
2. Enable the touchpad.
3. Update your touchpad driver.
4. Enable the touchpad from BIOS.
5. Enable two-finger scrolling.
6. Restore your computer to a previous date.

Solution 1. Check your keyboard for an activation or deactivation button or function combo key

As mentioned above, most laptops come with such buttons, and you may have deactivated your touchpad without knowing. This is common for computers with a wide touchpad. It is necessary to deactivate it when typing so that you will not accidentally press it, which may displace your cursor and lead to typing errors.

You need to check your keyboard for such a button or key combo. It is usually located on top of the function keys. This method may sound easy, but it has solved this issue for many users.

Solution 2. Enable the touchpad

System settings:

You may also have disabled your touchpad from system settings. In this case, you will have to re-enable it. To do this, use the following steps:

• Press the Windows logo key + I on your keyboard to open the Settings app.
• Now, click on Devices from the list of available options.
• Navigate to the Touchpad tab on the left side of the window.
• Toggle the touchpad option on.
• Hopefully, your problem will be solved.
• If that does not help, you can scroll down to the bottom of the page and select Reset. This will reset all the touchpad settings, reverting any changes you have made which may be the cause of the problem.

Control Panel:

• Click on the Start or Home button and input control panel in the search box. Select Control Panel from the list of results.
• In the Control Panel window, select Hardware and Sound (Category View).
• Select Mouse under Devices and Printers.
• In the next window, go to the last tab. It usually varies with different types of computers. There, you will see where to enable your touchpad device.

Solution 3. Update your touchpad drivers

The importance of drivers to your system cannot be stressed enough. If your drivers are missing, outdated, or corrupted, then your devices will not function properly. This is also true for the touchpad device. Drivers act as a mediator between the hardware and the operating system, easing their communication. If anything should breach this communication, then the device will not be able to send commands to the operating system. This may be the reason why your touchpad is not working. To fix this problem, you need to update your touchpad driver. First, we advise you to uninstall and reinstall the driver. This is to make sure that the device is not corrupted when you are updating it.

Uninstall and reinstall your driver

• • Press the Windows logo key + R to open the Run dialog box, then input devmgmt.msc and press Enter. This will open the Device Manager window.

• Now, click on the arrow next to Human Interface Device to expand it. There, you will see various peripheral devices which are installed on your computer.
• Right-click on HID-compliant touch pad and select Uninstall device. Click Yes in the next window to confirm your action.
• Once you are done, restart your PC.
• When your computer reboots, it will automatically install the touchpad device with its default driver.
• Now, you will be able to update the driver to the latest version without any issues.

Method 1. Download and install Auslogics Driver Updater.

If you are looking for a fast and easy way to update all your drivers, then this is the tool for you. It will download and install all your drivers in just a single click. You do not need to be an expert or know much information about the device whose driver you want to update; this tool does everything for you. You just need to sit back and let it do its job. Auslogics Driver Updater scans your computer for missing or outdated drivers and downloads and installs their latest manufacturer-recommended versions.

• Click on the link provided to download the tool.
• Go to your download folder and run the setup file.
• The Auslogics Driver Updater installer will open. You will be prompted to choose your preferred language. Click the Express Install option, then select the Click to install and check drivers button to continue.
• Now, you need to wait for the installation to complete. Once it is done, the Auslogics Driver Updater tool will automatically open and begin scanning your computer for missing, outdated, or corrupted drivers.
• Once it has finished scanning, click on the Update All button to update all the drivers it has found.

Method 2. Download the driver from the manufacturer’s website

This is a reliable place to download your drivers. For this method, you will need to go to the support page of your computer’s manufacturer. There, you will find all the drivers you are looking for. Make sure you specify the exact version of your computer. This is to ensure that you download the correct driver. Downloading the wrong driver can cause further problems to your computer.

Method 3. Download the driver from Device Manager

• Press the Windows logo key + X and select Device Manager from the pop-up.
• In the Device Manager window, double-click on Human Interface Device to expand it.
• Right-click on HID-compliant touch pad and select Update driver.
• In the next window, select the option which prompts you to download and install the driver from the internet.
• Windows will now download and install the best driver for your device.

Solution 4. Enable the touchpad from BIOS

To use this method, you need to restart your computer. You need to press the BIOS key before you reach the Windows logo screen to enter BIOS settings. This key varies depending on the manufacturer of your motherboard. Usually, you will be instructed on which key to press at the bottom of the screen. Now, go to the Main tab and look for Touchpad. If your computer has this feature, you will be able to enable it from there. Once you are done, press the F10 key on your keyboard to save and exit the BIOS settings.

Solution 5. Enable two-finger scrolling

You may think that your touchpad is not working because it is not responding to scrolling. This may be because the two-finger scrolling feature is not enabled on your PC. To fix this, use the following steps:

• Navigate to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Mouse.
• Now, go to the Device Settings tab (this option is available only when you have installed the touchpad driver).
• Expand MultiFinger Gestures, and check the Two-Finger Scrolling box.
• Click Apply and OK to confirm the changes you have made.

Solution 6. Restore your computer to a previous date

When you are out of options and everything you tried did not work, then you need to use this solution. Reverting your system to a time when the touchpad was working is another solution for this problem. The system restore tool is very useful in cases where the cause of the problem is unknown. Restoring your computer to an earlier date will affect only the system files and settings. It will not touch your personal files and folders. Also, to perform a system restore, you need to have restore points in the past. Do not worry if you did not create them manually because Windows automatically creates restore points when important changes want to take place in your system. Here is how to restore your computer to an earlier date:

• Click on the Start or Home button and input Recovery in the search box.
• Select Recovery from the list of results.
• In the Recovery dialog box, select Open System Restore, then click Next to proceed.
• Now, you will see the list of restore points in your system. Select a point before your touchpad stopped working and click Next.
• Follow the instructions of the wizard to complete the process.
• Once it is done, Windows will restart and indicate that the restore process was successful.

We hope that this article has fixed your touchpad issues. Share it with others who need this information.

We appreciate your ideas and comments, and we are ready to answer all your questions about this topic.