Easy Ways to Activate the Touch Screen on a Laptop

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Plus, troubleshoot touch screen problems in Windows 10 & 11
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Is your laptop's touch screen not responding to your touch? Whether you have an HP, Dell, Lenovo, or other laptop model, you should be able to quickly activate the touch screen in Device Manager, and configure it to your liking in Control Panel. Before you do this, you'll want to do a few simple steps to make sure your laptop has a touch screen–not all do! This wikiHow guide will teach you how to turn on the touch screen on any laptop and help you troubleshoot common touch screen problems.

Activating the Touch Screen on a Notebook Computer

To see if your laptop has a touch screen, type "view pen and touch info" into the search bar and press Enter. If you see "Pen and touch support" next to "Pen and touch," your laptop has a touch screen. To enable it:

  1. Right-click the Start menu and select Device Manager.
  2. Expand the "Human Interface Devices" group.
  3. Right-click HID-compliant touch screen and select Enable.
Section 1 of 4:

Make Sure Your Laptop Has a Touch Screen

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  1. Step 1 Type view pen and touch info into the Windows search bar.
    You can confirm that your laptop has a touch screen in your Windows 10 or 11 settings. Once you type this into the search bar, matching search results will appear.[1]
  2. Step 2 Click View pen and touch info.
    This opens the About page in your system settings.
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  3. Step 3 Check the value of "Pen and touch.
    " It'll be in the right panel. If you see "No pen or touch input is available for this display", this laptop doesn't have a touch-enabled screen. If you see something like "Pen and touch support" with a brief description, the laptop does have a touch screen.[2]
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Section 2 of 4:

Turning On the Touch Screen

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  1. Step 1 Right-click the Start menu and select Device Manager.
    You can open Device Manager by typing device into the Windows search bar and clicking Device Manager in the search results.
  2. Step 2 Click the icon arrow next to "Human Interface Devices".
    This arrow icon will expand a list of devices in this category.[3]
  3. Step 3 Select HID-compliant touch screen.
    Click on this element under "Human Interface Devices" to select it.
  4. Step 4 Click the Action tab.
    You can find it near the upper-left corner of the Device Manager window. It will open a drop-down menu.
  5. Step 5 Select Enable on the Action menu.
    This will enable your computer's touch screen.
    • To turn the touch screen off, select Disable instead.
    • If you don't see "HID-compliant touch screen" or the enable option is not available, jump to Troubleshooting.
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Section 3 of 4:

Configuring the Touch Display

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  1. Step 1 Open Control Panel.
    Press the Windows key on your keyboard, type Control Panel, and click Control Panel to open it from the search results.
  2. Step 2 Click Tablet PC Settings.
    If you can't find this option, change your "view by" to "large icons."
    • You can also get to this menu by searching "calibrate the screen for pen and touch input."[4]
  3. Step 3 Click the Setup button.
    It's on the right side of the window in the "Configure" section next to "Configure your pen and touch displays."
  4. Step 4 Click Touch input.
    It's usually the second option in the menu.
    • If you are using a stylus, select Pen Input instead.
  5. Step 5 Follow the on-screen instructions.
    As soon as you've completed the setup for your touch screen, you should be able to use it. If not, jump to the Troubleshooting steps.
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Section 4 of 4:

Troubleshooting

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  1. Step 1 Install Windows updates.
    In your Start search, search for Check for updates, then click Check for Updates in the search results. Device drivers (like the touch screen driver) update through Windows, and a recent update that you haven't downloaded might be causing your touch screen not to work.
  2. Step 2 Reinstall the touch screen driver.
    If your touch screen isn't working, try reinstalling its drivers in Device Manager. Here's how:[5]
    • Right-click the Start menu and select Device Manager.
    • Expand the "Human Interface Devices" list.
    • Right-click HID-compliant touch screen and select Uninstall.
    • Restart your computer.
    • When the computer comes back up, the touch screen driver will reinstall automatically. Once you're signed in to Windows, touch the screen to see if it responds.
  3. Step 3 Adjust the power management settings for your touch screen.
    Some settings can prevent your touch screen from working properly.
    • Open Device Manager, right-click the HID-compliant touch screen entry, and select Properties. In the Power Management tab, uncheck the box next to "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power."
  4. Step 4 Hard reset your laptop.
    If you have a removable battery, shut down your laptop, unplug it from any power source, and remove the battery. Press and hold the Power button for about 15 seconds to drain any residual electric charge, then reinsert the battery and plug it back in. Finally, turn on your laptop (use the arrow keys to restart Windows normally if prompted).
    • If you don't have a removable battery, turn off your laptop and unplug it from any power sources. Press and hold the Power button for 15 seconds to reset (if pressing this doesn't work, check your user guide for the key combination to reset your laptop), then plug in your AC cord and turn your computer back on.
  5. Step 5 Perform a touch screen diagnostic in HP Hardware Diagnostics.
    If you have an HP laptop, this test will determine if there's a hardware issue instead of a software issue.[6]
    • Connect your laptop to a power source, then press the Power button for at least 5 seconds to turn it off. Turn on your laptop again and press Esc repeatedly (at least once per second) to get a Startup Menu. Press F2 to open HP PC Hardware Diagnostics.
    • Click Component Tests, then click Touch Screen.
    • Click Touch Pointer Test, read the on-screen instructions, then click Run once. Touch each block on the screen to change its color, and you'll get the results of the test after 3 minutes or if you change all the colors of the blocks.
    • Click Main menu, then click Components Test > Touch Screen > Drag and Drop Test. Read the on-screen instructions and click Run once.
    • Drag each orange rectangle to the empty box that's indicated by the arrows with either your finger or a stylus. The test will end after three minutes, or after you reposition all the boxes.
    • A failure ID will display on the screen if one or both tests fail. You will need this ID, or 24-digit code, when you contact HP support.
  6. Step 6 Update the graphics driver.
    If your graphics driver is having problems, your touch screen may not work. Try updating the graphics driver, then rebooting your PC.
    • If your touch screen still doesn't work after you attempt all the steps in this method, you can try resetting your computer (which will erase everything and set it back to factory settings).
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    Why is my laptop touch screen not working?
    Matt Ham
    Matt Ham
    Computer Repair Specialist
    Matt Ham is a Computer Repair Specialist and the CEO and President of Computer Repair Doctor. With over a decade of experience, Matt specializes in Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad, and Smartphone repairs and upgrades. Matt holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University. Matt has expanded Computer Repair Doctor to seven different locations. He is also a Co-Owner of Repair Life, a full-scale marketing agency specializing in driving both online and offline leads to cell phone and computer repair shops and device retailers.
    Matt Ham
    Matt Ham
    Computer Repair Specialist
    Expert Answer
    It's typically going to be one of two things. Either something is buggy with the software, or the computer is physically damaged. If the software is acting a little whacky, try restoring the operating system or updating the drivers. If that doesn't work, it's safe to say that the screen is damaged and you'll need a new one.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
     Thank you for your feedback.
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    Not Helpful 0 Helpful 14
  • Question
    Could my touchscreen be broken? I've already trying restoring the operating system.
    Matt Ham
    Matt Ham
    Computer Repair Specialist
    Matt Ham is a Computer Repair Specialist and the CEO and President of Computer Repair Doctor. With over a decade of experience, Matt specializes in Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad, and Smartphone repairs and upgrades. Matt holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University. Matt has expanded Computer Repair Doctor to seven different locations. He is also a Co-Owner of Repair Life, a full-scale marketing agency specializing in driving both online and offline leads to cell phone and computer repair shops and device retailers.
    Matt Ham
    Matt Ham
    Computer Repair Specialist
    Expert Answer
    Yes. If a little bit of liquid got into the computer, or the computer was hit or dropped, it could cause the touchscreen to stop working correctly.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
     Thank you for your feedback.
     If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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References

  1. ↑ https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/ish_4305073-3491276-16
  2. ↑ https://www.asus.com/us/support/faq/1042685/#Win10
  3. ↑ https://www.asus.com/us/support/faq/1042685/#Win10
  4. ↑ https://www.asus.com/us/support/faq/1042685/#Win11
  5. ↑ https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/ish_4305073-3491276-16
  6. ↑ https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/ish_4305073-3491276-16

About This Article

Matt Ham
Co-authored by:
Matt Ham
Computer Repair Specialist
This article was co-authored by Matt Ham and by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA. Matt Ham is a Computer Repair Specialist and the CEO and President of Computer Repair Doctor. With over a decade of experience, Matt specializes in Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad, and Smartphone repairs and upgrades. Matt holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University. Matt has expanded Computer Repair Doctor to seven different locations. He is also a Co-Owner of Repair Life, a full-scale marketing agency specializing in driving both online and offline leads to cell phone and computer repair shops and device retailers. This article has been viewed 416,312 times.
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Co-authors: 18
Updated: March 11, 2026
Views: 416,312
Categories: Laptops
Article SummaryX

1. Open Device Manager.
2. Expand Human Interface Devices.
3. Select HID-compliant touch screen.
4. Click the Action tab on the top-left.
5. Select Enable or Disable.

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Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 416,312 times.

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