How to Turn on the Touchpad on Your Laptop

Follow this easy guide to enable your touchpad and get back to clicking and scrolling

Co-authored by Darlene Antonelli, MA Reviewed by Luigi Oppido

Last Updated: October 22, 2025 Fact Checked

This wikiHow will teach you how to activate the touchpad on a Windows laptop if you disabled it or it's not working. You'll also find tips about how to activate your touchpad without a mouse and troubleshooting steps you can take on a Mac laptop.

How to Unlock the Touchpad on a Laptop

Open your Windows Settings by clicking the gear icon in the Start Menu.
Click Devices (usually paired with a keyboard and speaker icon).
Click Touchpad (paired with an icon of a touchpad).
Click the switch under “Touchpad” to the “On” position.

Steps

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1
Open your Windows Settings. You'll find the gear icon after you click the Start Menu icon.^{[1]
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- This method will only work if you can navigate menus. If you don't have an external mouse, you can also the keyboard--press the Windows key, type "touchpad," and press Enter, and the touchpad Settings menu will open. You can skip the next steps that use a mouse.
- Some laptops have a hotkey that activates/deactivates the touchpad, so check your laptop's manual to see if it has a FN + F1-12 hotkey that will enable it instead of going through the Settings > Touchpad menu.^{[2]
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This is usually in the second column next to an icon of a keyboard and speaker.^{[3]
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You'll see this in the menu on the left side of the window next to an icon of a touchpad.^{[4]
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4
Click the switch to enable it
under "Touchpad." You can also change the other settings for your touchpad here, including the cursor speed.^{[5]
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- If you're not using a mouse, you can tap the Tab key until the touchpad toggle switch is highlighted (usually 3 times), then tap the Space key to switch it on.

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Tips

If you're experiencing issues with a Mac trackpad, you can check to see if there are software updates available for your trackpad. Click the apple logo > software update > trackpad firmware update (if applicable) > Install^{[6]
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Check for a swollen battery in your Mac by turning your Macbook off and flipping it over. A swollen battery can push on the trackpad mechanism and cause it not to function correctly.^{[7]
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If your touchpad on your Windows laptop is enabled, but you're still having trouble, make sure your drivers are up-to-date in Device Manager > Mice and other devices. If the driver doesn't work or updating didn't solve your problem, you can use the generic Windows driver. Right-click your touchpad driver in Device Manager, select Update driver software > Browse my computer > Let me pick > HID-compliant mouse > Next.^{[8]
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