It’s infuriating when it happens. You were happily clicking away until the laptop touchpad suddenly stopped working. You didn’t have a mouse and you were ready to call a computer technician. Don’t pick up that phone just yet. Usually, a faulty touchpad can be fixed with some simple troubleshooting.
My Touchpad Suddenly Stopped Working!
1. Clean your touchpad using rubbing alcohol and a simple cloth. Shut down the computer before cleaning, and then gently wipe your touchpad with the rag and alcohol, but be careful not to soak your laptop. Do not poor the rubbing alcohol directly on your computer.
2. Remove any foreign objects around or between the buttons on your keyboard and touchpad with a pointed item. Dust and debris can prevent your keys from working properly.
3. Turn on the computer.
4. Enable the touchpad using one of the function keys (this is different for each computer).
5. If that does not work, Go to Start > Right click on Computer.
6. Select Properties > Device Manger.
7. Select Synaptic touchpad under Mice and Other Pointing Device.
9. Select the Driver tab > Properties box.
10. Click on Update Driver.
11. Restart your computer. If the problem has not been fixed, uninstall and reinstall your drivers. To uninstall your drivers, follow steps 4-7 and choose Uninstall from the Driver tab. Then reinstall by repeating steps 4-9.
12. Update the OS systems and BIOS on your computer.
Need Computer Help?
If these troubleshooting instructions do not work, you may want to find a computer professional. TalkLocal can connect you with the best computer repair professionals in your area. Just tell us what you need, where you are, and when you’re available, and we’ll find the right professionals for you, in just minutes!
