In most cases it is not broken : it has been switched off, often by a key pressed without thinking.
That is the good news about this symptom. Always start with the three checks below before considering anything else - they settle most situations in seconds.
Almost every laptop has a function key that turns the touchpad off, usually marked with a small crossed-out rectangle. It is used on its own or combined with the Fn key, depending on the model, and sits in the F1 to F12 row.
Some models also have a touch zone at the top left of the pad itself : a double tap there switches the whole thing on or off. It is sometimes marked by a tiny light.
Windows offers to switch the touchpad off automatically when a mouse is plugged in. If you have used a USB mouse, that setting may have stuck. It is in the touchpad settings, under Bluetooth & devices.
The characteristic symptom : the pad works again as soon as you unplug the mouse.
After a Windows update, the manufacturer's driver is sometimes replaced by a generic one of reduced capability - the pointer moves, but two-finger scrolling and gestures disappear. Reinstalling the official driver from the machine maker's site restores everything.
If the pad does not respond at all, uninstalling the device from Device Manager and restarting forces Windows to reinstall it. That carries no risk and works in a good number of cases.
As with the keyboard, the BIOS menu settles the question : if the pad responds there, the hardware is good and the problem is software. If it stays dead, the trail turns to hardware - a disconnected ribbon or a failed pad.
That split points to mechanical wear of the built-in button, or to a battery swelling just underneath. This second case matters : on many laptops the battery sits under the touchpad, and swelling blocks it physically. If the pad looks domed or feels hard, read battery no longer holding: this is not trivial.
Often tied to sensitivity, adjustable in the settings, or to a dirty surface - a greasy pad reacts badly. A wipe with a slightly damp cloth is enough. If the cursor drifts on its own with nothing touching it, a pad damaged by liquid is likely.
A USB or Bluetooth mouse lets you work normally with no limitation at all. On a machine seldom used on the move, that is sometimes the more sensible answer rather than a repair.
If replacement is called for, the job means dismantling the palm rest. We handle it in the workshop, in Lyon.
It depends on the manufacturer, but it is always a key in the F1 to F12 row bearing a crossed-out rectangle, alone or combined with Fn.
Scrolling or gestures that no longer respond generally come from the driver, not the hardware. Reinstalling the manufacturer's driver is usually enough.
Yes, it almost always indicates a battery swelling underneath. Stop using it for long periods and have the machine examined without delay.
Would you rather we took care of it ? See our laptop repair service, in Lyon and across the Rhone.
Often a setting, sometimes a ribbon : the diagnosis is free.
Automatic assistant: it can make mistakes. Never share a password or a card number.
