How To Unlock Hp Touchpad: 7 Must-Know Methods

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Issues can arise with your laptop when you least expect them. And though some may appear simple, you may require technical knowledge or information to fix them.

The disabled touchpad is an issue laptop users witness now and then. You could be working with your laptop, and all of a sudden, the touchpad could stop working.

In this post, we shall discuss simple ways you can unlock an HP touchpad all by yourself

Continue reading for an in-depth understanding of the processes.

Things That Can Cause Your HP Touchpad To Stop Functioning

Before we go over how to unlock the HP touchpad, let’s discuss factors that could cause the touchpad to stop functioning. With this information, you might make an informed decision when such a problem arises.

Here are the possible causes.

Touchpad stopped working on its own: You turned your laptop on only to discover that the touchpad is no longer working. It’s surprising since it was working a while ago. You even used the computer and shut it down yourself. Now here’s the real deal. Your touchpad stopped working on its own. And such a development is common with electronic devices.

The function keys:

Your hand may have touched the wrong keys while using the laptop, unknown to you. When you hit those keys, your touchpad automatically stops working. Such keys are called function keys.

Setting:

Sometimes, it’s best to leave your laptop settings alone. Don’t dabble into the settings or change something you barely know. Why? The outcome could be costly. You could make changes that would affect your system’s performance. And one of such is the touchpad. You can change lock up the touchpad in the settings area.

Touchpad drivers:

Drivers affect how your computer functions. If a driver is missing, specific programs may not work or function properly. Drivers can also be outdated, corrupted, or inappropriately installed. So, if your touchpad is no longer working, the problem could be a specific driver.

So, these are the various ways people disable or lock up their touchpad. They unknowingly occur because no one would be unreasonable enough to disable a crucial component as the touchpad.

Let’s discuss how to unlock the HP touchpad.

Ways You Can Unlock HP Touchpad

You can unlock an HP laptop’s touchpad in various ways. We’re going to discuss each of them so that you can choose whichever is most suitable for you. Continue reading!

Method#1: Turning on the touchpad in Windows settings:

Earlier, we discussed that one could accidentally disable or lock their laptop’s touchpad in the Windows settings.

Now, here’s the second revelation. You can unlock or enable the touchpad in the Windows settings. The problem could be that you forgot to switch on the touchpad in the settings, a mistake many make once they have an external mouse connected to the laptop.

When you check the Windows 10 settings app, you’ll find the touchpad setting stashed somewhere in the app.

Method#2: Uninstall the drivers from another mouse:

Before using an external mouse, you have to install a driver. Without the driver, it won’t work. But if you plan to use your HP touchpad afterward, having the external mouse driver installed on your computer is a bad idea.

The external mouse can interfere with your touchpad. Such interference causes a touchpad to malfunction or stop working. It will surprise you to know that some drivers can have your touchpad disabled automatically.

So, how do you fix the problem with external mouse drivers? It’s simple.

Visit your laptop’s Device Manager. You’ll find an arrow that’s next to “Mice, including other pointing devices.” Please click on that arrow.

Now, right-click and start removing the mice from your laptop, one after the other. Continue uninstalling until you discover that your touchpad has started working correctly.

A Handy Tip: If a driver has uninstalled your touchpad, endeavor to install it after removing all external mice from your laptop.

Method#3: Restart your PC

You can do a simple thing as restarting your laptop. Doing so can help to fix minor flaws, such as a disabled touchpad.

Use the hotkeys (Alt + Ctrl + Del) to restart your computer. But only do so if there’s no external mouse you can use.

The next step is to tap the ↑ key. The idea is to find the laptop’s power bottom. Now, hit the button “Enter.” After that, choose the icon “Restart” and hit “Enter” for the second time.

By hitting “Enter,” your laptop would reboot and restart. Once the rebooting process is complete, you can test the touchpad to see if it’s working fine.

As earlier said, allowing your laptop to reboot will help to fix a ton of functions. And if the touchpad issue isn’t that serious, restarting the PC should have it fixed.

Method #4: Visit settings to enable touchpad:

It’s possible to enable the touchpad in the laptop’s settings. Here’s how to get it done.

This tip is for Windows 10 settings.

The first step is to have the Device’s window opened. Once it’s open, hit the option “Touchpad.” Afterward, choose additional settings. You can do so from the right-hand menu.

Now, please note that the next icon you have to click depends on the model of the laptop you have.

So, next, you have to click on either the Clickpad or Touchpad settings tab. After doing that, hit the Apply button and then OK. Doing so would confirm your new setting.

Finally, you have to restart your laptop. Let it reboot, then try the touchpad again to see if it’s working fine.

If your HP laptop is not Windows 10, please follow the steps below to get your touchpad working again.

Firstly, visit Start Menu. Then choose “Settings” followed by Devices and then Mouse. In the next stage, hit the option called “Additional mouse.” It’s right there in the right-hand menu.

Please take note that you can disable or enable the touchpad under the Device Settings tab. Now, check if you have already tapped the “Enable” icon, usually below the chosen touchpad device.

Like the first step, you need to restart your PC once you’re through with this process. Once the PC reboots, try the touchpad to see if it’s working fine. If it’s not, you can try other methods mentioned in this post.

Method 5: Unlock HP laptop touchpad in BIOS

It’s possible to initiate numerous changes to a PC from the BIOS. And one of them is the touchpad. So let’s explain how you can enable or make your touchpad work again in the BIOS setup.

Firstly, you have to restart your PC and don’t forget to tap the BIO keys simultaneously. These include F2, F8, or the DEL keys.

By hitting the right keys, the BIOS setup would pop up. When it does, please use the arrow key (→) to choose the “Advanced tab.”

Your next mission is to get to the Internal Pointing Device from the BIO setup. To do this, use the down arrow key (↓) to find the tab. Then enable it.

Now you have succeeded in enabling your touchpad from the BIOS setup. It looked easy, but if you don’t hit the right keys to arrive at the BIOS setup, you’ll find the entire process a bit confusing.

Method 6: Disengage your external mouse:

Have you noticed that your touchpad automatically stopped working the moment you plugged in an external mouse? Perhaps, you didn’t pay attention, or something of this sort hasn’t happened to you.

Though relatively rare, there are laptops whose touchpad stopped working the moment an external mouse is connected.

To fix such a problem, all you have to do is have the USB mouse unplugged. The next thing you need to turn off is your Bluetooth mouse.

Method 7: Visit HP support

If you have tried most or all of the methods listed but couldn’t find a solution, this last method might grant you success.

Let’s assume the problem has to do with outdated touchpad drivers. In this case, you have to update the touchpad driver via HP Support Assistant.

Please note that outdated drivers can cause your touchpad to stop working. So, updating them should be your ultimate focus.

Lastly, assuming your HP laptop touchpad didn’t work even after the update. Here’s what you should do.

Run HP laptop hardware diagnostics. It will help you search for areas you have hardware failures so that you can take the necessary action.

Conclusion

If you’re seeking ways to unlock your HP laptop touchpad, try any of these methods. Several factors could be responsible for your touchpad’s inability to function correctly. It could be an outdated driver issue, external driver interference, or perhaps a mistake on your path.

However, if your touchpad stops working, don’t fret or take it to a repairer. Try any of these methods, and it would likely work. Good luck to you!