While some people might prefer the mouse over the touchpad, it’s pretty apparent that the touchpad is the most common means of navigating on the laptop. So, if the touchpad stops working, it’s a severe problem for most people.
The Elitebook touchpad can stop working because of several reasons, but whichever one it is, the problem can be fixed easily without much hassle. So, don’t panic or take the touchpad to the repair shop just yet.
Follow this article as we demystify the touchpad problem on an Elitebook, revealing the potential causes and the quick fix you can use to restore your touchpad functionality.
Elitebook Touchpad Not Working: Possible Causes
First, we need to understand why your touchpad is not working. The following are the possible reasons your touchpad is not working:
- Frozen Laptop
- Disabled touchpad
- Outdated driver
- Conflicts with external devices
- Malicious software.
Elitebook Touchpad Not Working: How To Fix
Your first instinct might be to take your laptop to a repair shop when the touchpad stops working. However, that shouldn’t be the case because your touchpad can easily be fixed with DIY fixes. If you know the correct troubleshooting tips, you’ll fix the touchpad without stress or spending extra money. Continue reading as we establish proven solutions to this problem.
Before anything else, are you sure the problem is from the touchpad? Sometimes the entire system might be locked up, causing the touchpad to malfunction. Your laptop may have hung or frozen so that nothing is functioning, including the touchpad and keyboard.
If that’s the case, the problem might be because of a glitch or one-time malfunction. You’ll have to force-stop the computer to resolve this problem. You can force-stop the laptop by pressing the power button down till the screen resets, or you can remove the computer laptop. After the computer reboots, recheck your touchpad as it should be working now.
If your touchpad isn’t working yet, follow other troubleshooting methods below till your touchpad regains its functionality.
1. Enable Your Touchpad
Many laptops have a function key combination on the keyboard that toggles the touchpad on and off. The function key combination is usually the Fn key plus an F-key button on the keyboard. Your Elitebook has these attributes too, and you might have disabled your touchpad inadvertently with these keys. It’s pretty easy to disable the touchpad inadvertently while operating the laptop, especially when you’re accessing a closeby function key combination.
So, you’ll need to re-enable your touchpad by using these function keys again. Please search for the touchpad function key at the top of the keyboard and combine it with the Fn key. Press both keys simultaneously, and your touchpad should regain consciousness.
You can also enable your touchpad from its settings through the Windows menu. Follow the steps below to enable your touchpad on Windows settings:
- Go to the Start Menu and click on Settings
- Select Bluetooth & Devices
- Select Touchpad and ensure the touchpad is turned on.
- If it’s enabled and still doesn’t work, then you’ll need to explore more troubleshooting methods.
2. Check External Devices
Sometimes other external devices or accessories connected to the laptop can disable the touchpad. These devices can also conflict with the touchpad, preventing it from functioning well.
Try to disable the Bluetooth connectivity on your computer temporarily to be sure another wireless controller isn’t hindering the touchpad functionality. For the best result, disconnect all other external devices connected to your laptop, including a USB mouse, dongle, and tablet that might affect your touchpad.
You can disable Bluetooth connectivity with the steps below:
- In Windows, Go to the Start menu and click on Settings
- Then select Bluetooth & Devices.
- Turn off the Bluetooth settings by swiping the button to the left.
However, if you didn’t connect an external device before, you can try to plug in an external mouse. Sometimes using an external mouse can trigger the touchpad functions again. So connect an external mouse, use it for about 10-20 minutes, then remove it. Afterward, check if the touchpad is now working.
3. Update Your System Drivers
If the problem persists, it’s not a case of a hardware problem or misconfigured settings. There might be a problem with the touchpad driver. It could be corrupted or outdated.
So, you’ll need to reinstall or update it as the case may be. You can update your touchpad driver from the manufacturer’s website or third-party application or use the Windows settings. Follow the steps below to update your touchpad driver from Windows:
- Go to the Start Menu and type Device Manager in the search menu
- Click Enter and select Device Manager once the search results display it
- Expand Mice and other pointing devices in the Device Manager window
- Right-click on the touchpad entry and select Update Driver
- Select Search automatically for Drivers options
- Now follow the on-screen prompts to update the touchpad driver successfully.
Restart your laptop and check if your touchpad is now working after the booting process.
If the latest driver version was on your laptop before, it might be corrupted. In this case, you’ll need to uninstall and reinstall the driver to solve this problem. You can follow the process below to do it correctly:
- Press the Windows + R keys to launch the Run application
- Input Control into the prompt and click on Enter
- Choose the Control Panel option and navigate to the Device Manager window
- Expand Mice and other pointing devices
- Right-click on the touchpad option and click on Uninstall
- Press Yes to confirm the choice
The corrupted driver will be uninstalled. Now restart your laptop, and Windows will automatically reinstall the default driver. If it doesn’t, visit the HP official website to complete the installation process.
If the touchpad fails to work, you can run HP diagnostics or run a clean boot to fix the problem. You should only consider resetting factory settings if all the methods can’t fix your touchpad.
4. Contact Manufacturer’s Support
There’s no better place to seek more help or information about the touchpad problem in case the problem persists. Ensure you contact the HP support system to clarify the source of the problem.