The touchpad issue on Dell laptops can be caused by software conflicts, bugs, outdated drivers, incorrect Windows settings, or, in rare cases, hardware malfunction.
For most users, the touchpad stopped working after updating to Windows 11.
Simply disabling and enabling the touchpad in Windows settings will most likely fix it.
If this does not work, restarting your laptop, restoring BIOS to default, and updating touchpad driver will fix the touchpad related issues on your Dell laptop.
Make sure that the touchpad is not disabled with Fn key.
Most Dell laptops have a dedicated function key for enabling & disabling the touchpad.
So look for the function key with the Touchpad icon and press it while holding the Fn key.
Alternatively, if your laptop does not have a dedicated touchpad function key, here’s how to to enable it, as suggested by Dell Support:
Press Windows Key and Q keys. Type Touch settings in the search and open it. See the screenshow below:
Scroll down and click on More touchpad settings.
Next, click on Click to Change Dell Touchpad settings options. See the screenshot below:
Make sure the touchpad is enabled there. See the screenshot below:
Disable and Enable Touchpad
The quick fix is to disable Touchpad in Windows Setting and then re-enable it. Here’s how to do that in Windows 11:
- Open Settings by pressing Windows + I keys.
- Select Bluetooth & devices in the left panel. Scroll down and click on Touchpad. See the screenshot below:
- Toggle the Touchpad switch to Off.
- Wait for a minute, and then enable it again.
Restart your Laptop
First and foremost, just like any other glitch, I always recommend restarting your computer. Since your touchpad is not working, you will have to restart Windows 11 using its keyboard shortcut.
For that, press the Ctrl + Alt + Del buttons on your Dell laptop keyboard to open the Shutdown menu.
Use your keyboard arrow keys to select Restart and then hit Enter.
Restore BIOS to Defaults
To boot into Dell BIOS, restart your laptop. On the boot or Dell logo screen, press F2 key.
In BIOS, select Settings in the left panel. Next, click on Restore Settings button.
A new window will open. Select BIOS Defaults options and then click on OK button. See the screenshot below:
Update TouchPad Driver
If your laptop touchpad was working without any issue on Windows 10, and it has only stopped working after updating to Windows 11, then it is likely due to a driver’s glitch. In that case, update your touchpad driver to the latest version.
To update the Dell touchpad driver, open the Run dialog box by pressing the Windows + R keys on the keyboard.
- Type devmgmt.msc and hit Enter to open Device Manager.
- Look for Mice and other pointing devices there and expand it.
- Right-click the touchpad driver and select the Update driver option from the context menu.
- Select Search automatically for the drivers option and follow on-screen instructions.
If updating drivers didn’t work, try uninstalling and then re-installing the driver.
To do that, select Uninstall device option instead of Update driver in the context menu, and then restart your laptop.
Windows will automatically reinstall the driver when your laptop reboots.
