Some people have complained about their touchpad not working after they updated their laptop to the latest Windows 11 OS. If you are one of them, you might find a solution in the upcoming sections of this article.
Here are four quick fixes to your ‘Touchpad not working on your Windows 11 laptop’ issue. You can read the section most relevant to your situation using the content table below.
Restart your laptop
Many issues are resolved by restarting your laptop. When your laptop is in use, it runs several programs simultaneously. Your actions often cause other background processes to run, utilising your RAM (Random Access Memory), which could lead to laptop’s performance issues, including your touchpad. The quickest fix to this issue is to reboot your device. To reboot your laptop, you have to restart it or switch it off and switch it on again.
Here is how to restart your laptop using a keyboard. You can also view the video below or continue reading.
Pressing Alt+F4 opens the dropdown from which you can restart your laptop. If this option doesn’t work on your laptop, do this instead:

- Step 1: Press Win+X to open the Power User Menu.
- Step 2: Use the arrow keys to scroll down to the shut-down and sign-out options.
- Step 3: From there, choose Restart and press Enter.

Alternatively, press Ctrl+Alt+Delete, which will open the shut-down menu. Use the Tab key and arrow keys to the power button icon. Press Enter and choose Restart or Shut down from the drop-down.
Update your device
Restarting your device fixes some issues; updating it can do the same. Older versions may have bugs or vulnerabilities that affect the functionality of some of your laptop features.
To update your device without using the touchpad, do the following:

- Step 1: Press Win+I to open Settings.
- Step 2: Use the downward arrow key to scroll down to the Windows Update section and press Enter.
- Step 3: Press the Tab key and select the Download & install button with the right arrow key.
- Step 4: Press Enter once the Download & install button is highlighted.

If the OS is already up to date, Check for updates will show instead of Download & install.
Enable touchpad
You could have accidentally disabled your touchpad by pressing keys on your keyboard, or it could have been disabled when you connected it to an external mouse.
A touchpad function key with the touchpad symbol is on the keyboard for some laptops. Press the Function key and the key that has the touchpad icon. E.g., Fn+F4. This should enable or disable the touchpad.
For laptops that don’t have the touchpad key, follow the steps below:

- Step 1: Open Settings by pressing Win+I.
- Step 2: Use arrow keys to scroll down to Bluetooth & devices. Press Enter.
- Step 3: Press Tab and use the arrow keys to navigate through the sections on the Bluetooth & devices tab.
- Step 4: Scroll down to Touchpad and press Enter.
- Step 5: Press the space bar to switch the toggle on.

Update or reinstall driver
Your touchpad is a hardware component and needs a driver to be installed properly. If your touchpad isn’t working despite it being enabled, it could be that its driver is incorrectly installed or outdated. To fix this issue, do the following:

- Step 1: Press Win+X to open the Device Manager. Scroll down until you locate Device Manager, and press Enter.
- Step 2: Use the right arrow to view all the dropdowns. Scroll down to Human Interface Devices.
- Step 3: Press the right arrow to view the dropdowns under Human Interface Devices. Select Touch pad.
- Step 4: Use the arrow keys and the Tab key to go to the Driver Tab.
- Step 5: Use the Tab key to Update Driver and press Enter.

To reinstall the driver, go down to Uninstall Driver and press Enter. Then restart your laptop so that the driver can reinstall.
Also read: Why are the USB ports not working on Windows 11? Quick Fix