5 Ways to Fix Touchpad/Trackpad Not Working After Updating to Windows 11

Since users upgraded to Windows 11 , there have been quite a few issues. In some cases, services are not working. In others, users are having trouble customizing features.

One such issue is the touchpad or trackpad stopping working after users upgrade their operating system. According to affected users, this issue occurred soon after they installed Windows 11. If you are facing the same issue, then refer to some of the troubleshooting methods below to deal with this issue.

Before you troubleshoot...

Before we move on to software-related troubleshooting methods, you should wipe down your touchpad to clean it. This may not always help, but there are times when your laptop’s hardware components don’t work properly simply because of dust and dirt that has accumulated on them.

You can also check your keyboard's touchpad as you may have accidentally pressed this key, disabling the touchpad.

Once you are sure that the problem is software related, proceed with the troubleshooting methods below.

1. Update Touchpad driver

If your touchpad stopped working after you upgraded to Windows 11, it's likely that your current touchpad driver isn't compatible with the latest version of the operating system.

If this is true in your case, you will see a yellow exclamation mark associated with the touchpad driver in Device Manager. This is a signal that there is something wrong with the driver and you should update or reinstall the driver immediately.

2. Run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter

Another way to troubleshoot problems with system hardware components is to run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter. This utility is specifically designed to scan your system and find potential problems that could be causing your hardware to not work.

If any problems are identified, you can apply the fixes suggested by the troubleshooter in one click. You can use this troubleshooter to fix problems with your keyboard, touchpad, mouse, and other similar components.

Here's what you need to do:

• Press Win + R key combination to open Run .
• Type cmd in the Run text field and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open Command Prompt with admin rights .
• Click Yes in the UAC prompt.
• In Command Prompt , type the command mentioned below and press Enter to execute it.

msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic

• Now you will see the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter dialog box on the screen. Click the Next button in it to start the scan.
• If the troubleshooter identifies any issues, click Apply this fix to resolve the issue. If no issues are identified, click Close the troubleshooter and move on to the next method below.

3. Turn on Touchpad via Windows 11 Settings

You may also encounter this problem because your system's touchpad is configured to automatically disable itself when a mouse is connected. In this case, the solution is simple - you just need to enable the touchpad through Windows Settings.

Follow these steps to continue:

• Press Win + I to open Windows Settings .
• Navigate to Bluetooth & devices > Mouse .
• In the following window, go to the Related settings section and click Additional mouse settings .
• Now, uncheck the box associated with Disable internal pointing device when external USB pointing device is attached and check if that helps in your case.

Alternatively, you can also try resetting the touchpad settings to their default state and see if that helps. Here’s what you need to do:

• In the Bluetooth & devices section of Windows Settings , click Touchpad.
• Find the Reset button in the following window and click on it to revert the settings.
• After the settings are reset to default, try using the touchpad or trackpad again to test.

4. Enable Microsoft Keyboard Filter Service

All programs and processes on the Windows operating system are connected to a related service to help them function as expected. These services can be found in the Windows Services utility.

If any of the related services are not running, the process associated with it will also stop working. In the case under consideration, some users found that the problem was occurring due to two disabled services: Microsoft Keyboard Filter Service and Tablet PC Input Service .

In this method, we will check if these services are working properly and enable them if they are not.

• Press Win + R to open Run.
• Type services.msc into the Run text field and press Enter.
• In the Services window , find Microsoft Keyboard Filter and right-click on it.
• Select Properties.
• If the service is disabled, click the Start button.
• Perform the same steps for Tablet PC Input Service .

Once done, check if you can use your touchpad or trackpad without any issues now.

5. Downgrade to Windows 10

If the above methods didn’t help you and the touchpad is still not working, then you can try downgrading to Windows 10 and then upgrading back to Windows 11. Hopefully this will fix the problem once and for all.

Hopefully, the above troubleshooting methods will help you get your touchpad or trackpad back to working without any issues. To prevent any issues like this in the future, you need to ensure two things; always keep your touchpad clean and remember to update the drivers.