What to Know

• OpenSettings>Bluetooth & devices>Touchpad,andclick theTouchpad toggle.
• You can lock the touchpad if your laptop has a physical switch, or turn off touchpad-clicking in Settings. 
• To lock touchpad tap-clicking:Settings>Bluetooth & devices>Touchpad>Taps, then remove all checkmarks.

This article explains how to disable the touchpad on Windows 11, including instructions for turning the touchpad back on later, even if you don't have a mouse plugged in.

How Do I Disable My Microsoft Touchpad in Windows 11?

The touchpad on your Windows 11 laptop may end up getting in the way if your hands brush against it while typing, or you may not want it enabled if you're using your laptop with a mouse.In either case, you can disable the touchpad in Windows 11 at any time through the device settings.

Here's how to disable your touchpad in Windows 11:

1. Right click theStart buttonon the taskbar.

   

2. SelectSettings.

   

3. ChooseBluetooth & devices.

   

4. Scroll down if necessary,and selectTouchpad.

   

5. Select theTouchpad toggleto turn it off.

   

How Do I Lock the Touchpad on Windows 11?

There's no way to quickly and temporarily lock your touchpad on Windows 11 unless your laptop has a physical touchpad switch or a touchpad function key.If it does, you should be able to activate that switch or use that function key to lock your touchpad and switch it again to unlock it.

If you don't have a physical switch and you're having trouble with the touchpad registering accidental clicks, you can lock the touchpad so that it no longer happens.Doing so will prevent you from clicking anything, though, unless your laptop has physical mouse buttons or you have a USB or wireless mouse connected.

Here's how to lock the clicking feature of your touchpad in Windows 11:

1. Navigate toSettings>Bluetooth & devices>Touchpad.

2. ChooseTaps.

   

3. Select eachcheck box, starting with the bottom and working your way up.

   

4. Once you've removed every check, tap-clicking will no longer work.

   

5. To unlock the touchpad and allow tap clicking again, you can click the checkboxes again if your laptop has physical mouse buttons. If it doesn't, you will have to connect a mouse or use the method in the next section.

How to Turn the Touchpad On in Windows 11?

If you have disabled the touchpad in Windows 11, you can turn it back on by navigating toSettings>Bluetooth & devices>Touchpadand either clicking the Touchpad toggle or clicking the checkboxes in theTapssection.

If you don't have a mouse, you can still turn the touchpad back on using your keyboard. Here's how to do that:

1. Press theWindows keyon your keyboard.

   

2. Typetouchpad, and pressenter.

   

3. Use thetab and arrow keysto highlightTouchpadand press thespacebarif the touchpad toggle is off, or highlightTapsand press thespacebarif you've disabled tap-clicking.

   

4. If tap clicking is disabled, use thetab andarrow keysto highlightTap with a single finger to single-clickand press thespacebar. You can then use your touchpad to turn the other tap-clicking features on if you wish.

   

• How do I disable the touchpad in Windows 10?

  To disable the touchpad in Windows 10, openSettings>Devices>Touchpadand move the toggle to the left to turn it off. If you'd like to make sure the touchpad remains off when you connect a mouse, deselectLeave touchpad on when a mouse is connected.

• How do I disable the touchpad on an HP laptop running Windows 10?

  If you have an HP Synaptics TouchPad laptop, double-tap the upper-left corner of the touchpad to disable and enable touch. If you have trouble getting this feature to respond, try these tips for unlocking the touchpad on HP laptops. To turn off this double-tap functionality, open the mouse settings and selectAdditional mouse options>TouchPad>and uncheckDouble Tap to Enable or Disable TouchPad.

• How do I disable the touchpad on a Dell laptop?

  On Windows 10, search forMouse & touchpad settingsand move the Touchpad toggle to the off position. If your laptop doesn't have this toggle, openAdditional mouse options> Dell TouchPad. Select the touchpad figure to turn it off or move the on/off toggle and chooseSave.