Overview – Disable TouchPad in Windows
The trackpad, also known as the touchpad in Windows, is a touch-sensitive device allowing the user to move the cursor around on their laptop with a simple swipe of a finger or two and gesture controls.
It seems that you often use an external mouse and built-in keyboard, as a result, while typing, your laptop’s touchpad is obstructing your workflow.
By the end of this article, you’ll be able to disable the touchpad on your laptop and external touchpads operating on Windows OS:
1. Using Windows Settings
Step 1: Open the “Windows Settings” from the Start menu or press the “Windows Logo key + I” key combination on the keyboard.
Step 2: Click the “Bluetooth & devices” option from the left sidebar and select the “Touchpad” option.
Step 3: Toggle off the “Touchpad” button.
2. Using Control Panel
Step 1: Open the Control Panel from the Start menu.
Step 2: Click the “Hardware and Sound” option.
Step 3: Select the “Mouse” option under the Devices and Printers option.
Step 4: The Touchpad Properties panel appears. Uncheck the “Enable Touchpad” option and press the “Apply” button.
3. Using Device Manager
Step 1: Open the Device Manager from the Start menu.
Step 2: Expand the “Mice and other pointing devices” option and right-click the touchpad’s driver installed on your computer’s hardware and click the “Disable device” option.
4. Using Registry Editor
Step 1: Type and open the Registry Editor from the Start menu.
Step 2: Navigate to the following path:
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PrecisionTouchPad\Status.
Step 3: Double-click the “Enabled” key and set its hexadecimal value data from 1 to 0 and press the “OK” button.
Step 4: Restart your computer to make changes take effect. The next time you log in, the mouse trackpad will be disabled.
Note: It’s important to back up the registry before any customization so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
5. Using Keyboard Shortcuts
Step 1: Look for the touchpad button in the function keys section on the keyboard.
Step 2: Press the corresponding key combination (such as Fn+F6, Fn+F8) to disable the touchpad.
For example: In the Lenovo laptop, Fn + F8 key combination disables the trackpad.
6. Using Touchpad Blockers
Step 1: Download and Install the Touchpad blocker from the official website.
Step 2: Run the application and check the “Enable/Disable Touchpad” option and press the “Ctrl + Alt + F9” key to toggle on and off the touchpad.
Note: The touchpad blocker app keeps running as a background service and normally consumes about 0.4 to 1.5 MB of memory. However, the memory usage for this app varies depending on the computer.
If the Touchpad Blocker Program is not supported by your device’s touchpad manufacturer, you can use other applications such as Touch Freeze.
Next Steps
We’ve covered how to block touchpad in Windows 11.
On a computer, the trackpad is an extremely handy tool. It makes it simple to move the mouse cursor around the screen. There are instances, though, when you may wish to turn off the trackpad entirely. When your workflow is obstructed by accidental clicks while typing, or when you’re using an external mouse, then, turning off the touchpad on your laptop is typically a good choice. You can utilize any of the ways listed above according to your preferences.
Further, customize your Windows by following the related articles below.
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