How To Disable the Touchpad in Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7

Fussy, sensitive, unresponsive are just a few words that describe the typical touchpad experience. In fact, many laptops come prepackaged with a mouse, because its simpler to use than the touchpad.

Luckily, disabling your touchpad is a relatively straightforward process. In this article, we’ll show you how to do so on Windows.

Disabling the Touchpad in Windows 11

There are two methods to disable the touchpad. The first uses the Windows icon, located in a new place on Windows 11. The second uses the “Taps” option. Here’s how to do both.

Using the Windows Icon

1. At the left of the taskbar, right click on the blue Windows icon.
   
2. Select “Settings,” then select “Bluetooth & devices.”
   
3. Find the “Touchpad” section.
   
4. There will be a tab that says “Touchpad.” You can toggle it on and off in this tab.
   

Using Taps

The main difference with “Taps” is the ability to disable or enable specific actions on the touchpad. You can disable the touchpad completely, or just certain finger movements. Here’s how to disable the touchpad using “Taps.”

1. Right click on the blue Windows icon.
   
2. Select “Settings,” then “Bluetooth & devices.”
   
3. Choose “Touchpad.”
   
4. Select “Taps.”
   
5. Uncheck every box.
   
6. Your touchpad should be disabled. Check the boxes again to turn on the touchpad.

Disabling the Touchpad in Windows 10

Windows 10 offers quite a few different ways to disable the touchpad. From simple methods to using the Command prompt, there are four different ways to disable the touchpad.

Using Settings

1. Right click on the “Start” menu.
   
2. Select “Settings.”
   
3. On the left, select “Devices,” then select “Touchpad.”
   
4. Toggle the touchpad on and off.
   

Using the Control Panel

The control panel method offers a more comprehensive way to disable the touchpad. We’re going to show you different options you have using the control panel.

1. Access your control panel, then select the “Mouse” option.
   
2. In “Mouse Properties,” select the touchpad option. Select “ELAN.”
   
3. Select “Disable,” then select “Yes” when the option pops up. Your touchpad is now fully disabled.
   
4. If you want to disable the touchpad only when you’re using a USB mouse, check the box that says “Disable when using an external device” in the same menu. When you unplug your USB mouse, the touchpad will automatically turn back on.

Using Device Manager

1. Right click on the “Start” menu, then select “Device Manager.”
   
2. Scroll and find the “Mouse and other pointing devices.” Click the “>” symbol to expand the options.
   
3. Right click on the touchpad, then select “Disable device.”
   
4. Make sure you select the correct option so you don’t disable the wrong device.

Using Windows Registry

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows key and “R” together. The Windows key is the key with the Windows logo on it.
   
2. The command prompt box will appear. Type “Regedit” then hit “OK.”
   
3. Select “Yes” when asked about allowing user control access.
   
4. Copy and paste the following into the Registry box: ComputerHKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPrecisionTouchPadStatus
   
5. Double click on “Enabled.”
   
6. In “Set value,” change the 1 to a 0.
   
7. Then click “OK.” Your touchpad has been disabled.
   

Disabling the Touchpad in Windows 8

Windows 8 has many of the same functions as Windows 10. If you haven’t upgraded yet, don’t worry. Here’s how to disable the touchpad on Windows 8.

Using Settings

1. Right-click on the “Start” menu.
2. Select “Settings.”
3. On the left, select “Devices,” then select “Touchpad.”
4. Toggle the touchpad on and off.

Using the Control Panel

The control panel method offers a more comprehensive way to disable the touchpad.

1. Access your control panel, then select the “Mouse” option.
2. In “Mouse Properties,” select the touchpad option. Select “ELAN.”
3. Select “Disable,” then select “Yes” when the option pops up. Your touchpad is now fully disabled.
4. If you want to disable the touchpad only when you’re using a USB mouse, check the box that says “Disable when using an external device” in the same menu. When you unplug your USB mouse, the touchpad will automatically turn back on.

Using Device Manager

1. Left click on the “Start” menu, then select “Device Manager.”
2. Scroll and find the “Mouse and other pointing devices.” Click the “+” symbol to expand the options.
3. Right click on the touchpad, then select “Disable device.”
4. Make sure you select the correct option so you don’t disable the wrong device.

Using Windows Registry

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows key and “R” together. The Windows key is the key with the Windows logo on it.
2. The command prompt box will appear. Type “Regedit” then hit “OK.”
3. Select “Yes” when asked about allowing user control access.
4. Copy and paste the following into the Registry box: ComputerHKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPrecisionTouchPadStatus
5. Double click on “Enabled.”
6. In “Set value,” change the 1 to a 0.
7. Your touchpad has been disabled.

Disabling the Touchpad in Windows 7

Windows 7 may be old, but it’s definitely not obsolete. It is still in use and hasn’t been discontinued quite yet by Microsoft. For those who like it old school, here are two ways to disable your touchpad on Windows 7.

Command Prompt Method

1. Click on the Start menu button.
2. In the box, type “main.cpl” then press “Enter.”
3. In the new window, select the “Device Settings” tab on the right.
4. In the next section, find your touchpad, highlight it, then select “Disable.”
5. Select “OK” for the next two windows. Your touchpad will be disabled whenever you plug a USB mouse in.

Control Panel Method

1. Go to “My Computer,” then go to the Control Panel.
2. Select “Hardware and Sound,” then select “Devices and Printers.”
3. Click on “Mouse.”
4. In “Mouse Properties, select “Finger Sensing Pad.”
5. Choose “Configure.”
6. A new menu will appear. In the “Configure Item” menu, select “Enable/Disable Pad.”
7. Go to the “USB Mouse Detection” menu.
8. Check the box that reads “Disable pad while external USB is plugged in.”
9. Your touchpad will be disabled and will always disable when you plug in a USB mouse.

Laptop-Specific Methods

These next two methods aren’t available on all makes of laptop. Different brands may feature different buttons, functions, or layouts. Before trying these two methods, check your laptop to see if it has these options.

“Fn” Key Method

All keyboards come with F1-F10 keys. With the “Fn” key, those keys can have additional functions labeled with different symbols on the keys. Here’s how to use the “Fn” key to disable the touchpad.

1. Find the rectangle with a line through it on your keyboard. It’s usually the F10 key, but it may be different on your laptop.
2. Press the “Fn” key together with the key with the correct symbol.
3. An image will appear showing your touchpad is disabled.

Tap the Corner of the Touchpad

Some laptops will have a small square on their touchpad. Simply tap the square to disable your touchpad.

Out of Touch

The touchpad is a burden for most people. However, leaving it enabled makes it even more of a nuisance. Always be sure to disable it and use a much better USB mouse option.

Have you ever disabled the touchpad on Windows? Did you try one of the methods we used? Let us know in the comments section below.