[FIXED] Acer Laptop Touchpad Not Working (And General Laptop Touchpad Fixes)

It’s hard to use a laptop when your touchpad isn’t working. Unfortunately, this is a common experience among Acer laptop users. On top of that, Acer laptops like the Aspire 5, Nitro series, and others can sometimes run into unique problems.

While an external mouse might seem like an easy solution, it’s not always the best fit and might not work for some people. But don’t worry, we’ll show you effective ways to fix the issue with your touchpad not working, especially for Acer laptops.

Why Is My Touchpad Not Working?

If your laptop touchpad isn’t working, it’s rarely a hardware failure. In most cases, something small, like a driver glitch, a settings change, or even a Windows update, is the real cause.

Let’s break down the possible reasons behind this issue:

☞ Common causes for a lap top touchpad not working

These problems can happen to just about any laptop, not just Acer:

• Your laptop is frozen, not the touchpad

Sometimes, it’s not the to uchpad that’s not workin g on your laptop, it’s the whole laptop that’s stuck. The screen may still be showing something, but it’s completely unresponsive. You can’t move the cursor or click anything. Try pressing Caps Lock to see if the light turns on. If the light doesn’t turn on or off, the system is frozen. If so, force restart the PC.

• The touchpad got disabled by accident

On many laptops, including Acer, you can turn off the touchpad using a key combination without even realizing it. This is especially common if you accidentally press Fn + F7 (or Fn + F6) while typing. There’s usually no pop-up, but when there is one, it’s typically faint. So, people don’t always realize it happened.

• Your touchpad driver is missing or glitched

The driver is the small bit of software that lets your touchpad “talk” to Windows. If it’s outdated, corrupted, or missing (after a Windows update or reinstall), your touchpad will either stop responding, not function as it should, or freeze randomly. You can use Device Manager or a reliable driver updater tool to fix this.

• Issues with the Windows update

Sometimes, Windows installs a generic touchpad driver that isn’t fully compatible with your Acer laptop’s hardware. This is a common cause of touchpad problems immediately after a Windows update. In such cases, rolling back the driver to a previous version often resolves the issue.

• An external mouse or USB device is interfering

Some Acer laptops automatically disable the touchpad when you plug in an external USB mouse or even a wireless mouse with a dongle. Other brands may also do this. The feature is designed to prevent accidental cursor movement, but it can be frustrating if it doesn’t turn back on after being unplugged. Restarting the laptop can fix this problem.

• There’s an issue with the BIOS

Sometimes, the BIOS reverts to its previous settings, opting to start some services while stopping others. The touchpad is often among the restricted services.

• Application and driver conflicts are affecting the touchpad

There are times when different software components, including drivers, system services, and third-party applications, clash to cause various problems. These software conflicts can disrupt the communication between the operating system and your touchpad, causing it to stop working.Causes specific to an Acer laptop touchpad not working.

⇢ Some Acer laptops, especially models like the Aspire and Nitro series, tend to have their own common touchpad issues. These include:

• The precision touchpad is glitching

Newer Acer laptops often use precision touchpad technology. This means Windows handles the touchpad features directly, including gestures and scrolling. But if there’s a bug, update, or setting change, it can completely stop responding, freeze, or lose scrolling.

• The touchpad stops working after sleep mode 

This is a known issue with many Acer Aspire and Nitro models. When you close the lid or the system goes to sleep, the touchpad might not wake up properly due to power-saving settings or driver issues. Restarting the laptop usually fixes the problem.

Having explained the possible causes of the problem, let us explore the solutions.

Quick Fixes for Touchpad Not Working on Acer and Other Laptops

Since there are different underlying causes for the laptop touchpad not working, we’ll be covering different solutions.

These are the first things to check and try before you get into advanced fixes:

Fix 1: Restart your laptop

Sometimes, after system updates, driver changes, or even sleep mode, your touchpad can stop responding due to temporary memory glitches or incomplete driver loading.

Restart your laptop and check if the touchpad is working again. If your touchpad is completely unresponsive, hold down the power button for about 10 seconds to force a shutdown, then press it again to start up.

Fix 2: Check if the touchpad was disabled by a shortcut key

Most Acer laptops have a keyboard shortcut to quickly disable or enable the touchpad. It’s great for avoiding accidental touches while typing. But it’s easy to hit by mistake. Here’s how to check:

• Look at your function keys (F1–F12). The touchpad toggle is usually F7, but it may vary. It typically looks like a small rectangle with a finger or a cross symbol.
• Press Fn + the touchpad key (for example, Fn + F7).
• Wait a few seconds and try using your touchpad again.

Fix 3: Check and re-enable your touchpad

Sometimes the touchpad is disabled in Windows settings, either by accident, due to a buggy update, or because of a setting change during power-saving mode.

• Press Windows + I to open Settings.
• Go to Bluetooth & devices and click Touchpad.

• Make sure the Touchpad toggle is set to On.

• If it’s already enabled, toggle it off, click on the down arrow beside it, and click Reset under Reset touchpad settings and gestures to defaults.

• Test your touchpad again to see if it works.

Make sure Leave touchpad on when a mouse is connected is checked.

Fix 4: Run the built-in hardware troubleshooter

The troubleshooter checks if the touchpad is being blocked by other apps, disabled by system conflicts, or has hardware-level issues. Here’s how to check if the hardware is the cause of the touchpad not working for Acer and other brands:

• Press Windows + S, type Troubleshoot, and click Troubleshoot settings.

• Click Other troubleshooters, scroll down, and select Hardware and Devices.
• Click Run and follow the on-screen instructions.

If you can’t find Hardware and Devices, follow the steps below. Microsoft sometimes hides this feature:

• Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog.
• Type msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic and press Enter.

• Click Next to run the troubleshooter.

Follow the on-screen instructions to detect and fix hardware issues.

Fix 5: Check for Windows updates or roll back a buggy update

Some Windows updates can break device drivers, including touchpads. A newer update might fix it, or if the problem started right after an update, rolling it back may be the solution. First, let’s check for updates:

To check for updates:

• Press Windows + I to open Settings.
• Go to Windows Update.

• Click Check for updates and install any that appear.

To roll back an update (if the problem started recently):

• Go to Settings, select Windows Update, and click Update history.

• Scroll down and click Uninstall updates.
• Look for any recent updates (especially related to drivers) and uninstall them.

Intermediate to Advanced Fixes for a Touchpad Not Working

If none of the basic methods helped, there may be deeper issues, like conflicting drivers, incorrect BIOS settings, or a corrupted installation. These fixes go a level deeper and can often bring your touchpad back to life.

Fix 1: Check for driver issues

If Windows doesn’t recognize your touchpad, or if the driver is outdated or corrupted, your touchpad won’t function.

Device Manager tags problematic drivers with yellow triangles or exclamation marks to help identify drivers with issues.

However, in most cases, you can’t tell by looking at the window whether a driver is corrupted or outdated. You can go through the Acer Support webpage to find the most recent driver for your device.

That way, you can replace your current driver with something that works better.

Firstly, check Device Manager to be sure you have the latest driver already installed. Here’s how:

• Press Windows + I, then choose Device Manager.
• Expand Human Interface Devices. Sometimes it might be under Mice and other pointing devices. 
• Look for anything like HID-compliant touchpad, ELAN, Synaptics, or Precision Touchpad.
• Then, right-click the device and select Properties.

• Go to the Driver tab to check the driver version and compare it with what’s on Acer’s website.

If your current driver version is older, try updating it using Device Manager. Here’s how:

• Right-click the touchpad in Device Manager and select Update driver.

• Choose Search automatically for drivers.

Fix 2: Test the touchpad in Safe Mode

Safe Mode runs only essential drivers. If your touchpad works in Safe Mode but not normally, a third-party app or background service may be interfering with it. Here’s how to boot into Safe Mode:

• Press Windows + R, type msconfig, then hit Enter.

• Go to the Boot tab, check Safe boot, and then select Minimal.
• Click Apply and OK, then restart the PC.

• Test your touchpad in Safe Mode to see if it’s working or not.

⇢ If the touchpad works in Safe Mode

If your Acer laptop touchpad is working in Safe Mode, it means a third-party app or background service is interfering with the touchpad in normal mode. To fix this:

• Check recently installed apps 

An application you installed recently may be the culprit. Open Settings, go to Apps, and click Installed apps. Then, uninstall any program you installed within the last few days. If you see any suspicious app, especially mouse- or touchpad-related programs, also delete them.

• Disable startup programs 

Another reason could be apps that automatically launch when you turn on your computer. You can disable these startup programs and check if that resolves the problem.

To disable the programs, just press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to launch Task Manager, go to the Startup apps tab, and disable unnecessary or non-essential apps.

If the touchpad doesn’t work in Safe Mode, exit Safe Mode and move to the next section. Here’s how:

• Open System Configuration again (Windows + R and type msconfig).
• Uncheck Safe boot and restart your laptop.

Fix 3: Enable the touchpad in BIOS settings

Some laptops let you disable the touchpad from the BIOS. If it’s turned off there, Windows won’t detect it—no matter what you try in the OS. Here are the steps to check your BIOS settings:

• Completely shut down your laptop.
• Turn it back on and immediately start pressing F2 (or Del, depending on your model) repeatedly to enter the BIOS.
• Use the arrow keys to navigate to the Main or Advanced tab.
• Look for the Touchpad or Internal Pointing Device setting.
• Make sure it’s enabled.
• Press F10 to save and exit.

The steps above apply to most Acer laptops, but specific models may have slight differences in their BIOS menus. Here’s a table for specific Acer models and how to enter the BIOS:

Fix 4: Perform an SFC and DISM scan

Corrupted system files or configuration issues can break input devices like the touchpad. SFC and DISM are built-in tools that can scan for and fix the system issues that led to your Acer touchpad not working. Here’s how to go about it:

• Press Windows + S, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.

• In the Command Prompt window, type this and press Enter: sfc /scannow.

• Wait for the scan to complete (it can take several minutes). Next, run these commands one by one:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

• Restart your PC after the scans finish.

What to Do If Your Acer Touchpad Is Still Not Working

If your Acer touchpad is not working after you’ve tried all the fixes above, don’t worry, you still have a few solid options.

These are more like last-resort steps, but they’ve helped many users, especially when things just seem stuck.

Solution 1: Restore Windows to an earlier point

If the issue started recently, maybe after a Windows update or software installation, a restore point can roll your system settings back to before things broke. This won’t affect your personal files but will delete apps installed after that point.

• Press Windows + S, type restore, and click Create a restore point.

• In the System Properties window, click System Restore.

• Choose a restore point from before the touchpad issue started.
• Click Next and select Finish to start the process.

Solution 2: Reset Windows (but keep your files)

Sometimes, system corruption or driver conflicts run too deep. A reset gives you a clean slate without deleting your personal files.

• Press Windows + I to open Settings.
• Go to System and select Recovery.

• Next to Reset this PC, click Reset PC.

• Choose Keep my files.

• Select Local reinstall.

• Click Next a couple of times and select Reset to start the process.

• You can click View apps that will be removed to check the applications the reset will delete. This should help you get things in order before the process begins.

Solution 3: Contact Acer support or visit a technician

If your Acer laptop touchpad is not working after you’ve tried everything, it might be a hardware issue (like a loose internal cable or a failing touchpad sensor). In this case:

• Contact Acer support
• Visit a trusted repair shop or technician
• Check if your laptop is still under warranty

Acer Touchpad Not Working: What to Remember

Touchpad problems are annoying, especially when they hit out of nowhere. But the good news is that most issues with an Acer laptop touchpad not working aren’t hardware failures. They’re usually small glitches that you can fix yourself.

Whether it’s a quick restart, a tweak in the BIOS, or rolling back a buggy Windows update, you don’t need to be tech-savvy to try them.

And if nothing works, don’t give up. Reaching out to Acer support or visiting a trusted technician is always an option. In the meantime, you can use an external mouse as a good backup to keep you going.

Do you have a solution that worked for you or a question we didn’t cover? Drop a comment below; your tip might just help someone else!

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