How to Disable the Touchpad on Windows 10

No longer using the Windows 10 touchpad? Turn it off

A photo of a red Windows 10 Surface laptop with its touchpad in full view and its screen turned on.

Drew Angerer / Getty Images

by Anita George
Anita George is a writer who has been covering technology since 2013. Her work has appeared in Paste Magazine and she holds both B.A. and B.S. degrees.
Updated October 17, 2019

Windows 10 supports touchpads, wireless and wired mice, and touchscreens to help you navigate your desktop with ease. If you primarily use your touchscreen or mouse to get around, here's how to disable the touchpad on Windows 10.

Instructions in this guide apply to all Windows 10 laptops with touchpad interfaces.

Why Disable the Touchpad in Windows 10?

Some users prefer using a mouse because it's generally more comfortable. Others with touchscreen-enabled PCs may prefer to tap and swipe their laptop screens like a tablet.

While working in a document, you might also want to disable the touchpad temporarily to avoid accidentally tapping something or moving the mouse pointer while typing on the keyboard. A touchpad's proximity to the keyboard makes it more vulnerable to these kinds of accidents.

Make sure you have another interface enabled and ready to use before disabling the touchpad. Depending on the device, there may or may not be a manual button you can press to turn it back on.

How to Disable the Touchpad on Windows 10

Check to see if there's a physical key on your laptop to disable/enable your touchpad's functionality. The key may have an icon resembling a touchpad. You will likely have to hold the Fn key as you press it.

If your device doesn't have such a button, follow these instructions to disable the touchpad from your Windows Settings:

  1. Select the Windows icon in the bottom-left corner of your screen, then select the gear icon to open your Windows Settings.

    Alternatively, type settings in the Windows search box and select Settings from the list of options that appear.

    Select the Windows icon in the bottom left corner of your screen, then select the gear icon to open your Windows Settings.

  2. Select Devices.

    Select Devices.

  3. Select Touchpad in the left pane, then set the toggle switch below Touchpad to Off.

    To automatically turn off the touchpad when you plug in your mouse, uncheck the box beside Leave touchpad on when a mouse is connected.

    Select Touchpad in the left pane, then set the toggle switch below Touchpad to Off.

  4. If you want to change the touchpad settings, scroll down to adjust the Touchpad Sensitivity. You can also choose what happens when you tap the touchpad and control how zooming and scrolling work.

    If you want to change the touchpad settings, scroll down to adjust the Touchpad Sensitivity.

  5. Scroll down further to customize Three-finger gestures and Four-finger gestures.

    Scroll down further to customize Three-finger gestures and Four-finger gestures.

  6. Scroll to the bottom and select Reset to restore the touchpad settings to their defaults.

    Scroll to the bottom and select Reset to restore the touchpad settings to their defaults.