Not everyone uses an external mouse to control a Chromebook. If you rely heavily on the touchpad, any issue with it could wreak havoc in your life. If your Chromebook’s touchpad isn’t working, or you are facing scrolling issues, this tutorial will help you learn how to fix the touchpad not working issue on your Chromebook.
Tip: if your Chromebook’s camera is not working either, try these fixes.
1. Clean the Touchpad
Touchpads become sticky over time and will stop working if not cleaned regularly. If you haven’t cleaned the Chromebook’s touchpad in a while, clean it with a microfiber cloth, or any soft cloth. Make sure there is no dirt, dust, or oil left on the touchpad.
2. Do a Drum Roll
It is recommended to drum your fingers on the touchpad for at least 10 seconds. This causes vibrations, which can loosen dirt or other unwanted material.
3. Press Esc Key Repeatedly
If you notice that the touchpad only stops working on particular pages, it could be that those pages are blocking touch input or have scripts running in the background, taking up the computer resources. Try pressing the ESC key several times on your keyboard to stop the current page from loading. If something isn’t working normally on that page, pressing the ESC key will stop that process, and the touchpad will eventually start functioning again.
4. Make Changes to the Touchpad Settings
When the touchpad is not responsive, try making changes to the touchpad settings to see if it can “wake” up the touchpad.
1. Search for “touchpad” on the Settings page.
2. Make sure Enable tap-to-click and Enable tap dragging are active in the Touchpad section. You can change the settings for touchpad acceleration, speed and reverse scrolling to see if it can get the touchpad working again.
5. Restart Chromebook
To avoid any boot-up glitches, restart the Chromebook, and check whether the touchpad is working again. Please note that you need to actually reboot the Chromebook and not just put it to sleep or close the lid.
To restart the Chromebook, click on the time icon in the bottom-right corner to open the Quick panel.
Press the Shut down button to turn off the Chromebook. Wait for 30 seconds, then turn the Chromebook back on.
Good to know: the Chromebook is a capable gaming machine too. Check out some of the best games you can play on a Chromebook.
6. Reset Chromebook Hardware
In addition to the above method, you can try doing a hard reset on your Chromebook. This will not delete your files but will restart hardware components like the touchpad and keyboard. Hopefully, the touchpad will start working again after performing a hard reset.
1. Turn off your Chromebook using the Shutdown button in the Quick Panel.
2. Press and hold the Refresh key, and while holding it, press the Power key to turn on the Chromebook.
3. When the Chromebook boots up, release the Refresh key.
Tip: a hardware reset can also help fix keyboard issues on Chromebook.
7. Use a Different Chrome Profile
Sometimes the issue with a Chromebook touchpad not working is limited to only one profile. Try using the Chromebook in guest mode or with a different account to see if the touchpad starts working again.
Click on the time in the bottom-right corner of the Chromebook. Click the Power icon followed by the Sign out option.
Click on the Browse as Guest button at the bottom of the lock screen. Try using the Guest mode option.
Note: you may not see the Guest mode option if you are using a Chromebook from school or work.
If the touchpad works fine in Guest mode, add a new user account on your Chromebook, and delete the older one. Hopefully, that should fix the issue.
8. Factory Reset Chromebook
If none of the above worked, factory reset the Chromebook. This will wipe all your files and restore the device to the factory settings.
In Settings, search for powerwash.
On the Reset settings page, click the Reset button, and follow the instructions to factory reset your device.
If the touchpad is still not working, even after factory resetting the Chromebook, it is probably a hardware failure and best to send your Chromebook in for repair. Check out the best tips for using a keyboard on Chromebook. Also, learn how to use and customize Chromebook’s shelf.
Our latest tutorials delivered straight to your inbox
