When buying a new laptop, we highly value a sleek and smoothen touchpad. Even so, at that place may be times when you wish to go rid of information technology altogether. The touchpad might be registering unintentional clicks when you type on the keyboard, you might want to use an external device, or there could exist some other reason.

Information technology is non possible to disconnect it from the laptop physically, but you can disable it. Let's accept a look at six different ways y'all tin can disable the touchpad on your laptop.

i. Disabling the Touchpad in Windows Settings

In Windows, the Settings app is the first place you lot should go to make any changes in settings. So let's expect at how y'all can disable the touchpad in Windows settings before nosotros move on to more complex methods of disabling it.

Right-click on the Windows Outset push button and get to Settings. Then, navigate to Devices and become to Touchpad from the left-sidebar. Turn off the Touchpad toggle to disable the touchpad.

You lot may only see the touchpad's sensitivity settings, which means that yous can't disable information technology in the Settings app.

two. Disabling the Touchpad in the Control Panel

Every bit an alternative, you can disable the touchpad in the Windows Command Panel. If you want to have this route, you have three options:

1. Disabling Touchpad Completely

Navigate to the Mouse category in Windows Control Console. Head to the touchpad tab in Mouse Backdrop, which in this case is ELAN. Click on ELAN Touchpad and striking Cease Device. Borer on Yeah in the Disable Device warning popup volition disable your touchpad.

Disabling-Touchpad-In-Mouse-Properties-In-Windows-10

Note: Using an external mouse is the only way to become your touchpad working again, so proceed it nearby if you lot don't want to become stuck after disabling the touchpad.

ii. Disabling Touchpad When Yous Connect an External Device

In the same window, you can check the box for Disable when external USB pointing device plug in, which will disable the touchpad pad equally soon as you connect an external pointing device.

After you unplug the external device, the touchpad volition work again.

Checking-The-Box-For-Touchpad-Settings-In-Mouse-Properties-In-Windows-10

iii. Disabling Touchpad Clicks While Keeping Its Coil Functionality

Terminal merely not least, if you want to disable clicks on the touchpad only keep the scrolling on the touchpad and its button working, there is another way out.

Go to Control Console and this time caput over to the Touchpad category. Become to Tapping configuration in One-finger settings. Unchecking the box for Enable will disable the clicks on the touchpad while keeping the balance of its functionality working.

Changing-ELAN-Touchpad-Settings-From-Control-Panel

To set your touchpad to your desired settings, yous can choose from three options. Suppose these methods oasis't worked for yous; movement on to other methods of disabling the touchpad in Windows.

3. Disabling the Touchpad in Device Manager

If the above methods don't piece of work for you lot, the Device Manager should be your next finish to disable the touchpad. Here is how information technology works:

  1. Left-click on the Beginning button and head over to Device Manager.
  2. Aggrandize the category for Mice and other pointing devices.
  3. Right-click the driver for your touchpad and tap Disable device.
    Disabling the touchpad via the Device Manager

If you discover both your external pointing device and touchpad with the aforementioned driver name, yous may have to disable them one by 1 to come across which i represents your touchpad.

This method is inapplicable in some instances when Windows doesn't allow disabling the primary touchpad device via its commuter.

4. Disabling the Touchpad via ETD Control Heart

ETD Command Centre, known equally Elan Trackpad Device Control Center, is a program that runs in the groundwork of your device, controlling your trackpad activity. Stopping this program will disable your trackpad.

The following instructions will help you disable this program if you take it installed on your device:

  1. Right-click on the taskbar and become to Job Managing director.
  2. Locate the ETD Control Centre from the list of programs.
  3. Tap End Job (or Disable) past left-clicking on it.
Ending-Task-For-ETD-Control-Centre-In-Task-Manager-In-Windows-10

Restart your figurer once to apply the changes. Once it is disabled, it won't run at bootup, preventing your touchpad from working. However, if your reckoner has its own touchpad commuter, disabling ETD Control Middle won't make whatsoever difference.

ETD Control Middle is also non available on all laptops, and then if yous don't have this program controlling your touchpad activity, this fix won't employ.

5. Disabling the Touchpad via the Windows Registry

Try modifying the registry if nothing seems to disable the touchpad. Nevertheless, practice this simply when you know what you are doing. Even if y'all are familiar with such modifications, it is good to dorsum upwards the registry. As a consequence, if your expertise fails you and you mess up something, you tin can restore it.

Here is what y'all demand to practise to disable the touchpad via Registry:

  1. Press Win + R to open the Run command box.
  2. Type "Regedit" and hit OK.
  3. Let user control access by borer Yes.
  4. Navigate to the PrecisionTouchPad condition folder using the following path. (You can likewise copy-paste it into the Registry.) 
                  Calculator\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PrecisionTouchPad\Status
  5. Double-tap on Enabled entry to alter Value information.
  6. Set Value data to 0 instead of 1.
Disabling-Touchpad-By-Changing-Value-Data-In-Windows-Registry

As a consequence, the touchpad will not piece of work unless you change the data value back to i. If you lot are yet unable to disable the touchpad following these steps, consider using third-political party apps.

6. Use Third-Party Software

If all else fails, y'all tin use 3rd-party apps. Touchpad Blocker is a great free tool for enabling or disabling the touchpad with a combination of keys. By default, they are set up as CTRL + ALT + F9. You can turn the blocker on and off by pressing CTRL + F9 (no ALT).

To utilize this software, visit Touchpad Blocker's official website. Download and install the Touchpad Blocker software. Once installed, press CTRL + F9 to activate it. Later, yous tin access the touchpad blocker either from the taskbar or from the listing of subconscious icons.

Touchpad-Blocker-Location-And-Settings-In-Windows

Autonomously from disabling the touchpad, you tin can as well configure the programme to run at startup automatically, brand a beep audio when the click is blocked, and block move and cycle events when necessary.

Moreover, it allows you to stop accidental taps and clicks and set time intervals to block clicks. There are so many things you tin can practise with Touchpad Blocker to control touchpad activity.

Deactivate Your Touchpad and Get Back to Piece of work

Some of the fixes may piece of work for y'all, while others may non. No affair what, the terminal option volition work in every case if none of the other options has worked. Regardless of which version of Windows you are using, Touchpad Blocker is compatible with Windows XP/Vista/7/eight and ten.

If y'all face problems with the touchpad later on reactivating information technology, you should update the driver, unplug any external pointing device, or reset other mouse settings.

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About The Author

Shan Abdul (192 Articles Published)

Shan'south brain churns words all 24-hour interval long and this is his bread and butter. Every day he learns something new, teaches it to the MUO audience, and makes a living out of it.

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