My touchpad randomly stops working

[Vulpan]

My touchpad works fine most of the time but sometimes it randomly stops working and the only way to get it to work again is to completely restart it (and this is a school laptop too, if I can't fix this I might be in deep trouble). So far even after restarting the laptop the problem still sometimes persists and the touchpad just straight up does not show up in Device Manager.

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @Vulpan,

Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for reaching out!

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution.

I know that’s stressful, especially on a school laptop. When the touchpad disappears from Device Manager and only comes back after a restart, it usually means the driver or hardware is failing to initialize properly. The good news is this is often fixable with power and driver adjustments.

Before we proceed:
What version of Windows are you using (Windows 10 or 11)?

Meanwhile, you can follow these steps:

Step 1: Perform a Full Power Reset

• Shut down the laptop completely.
• Disconnect the charger.
• If the battery is removable, remove it.
• Hold the power button for 15 seconds.
• Reconnect everything and power it on.
• This clears hardware states that may prevent the touchpad from initializing.

Step 2: Check Touchpad Enable Shortcut

• Look for a function key with a touchpad icon (often F5, F7, or F9).
• Press Fn + that key once.
• Check if the touchpad responds.
• Press it again to toggle if needed.
• Some school laptops disable the touchpad via shortcut accidentally.

Step 3: Enable Hidden Devices in Device Manager

• Right-click Start and select Device Manager.
• Click View > Show hidden devices.
• Expand Mice and other pointing devices.
• If you see a greyed-out touchpad device, right-click and select Enable.
• If listed with warning symbol, right-click and choose Update driver.
• If it does not appear at all, continue below.

Step 4: Disable Power Saving for Input Devices

• In Device Manager, expand Mice and other pointing devices.
• Right-click any HID-compliant mouse device.
• Select Properties.
• Go to the Power Management tab.
• Uncheck “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.”
• Click OK.
• Power saving can cause random disappearance.

Step 5: Reinstall Touchpad Driver

• In Device Manager, expand Human Interface Devices.
• Look for a touchpad-related device (Synaptics, ELAN, or HID-compliant touchpad).
• Right-click and select Uninstall device.
• Restart the laptop normally.
• Windows should automatically reinstall the driver.

If the touchpad still disappears and does not show even under hidden devices, the issue may be hardware-level (loose internal cable). 

I hope this helps.

I'm glad I could help! 😊 If this resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" Your feedback not only keeps us going but also helps others find the solution faster! 👍✨

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 🚀

Best regards,