Trackpad doesn't work

[jamesem21]

Hi,

I have the HP Spectre x360 2in1 Laptop for awhile now. The past couple of months the trackpad just hasn't been working at all. It started off with it lagging behind or sometimes flying all over my screen. Then it would not work for awhile then work. Now it just doesnt work at all. The trackpad has been turned on in the settings this whole time and my laptop is touchscreen (thankfully) so i've been using the onscreen touchpad option.

I've tried already to install the drivers and updating them. I did find that im missing the synaptics touch pad driver but when i tried installing it (with the assistant and without) nothing changed. It failed with the assistant and when manually doing it, it failed too. I completed the setup wizard but after that nothing changed.

If it helps, I have 2 HID-Compliant mouse drivers under the Mice and other pointing devices and thats it. I've factory reset my device several times, updated it and nothing works. Any help or is this a physical hardware issue?

[zoey7886]

@jamesem21, Welcome to the HP Support Community!  

Thanks for reaching out about your query regarding trackpad that doesn't work! 

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

I know how frustrating it can be when your trackpad suddenly stops working, especially when it was acting up for a while before completely giving out. Let's go through a few steps together to figure out whether this is a software or hardware issue.

Double-Check Trackpad Settings

Even though you've confirmed the trackpad is enabled, let's try toggling it off and on again:

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.
2. Go to Devices > Touchpad and toggle it off, then wait a few seconds and turn it back on.

Check Device Manager

You mentioned seeing two HID-Compliant mouse drivers under Mice and other pointing devices. The missing Synaptics driver is concerning, but let’s try this:

1. Right-click each HID-Compliant mouse driver and select Uninstall device (don’t worry, Windows will reinstall them after a restart).
2. Restart your laptop and check if the trackpad starts working.

Install HP’s Official Trackpad Driver

Sometimes, Windows updates can interfere with drivers. Try installing the HP-recommended drivers directly:

1. Go to the HP Spectre x360 Drivers page (enter your exact model number).
2. Download and install the latest Touchpad driver. If your laptop originally had a Synaptics or Precision driver, install that version.

Run HP Diagnostics

Your Spectre x360 has built-in hardware diagnostics:

1. Turn off your laptop.
2. Power it back on and immediately press F2 repeatedly until the HP Diagnostics menu appears.
3. Run the Touchpad Test under component tests. If it fails, that indicates a hardware issue.

External USB Mouse Test

If you plug in a USB mouse and it works fine, that suggests the problem is isolated to the trackpad itself. Since you've already tried a factory reset, if none of these steps work, it could indeed be a hardware issue—potentially a loose connection or a failing trackpad module.  

Take care, and have an amazing day!  

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, Please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!  

Regards, 

[jamesem21]

Hi, 

Thanks for the response. I've tried everything you've recomended however when running the diagnostics there was no component test options. 

Anyway, after uninstalling the 2 drivers and restarting I do now have the missing driver which makes the mouse work. However it's still slow (I dont think this is related to the speed settings) and it clicks randomly and sometimes it just doesnt move and will move around randomly fast through my screen clicking things. Could this be a dirty trackpad? I've tried cleaning it with cotton buds but not much has changed. I think the clicking issue may be because of the feature where you can lightly tap the trackpad to count as a click. If there is a way to turn this off this may fix my issue.

Thanks again,

James

[zoey7886]

@jamesem21, Thanks for getting back to us and for trying out the steps! I really appreciate your patience and effort in troubleshooting this.

It's great to hear that the missing driver has appeared and that the trackpad is at least functional now, but I totally get how frustrating it must be when it still lags, clicks randomly, or moves unpredictably. Let’s try a few more things to fine-tune it.

Adjust Trackpad Sensitivity & Disable Tap-to-Click

Since you mentioned accidental clicks, turning off "Tap-to-Click" might help:

Open Settings (Press Windows + I).

Go to Devices > Touchpad.

Look for "Tap to Click" or "Tap with a single finger to single-click" and turn it off.

While you're here, you can also adjust the touchpad sensitivity to see if that improves responsiveness.

Test in Safe Mode

To rule out any third-party software interfering:

Restart your laptop and hold Shift while clicking "Restart" from the power menu.

Choose Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart.

Once the options appear, select Safe Mode with Networking.

Check if the trackpad behaves normally here. If it works fine, then some software or drivers may be causing the issue.

Perform a Hard Reset

If the issue persists, a hard reset might help refresh hardware connections:

Turn off your laptop.

Unplug all external devices (including power adapter).

Press and hold the power button for 15-20 seconds.

Plug it back in and turn it on.

If the problem still continues after all this, we might be looking at a hardware issue, possibly with the touchpad itself or its connection inside the laptop. If that's the case, you might need to get it checked at an HP service center.

Let me know how it goes—I’m happy to help further!

Take care, and have an amazing day!  

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, Please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!  

Regards,