Chromebooks are great devices for staying connected and getting tasks done. But a Chromebook touchpad not working can ruin your day. It might even make you think you have a frozen Chromebook to fix. There are a few things you can try to fix the issue.

Causes of Chromebook Touchpad Not Working

There are a few reasons why a Chromebook touchpad may stop working. Dirt and dust on or under the touchpad can interfere with the physical operation of the touchpad. Frozen or malfunctioning software can cause the cursor to stop moving. Some Chromebooks have a key combination that allows you to turn off the touchpad.

A Quick Workaround When a Chrome Touchpad Won’t Work

There’s a good workaround for a malfunctioning touchpad that is also a good diagnostic step. Use the touchscreen on your Chromebook to navigate (if applicable) or plug in an external mouse. If either or both of those work, then the problem is specific to the touchpad and not a bigger problem with the Chromebook.

How to Fix a Chromebook Touchpad That Is Not Working

After you determine you have a touchpad problem, and not something larger going on with your Chromebook, then you can start troubleshooting the problem. Here are some potential fixes you can try:

  • Make sure there is no dust or dirt on the touchpad. A good cleaning may be in order. Like physically cleaning a laptop, use a soft cloth to wipe away any dust or dirt that’s on the touchpad. Also, use a can of compressed air to puff out anything that’s in the cracks or under the touchpad.
  • Drumroll your fingers on the touchpad for ten seconds. Drumming your fingers on the touchpad causes vibration, which can loosen specks of dirt and jostle the debris out of the way.
  • Press the Esc key several times. The Esc key stops loading the current page. If something on the page is causing your computer to malfunction or freeze, pressing Esc a few times can interrupt the process and get things back to normal.
  • Restart the Chromebook. Press and hold the Power button until the Chromebook turns off, give it a full minute, then turn it back on. Restarting can fix many computer problems.
  • Perform a hard reset. A hard reset of your Chromebook doesn’t affect any files on the computer, but it can resolve several problems. Hold the Power button until the Chromebook turns off, then press the Power and Refresh buttons at the same time to reboot and reset the computer.
  • Check the Chromebook manual. Some Chromebooks have function keys that can turn off the touchpad. This may be the cause of touchpad issues on a Samsung Chromebook. You may have inadvertently turned off the touchpad, and if that’s the case, all you need to do is turn it back on.
  • Change how the touchpad works. Go to Settings > TouchPad and turn off features like tap-to-click, touchpad acceleration, and touchpad speed. Changing that behavior might get the touchpad working again.
  • Remove the Chromebook problem user account. If you have more than one account on a Chromebook, delete the account that’s having the problem or switch to a different account to see if that alleviates the issue.
  • Most Chromebooks work entirely online and in the cloud. If you saved files locally, back up those files before deleting the account.
  • Consult with a repair technician. Have a professional check the physical components. If none of these options do the trick, your Chromebook may be damaged or unrepairable.
  • If that’s the case, maybe it’s time to look at tossing your current Chromebook and snagging a new one. At least there are several great models on the market and they’re not crazy expensive compared to other laptops.
  • The 7 Best Chromebooks of 2023

Make sure there is no dust or dirt on the touchpad. A good cleaning may be in order. Like physically cleaning a laptop, use a soft cloth to wipe away any dust or dirt that’s on the touchpad. Also, use a can of compressed air to puff out anything that’s in the cracks or under the touchpad.

Drumroll your fingers on the touchpad for ten seconds. Drumming your fingers on the touchpad causes vibration, which can loosen specks of dirt and jostle the debris out of the way.

Press the Esc key several times. The Esc key stops loading the current page. If something on the page is causing your computer to malfunction or freeze, pressing Esc a few times can interrupt the process and get things back to normal.

Restart the Chromebook. Press and hold the Power button until the Chromebook turns off, give it a full minute, then turn it back on. Restarting can fix many computer problems.

Perform a hard reset. A hard reset of your Chromebook doesn’t affect any files on the computer, but it can resolve several problems. Hold the Power button until the Chromebook turns off, then press the Power and Refresh buttons at the same time to reboot and reset the computer.

Check the Chromebook manual. Some Chromebooks have function keys that can turn off the touchpad. This may be the cause of touchpad issues on a Samsung Chromebook. You may have inadvertently turned off the touchpad, and if that’s the case, all you need to do is turn it back on.

Change how the touchpad works. Go to Settings > TouchPad and turn off features like tap-to-click, touchpad acceleration, and touchpad speed. Changing that behavior might get the touchpad working again.

Remove the Chromebook problem user account. If you have more than one account on a Chromebook, delete the account that’s having the problem or switch to a different account to see if that alleviates the issue.

Most Chromebooks work entirely online and in the cloud. If you saved files locally, back up those files before deleting the account.

Consult with a repair technician. Have a professional check the physical components. If none of these options do the trick, your Chromebook may be damaged or unrepairable.

If that’s the case, maybe it’s time to look at tossing your current Chromebook and snagging a new one. At least there are several great models on the market and they’re not crazy expensive compared to other laptops.

  • How do I turn off the touchpad on my Chromebook?
  • Open Chrome, go to chrome://flags/#ash-debug-shortcuts, and turn on Debugging Keyboard shortcuts. After you restart your Chromebook, use the shortcut Search+Shift+P to toggle the touchpad on or off.
  • How do I click faster on my Chromebook touchpad?
  • Go to your Chromebook’s touchpad settings and turn on Touchpad acceleration. This feature makes it easier to scroll through long documents and web pages.
  • How do I right-click on my Chromebook?
  • Tap the touchpad using two fingers. Alternatively, hold down the Alt key, then tap the touchpad with one finger.
  • How do I fix a Chromebook touchscreen that’s not working?
  • If your Chromebook touchscreen isn’t working, clean the screen and make sure the touchscreen isn’t turned off. If you have Debugging keyboard shortcuts turned on, select Search+Shift+T to turn on the touchscreen.

Open Chrome, go to chrome://flags/#ash-debug-shortcuts, and turn on Debugging Keyboard shortcuts. After you restart your Chromebook, use the shortcut Search+Shift+P to toggle the touchpad on or off.

Go to your Chromebook’s touchpad settings and turn on Touchpad acceleration. This feature makes it easier to scroll through long documents and web pages.

Tap the touchpad using two fingers. Alternatively, hold down the Alt key, then tap the touchpad with one finger.

If your Chromebook touchscreen isn’t working, clean the screen and make sure the touchscreen isn’t turned off. If you have Debugging keyboard shortcuts turned on, select Search+Shift+T to turn on the touchscreen.

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