How to Activate a Dell Touchpad on a Laptop
By Aramenta Waithe
The touchpad driver software for Dell laptops contains an option to disable the touchpad entirely. For people who prefer to use an external mouse, this option prevents the possibility of the touchpad being bumped accidentally, moving the mouse cursor while the user types on the keyboard. If you are unable to use the touchpad on your Dell laptop to move the mouse cursor, someone may have used this option to disable it. Activate the touchpad through the Windows Control Panel.
Step 1
Open the Start Menu by clicking the circular Windows logo at the bottom left of the desktop.
Step 2
Click "Control Panel."
Step 3
Click the "Mouse" icon. If you do not see the icon, select either "Small Icons" or "Large Icons" using the "View by" menu at the top of the window.
Step 4
Click the "Devices" tab. If the window does not have a "Devices" tab, click the "Dell Touchpad" tab, and then click the graphic of the touchpad. Click "Device Select" in the "Dell Touchpad" window.
Step 5
Click the "Enable" radio buttons under "Touchpad" and "Touchpad Buttons."
Step 6
Click "OK."
References
Tips
- If you do not see the menu options described in this article when you open the "Mouse" control panel option, you may not have the correct touchpad drivers installed for your Dell laptop. Download them from the Dell Drivers & Downloads website.
Writer Bio
Aramenta Waithe has been a professional writer and ghostwriter since 1989. Her work has appeared in Florida's "Sun-Sentinel" and the "Miami Herald." She writes about a variety of subjects from home improvement to medicine. Waithe attended the University of Massachusetts and Florida Atlantic University, majoring in oceanographic engineering.