
In addition, check whether the setting for ‘ Leave touchpad on when a mouse is connected‘ is enabled or disabled ( 2). Click Touchpad settings under the best match results, and make sure that Touchpad ( 1) is set to On. Check your laptop manual for details).Ĭheck this out in Windows 10, by using the Windows search bar and then typing “touchpad settings”. Some laptop manufacturers have incorporated special function keys to disable and enable the touchpad (Asus laptops use FN + F9, Dell uses Fn + F3, Lenovo uses F6, etc. If no device is shown in the Device Manager at all, make sure you haven’t disabled the touchpad on your laptop. Wait for Windows to search for the driver and install it.
Next, select the option to Search automatically for drivers.Right-click the device and then click Update driver ( 2).Just click that and then follow the next steps.
The device will be listed here with a different name, most likely as Unknown device. Note: If the Synaptics SMBus Touchpad is not listed in this category, check if a category called Other devices exists, and then open that ( 1).
The Synaptics pointing device should be listed here as something called “ Synaptics SMBus Touchpad”. In Device Manager, locate the entry called “ Mice and other pointing devices”, and then click to expand that category. In the popup menu that appears, click Device Manager. However, in many cases, a working pointing device can be achieved this way. It is not guaranteed that the driver will be the latest version from the manufacturer, nor may it offer all features. As such, it’s possible to use the Windows Device Manager to install the Synaptics touchpad driver. Install a Driver Using the Device Managerĭepending on the Windows version you’re using, support for many devices is included. And don’t forget about all the extra features modern touchpads offer (e.g. The driver ensures the touchpad is recognized as a pointing device, replacing the need for an external mouse.īut even if you prefer an external mouse, it is good to have the touchpad working so that you have a working pointing device in case you forget the mouse. For the touchpad to work, Windows will need a Synaptics touchpad driver to be installed. Most touchpads on laptops and notebooks are using a Synaptics device.