An Acer touchpad usually stops responding due to a disabled toggle, a driver fault, or a BIOS setting—check Windows Touchpad, hotkeys, drivers, and BIOS.
What Stops An Acer Touchpad From Working
Your built-in touchpad depends on three layers working together: hardware toggles on the keyboard, Windows settings, and the driver that talks to the hardware. If any layer flips off or goes out of date, the cursor stalls. The good news: you can sort this out at home in minutes with a methodical run-through. Start with quick toggles, then confirm settings, and only after that move to drivers, BIOS, and updates. The steps below are safe, reversible, and based on Acer and Microsoft guidance.
Quick Map Of Symptoms To Fixes
Use this table as your fast triage. Pick the line that matches what you see, then jump to the sections that follow.
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Where To Check |
|---|---|---|
| Cursor doesn’t move at all | Touchpad toggle key off or device disabled | Keyboard hotkey; Windows > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad |
| Touchpad missing in Settings | Driver issue or BIOS set to “Basic”/disabled | Device Manager; BIOS Main tab Touchpad mode |
| Works until a mouse is plugged in | Auto-disable when mouse is connected | Touchpad page > uncheck “Leave touchpad on when a mouse is connected” |
| Taps or gestures act strange | Sensitivity or gesture map not tuned | Windows Touchpad options; gesture settings |
| Broken after an update | Driver mismatch or old BIOS | Windows Update history; Acer Drivers & Manuals |
Acer Touchpad Not Working: Fast Checks That Save Time
1) Toggle The Touchpad Key
Many Acer notebooks include a touchpad icon on the function row. Tap the key with the touchpad icon to toggle. On some models you’ll hold Fn and tap the icon. Acer mentions F10 on newer lines and Fn+F7 or Fn+F2 on older ones. The icon looks like a small rectangle with two buttons or a line through it. If the screen flashes a pad-lock or touchpad symbol, you’ve found the switch. If nothing pops, move on; not every layout shows an on-screen cue.
2) Remove External Gear
Unplug USB dongles, mice, drawing tablets, and hubs. A setting can pause the touchpad when a mouse is present. Pull the USB receiver, wait ten seconds, and try the pad again. If it springs back, head into Windows Touchpad settings and allow the touchpad to stay on with a mouse if you prefer that behavior.
3) Confirm Windows Has The Touchpad Enabled
Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad. Make sure Touchpad is On. If you see the “Leave touchpad on when a mouse is connected” option, set it how you like. Microsoft’s guide walks through these checks and basic driver refresh steps; see Fix touchpad problems in Windows.
Check Drivers The Right Way
Windows can load a basic driver that moves the pointer, but Acer often ships a tuned ELAN, Synaptics, or Precision package for full gestures. If the wrong package lands during an update, gestures vanish or the device goes missing in Settings. A clean reinstall is the quickest reset.
4) Reinstall The Touchpad Driver
- Right-click Start and open Device Manager.
- Expand Mice and other pointing devices. You may see “HID-compliant touch pad,” “ELAN,” “Synaptics,” or “Precision Touchpad.”
- Right-click the touchpad entry and choose Uninstall device. Tick “Delete the driver software for this device” if offered.
- Restart. Windows will reload a fresh driver. If it still looks wrong or the pad is missing, install the Acer-specific package from the support page below.
Grab the exact driver for your model from Acer’s portal by SNID or model name: Acer Drivers and Manuals. This avoids mismatched packages and restores features like three- and four-finger gestures.
5) Run Windows Update
Head to Settings > Windows Update and pull pending updates. Feature updates sometimes ship an improved touchpad stack. Reboot and retest after updates finish. If a fresh update coincided with the fault, you can roll back the touchpad driver in Device Manager or use System Restore to a point from last week.
Tune Settings For Smooth Scrolling And Taps
If the pointer moves but feels off, tune it. Go back to Touchpad settings and adjust cursor speed, taps, and scroll direction. Open the gesture editor to map three-finger swipes to task view, desktop, or media. If taps trigger while typing, raise palm rejection and lower sensitivity. Microsoft documents the paths and options across releases, so you can match the exact menu names you see on your build.
6) Restore Touchpad In BIOS
On some Acer models the BIOS exposes a Touchpad mode under the Main tab. Set it to Advanced for full Windows features. If you recently changed firmware settings or updated BIOS, load Setup Defaults, save, and reboot. A wrong mode can hide the device from Windows entirely. If you’re unsure of the key, use the normal Acer entry key shown on the splash screen, then arrow to the Main tab and locate Touchpad.
7) Power And Startup Resets
Perform a full shutdown to clear a stuck state. Press Win+X, choose Shut down or sign out > Shut down, then hold the power button for ten seconds after the screen goes black. If your model has a pin-hole battery reset on the underside, press it once with a paperclip, wait a minute, and power back on. That reset forces the embedded controller to reinitialize the touchpad.
Model-Specific Keys And Notes
Acer publishes a general tip sheet that lists the usual touchpad keys across lines. Newer systems often map the toggle to F10, while older notebooks lean on Fn+F7 or Fn+F2. If the icon on your function row shows a crossed-out rectangle, that’s the one. Acer’s article also suggests removing all external devices, restoring BIOS defaults, and then reinstalling the touchpad driver from the model page. You can reference those steps here: Acer touchpad troubleshooting.
8) When Touchpad Vanishes From Device Manager
If there’s no entry under pointing devices, check View > Show hidden devices. Still nothing? That points back to BIOS mode or a driver that failed during an update. Install the package from Acer’s model page, then reboot twice. If you dual-boot or recently imaged the machine, confirm the chipset drivers are present, since the touchpad often hangs off the same bus.
Windows Settings Paths That Matter
Windows 11 centralizes most pad options under the Touchpad page. You’ll find the master toggle, tap settings, scroll and zoom, and gesture mapping. The same page contains the option that ties pad behavior to an external mouse. If you switch mice often, set the pad to stay on and rely on palm rejection. If you never touch the pad while mousing, let Windows turn it off when a mouse appears. Either way, you control the toggle, not the dongle.
Useful Paths And What They Do
| Action | Windows 11 Path | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Enable touchpad | Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad | Main On/Off plus sensitivity and taps |
| Keep pad on with mouse | Touchpad page > dropdown under toggle | Uncheck if the pad switches off when a mouse plugs in |
| Map gestures | Touchpad > Gestures | Set three- and four-finger swipes or taps |
| Driver rollback/update | Device Manager > Mice & other pointing devices | Right-click the device for Update or Roll Back |
| Precision options | Same Touchpad page | Appears on Precision-capable models |
Advanced Steps When The Basics Don’t Fix It
9) Install The Exact Acer Package
If Windows reloads a generic driver, advanced gestures may still be missing. Install the touchpad package for your exact model from Acer’s portal. Enter the SNID or full model, pick your Windows version, and download the touchpad item listed. Run the installer, reboot, and open Touchpad settings to confirm the extra controls are back.
10) Reset BIOS Defaults Then Set Touchpad To Advanced
Enter BIOS, press the reset-to-defaults option, save, and reboot back into BIOS. Now set Touchpad to Advanced. Save and boot into Windows. This two-step reset clears odd modes that survive a single save. After the first successful Windows boot, recheck Device Manager for the pad and install the Acer driver if it still shows generic.
11) Clean Boot To Rule Out Startup Conflicts
Open msconfig, hide Microsoft services, and disable the rest. Disable all startup apps in Task Manager. Reboot and try the touchpad. If it works in a clean boot, turn items back on in small groups to find the culprit. Third-party gesture layers or mouse tools can hijack the device.
12) Firmware And EC Updates
Some models receive BIOS or embedded controller updates that tweak touchpad behavior. Check your model’s support page for BIOS notes. If an update mentions input, power, or EC fixes, apply it while plugged into AC power. Afterward, load BIOS defaults once more and set Touchpad to Advanced before returning to Windows.
Safe Recovery Paths
13) System Restore Or Driver Rollback
If the pad stopped right after a feature update or driver push, roll back the touchpad driver in Device Manager. If that’s blocked, run System Restore to a point from before the change. Your files stay put; only system components roll back. Once restored, pause driver updates for a few days while you install the Acer package.
14) When To Call Support
If the pad still doesn’t respond in BIOS or during a Linux live boot, you could be dealing with a hardware fault or a loose cable. That’s rare, but it happens after drops or repairs. At that stage you’ve ruled out toggles, settings, drivers, and firmware, and a technician can reseat or replace the touchpad module.
Practical Touchpad Habits
- Keep one driver source: the Acer model page. Avoid random driver packs.
- After big Windows releases, revisit the Touchpad page and confirm toggles.
- If you use a mouse, set the pad behavior once and forget about it.
- Snap a photo of your function-row icons; the touchpad key is easy to spot later.
- Back up before BIOS updates and stay on AC power while flashing.
Step-By-Step Fix Flow You Can Follow
- Tap the touchpad key (F10 on many models; Fn+F7 or Fn+F2 on older units).
- Unplug external mice and wireless receivers; retest the pad.
- Turn Touchpad On under Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad.
- Tune taps, palm rejection, and gesture maps to stop errant clicks.
- Uninstall the touchpad from Device Manager, reboot, and retest.
- Install the exact driver from your Acer model page and reboot.
- Load BIOS defaults, then set Touchpad to Advanced and save.
- Run updates, then roll back the touchpad driver only if a new one breaks things.
- Clean boot to rule out startup conflicts with mouse tools or overlays.
- Check for BIOS or EC updates on the Acer page and apply if listed.
Quick Recap
A dead touchpad on an Acer notebook usually traces back to a toggle key, a Windows setting, or a driver mismatch. Start with the function-row touchpad key, confirm the Touchpad toggle in Settings, and pull any mice. If the device is missing or acts off, reinstall the driver from the Acer model page and reset BIOS to Advanced mode. For step-by-step screenshots and driver refresh tips from Microsoft, use their guide linked above. For Acer-specific keys and a short checklist, use the Acer article also linked above. With those two references and the flow in this page, most pads wake up fast.