I cleaned my laptop's keyboard and touchpad with alcohol pads while removing old stickers. Afterward, the touchpad stopped responding, and I can't afford to buy an external mouse right now. I'm not sure of the exact laptop model, but it uses an Intel processor. What should I check to get the touchpad working again?
2 Answers
Try disconnecting any USB devices, then fully shut down the laptop and turn it back on. A stuck input device or a temporary driver issue can sometimes make the touchpad appear unavailable. In this case, unplugging the USB device and restarting brought the touchpad back.
First check whether the touchpad was accidentally disabled while cleaning. Many laptops have a function-key shortcut, often an Fn key combined with one of the F-keys showing a touchpad icon. Some models also enable or disable it by double-tapping one corner of the touchpad. The exact shortcut depends on the laptop’s manufacturer and model.
I wasn’t sure how to check because I only know that it’s an Intel laptop, not the model.
That fixed it for me. I unplugged the USB device, turned the laptop off, and the touchpad worked again after restarting.