Modern Windows laptops are equipped with better touchpads. Windows 10 supports close to a dozen of touchpad gestures, and these new touchpad gestures help you get your job done faster.
One can turn on or off and configure various touchpad settings in Windows 10 provided that the right touchpad driver is installed. For example, you can configure the touchpad to launch Cortana with a three-finger tap.
If you have changed many settings of the touchpad or if the touchpad is not working well, you can try resetting touchpad settings to factory defaults.
In this guide, we will see how to reset touchpad settings to defaults without using any third-party tool.
Method 1 of 2
Reset touchpad to default settings via Settings in Windows 10
Note that only laptops that have precision touchpads offer the option to reset the touchpad via the Settings app. If you cannot reset the touchapd via this method, check out the directions in Method 2 (scroll down to see) of this guide.
Step 1: Navigate to the Settings app > Devices > Touchpad.
Step 2: Scroll down the page to see Reset your touchpad section. Here, click on the Reset button to touchpad settings and gestures to defaults.
NOTE: If you cannot see the Reset your touchpad section, it’s either because your laptop doesn’t have a precision touchpad or touchpad driver is not installed. Refer to Method 2 of this guide (scroll down to see) to manually reset the touchpad settings to their defaults.
Method 2 of 2
Resetting Windows 10 touchpad settings
Please note that this guide is for Synaptics touchpads, but the instructions are more or less the same for other touchpads as well. So, irrespective of the touchpad on your Windows 10 laptop, you can follow these directions to reset the touchpad.
Step 1: Open the Settings app. Navigate to Devices > Mouse & touchpad.
Step 2: Under Related settings, click Additional mouse options link to open the classic Mouse Properties dialog.
Step 3: Switch to the last tab labeled after your laptop’s OEM name or touchpad manufacturer’s name. In my ThinkPad, the last tab is ThinkPad.
On your PC, the last tab could be ClickPad, ClickPad settings, or Device Settings.
Step 4: Click Settings (see the picture above) to open the touchpad Control Panel or similar window with all touchpad settings.
Step 5: Under the General or Advanced tab, you will find the Restore All Defaults button. Click Restore All Defaults, and then click OK when you see the confirmation dialog to reset all touchpad settings to factory defaults.
You can open the touchpad control panel again to configure touchpad gestures and other settings.
You might also like to read our 3 ways to disable touchpad in Windows 10 guide.
