How to Turn On the Touch Screen in Windows 11

To turn on a disabled touchscreen in Windows 11, right-click Start > Device Manager, expand Human Interface Devices, then right-click HID-compliant touch screen > Enable device. The same menu lets you turn it off with Disable device.

These steps apply to Windows 11 and Windows 10, which use the same Device Manager path. Your computer or monitor must already have touch-capable hardware; no Windows setting can add touch to an ordinary display.

Before You Change Touch Input

Have a working mouse or touchpad and keyboard available, especially before disabling touch. Changing a device in Device Manager needs an administrator account, so on a work or school PC, ask IT if the menu options are unavailable or you can’t approve the prompt. Save open work before any restart.

If your laptop’s pointer has vanished, first get your cursor back in Windows 11.

Check that your PC has a touchscreen

Not every laptop in a product family has a touchscreen, so a quick check can save a lot of troubleshooting.

1. Right-click Start and choose System. The About page opens.
2. Look at Pen and touch under Device specifications.
3. If it reads No pen or touch input is available for this display, Windows isn’t detecting a touch panel.

That message usually means the screen has no touch hardware. If your model was sold with touch, though, a missing or disabled driver can cause the same message, so continue with the steps below. You can also search Start for View pen and touch info to reach the same information.

You don’t need a touchscreen to type on the screen, though, because the On-Screen Keyboard in Windows works with a mouse.

For a touch-enabled external monitor, connect the touch-data cable its manual calls for. Dell’s touchscreen troubleshooting guide notes that its touch monitors need a USB cable to the computer, and touch won’t work over the video cable alone.

Enable the Touchscreen in Windows 11

These steps follow Microsoft’s touchscreen enable and disable instructions:

1. Right-click the taskbar’s Start button and choose Device Manager. Its window lists hardware categories. There are other ways to open Device Manager in Windows 11 too.
2. Expand Human Interface Devices using the arrow beside it.
3. Right-click HID-compliant touch screen, then choose Enable device. A disabled entry shows a small down-arrow on its icon, and the arrow disappears once it’s enabled.
4. If more than one HID-compliant touch screen entry appears, repeat step 3 for each. Leave unrelated input devices alone.

5. Tap a large on-screen button, then scroll in an app you know. Touch usually responds right away, without a restart.

If the menu shows Disable device instead of Enable device, the touchscreen is already enabled, so skip to the troubleshooting section below.

Don’t disable the whole Human Interface Devices group or entries you don’t recognize. Keyboards, touchpads, and other controls can be listed there too.

Turn the Touchscreen Off, or Undo the Change

1. In Device Manager, right-click the same HID-compliant touch screen entry.
2. Choose Disable device.
3. Select Yes in the confirmation box. Taps stop registering, but the screen still displays normally.

To turn touch back on, choose Enable device on the same entry. Use Disable device rather than Uninstall device, which removes the driver instead of switching touch off.

Some touch accessories will stop working too. Microsoft warns that disabling touch on Surface also disables accessories such as Surface Pen, Surface Dial, and the Windows Touch Keyboard. Read its Surface touchscreen guidance before troubleshooting that hardware.

Turn On the Touchscreen With PowerShell

If Device Manager won’t open or you manage several PCs, PowerShell can enable the same device. Microsoft’s Enable-PnpDevice reference says you need an administrator account.

1. Right-click Start and choose Terminal (Admin), then select Yes in the User Account Control prompt.
2. Type Get-PnpDevice | Where-Object {$_.FriendlyName -like '*touch screen*'} | Enable-PnpDevice -Confirm:$false and press Enter. The prompt returns without an error message when it works.
3. Test touch. To turn it off again, run the same command with Disable-PnpDevice in place of Enable-PnpDevice.

The command only changes devices whose name contains “touch screen,” the same entries you would change in Device Manager.

Windows 10

Windows 10 uses the same Device Manager steps shown above: Human Interface Devices > HID-compliant touch screen > Enable device (or Disable device). Device Manager is the documented way to turn the touchscreen on or off in both versions, so don’t expect a touchscreen switch in Settings.

If Touch Still Does Not Work

Work through these fixes in order and test touch after each one.

1. Restart the PC. This is the first step to try.
2. Install updates. Open Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options and turn on Receive updates for other Microsoft products. Under Additional options, open Optional updates, select any driver updates, and choose Download and install. Go back to Windows Update, select Check for updates, install everything, and restart. These steps come from Microsoft’s touchscreen troubleshooting page.
3. Clean the screen and remove any screen protector. Shut down first, wipe the screen with a soft microfiber cloth barely dampened with water, and let it dry. Dirt and some protectors can block touch.
4. Reinstall the touch driver. In Device Manager, right-click HID-compliant touch screen, choose Uninstall device, and confirm. Then open the Action menu and choose Scan for hardware changes, or restart. Windows reinstalls the driver. You can check your other drivers in Windows 11 while you’re there.
5. Stop Windows from powering touch off. Double-click the touch entry, open the Power Management tab if it exists, clear Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power, and select OK. This helps when touch stops working after sleep.
6. Install your PC maker’s drivers. If HID-compliant touch screen is missing or shows a yellow warning triangle, download the touch or chipset drivers for your exact model from the manufacturer’s support site. Try View > Show hidden devices first in case the entry is only hidden.

Don’t uninstall drivers on a Surface Pro X. Restoring them requires a full reset. On other Surface models, shut down, then hold volume up while pressing the power button to open the UEFI screen. If touch works there, the hardware is fine and the problem is in Windows.

If touch still fails after all of this, run your PC maker’s hardware diagnostics or contact its support, since the touch panel may need repair. You don’t need to reset Windows just to turn touch on.

Touch Works but Taps Land in the Wrong Place

That’s a calibration problem. Open Control Panel (if you can’t find it, learn how to open Control Panel in Windows 11), then:

1. Select Hardware and Sound.
2. Under Tablet PC Settings, select Calibrate the screen for pen or touch input.
3. If you have more than one display, pick the touch display.
4. Select Calibrate, then Touch input if Windows asks.
5. Tap each crosshair as it appears, then select Yes to save the calibration data.

These steps come from Dell’s instructions for its touchscreen PCs, and the same controls are part of Windows on other brands as well. If those controls are missing, use your manufacturer’s calibration tool.

Touch Works but Swipes and Gestures Don’t

Taps and scrolling can work while multi-finger swipes don’t. Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touch and turn on Three- and four-finger touch gestures. Microsoft’s touch gestures page also lists the edge swipes, such as swiping in from the right to open notifications, and where to turn them on.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if my PC has a touchscreen?

Right-click Start, choose System, and look at Pen and touch under Device specifications. It says whether touch input is available.

Do I need to restart after enabling the touchscreen?

Usually not. Touch should respond as soon as you choose Enable device. Restart only if it doesn’t.

Does turning off touch stop my Surface Pen?

Yes, on Surface devices. Disabling touch also disables Surface Pen, Surface Dial, and the Windows Touch Keyboard.

Should I use Uninstall device to turn touch off?

No. Use Disable device. Uninstall removes the driver instead of switching touch off, and Windows may reinstall it at the next restart.

Why did my touchscreen turn off by itself?

A driver update, a Windows update, or someone choosing Disable device can leave it off. Check Device Manager first, then install updates as described above.