Touchpad Not Showing in Device Manager ? Here’s How to Fix It.

Your touchpad stops working and the touchpad driver is even not showing in Device Manager. That can be frustrating, but don’t worry. This problem can be solved easily. Read on to learn the possible solutions below.

How do you fix touchpad not showing up in Device Manager? You can try these methods:

Method 1: Run Hardware and Devices troubleshooter
Method 2: Show hidden devices in Device Manager
Method 3: Update your device drivers
Method 4: Restore BIOS to default

Method 1: Run Hardware and Devices troubleshooter

You can run Windows 10 built-in Hardware and Devices troubleshooter to troubleshoot and fix the touchpad driver disappeared issue. The Hardware and Devices troubleshooter can’t be accessible directly from the Settings app on Windows 10 now. You need to access it with the Run box. Here’s how to do it:

1) On your keyboard, press Win+R (the Windows logo key and the R key) at the same time to invoke the Run box.

2) In the Run box, type the following:

msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic

Then press the Enter key on your keyboard. After that, the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter will open.

show how to open hardware and devices troubleshooter

3) Click the Next button then the troubleshooter will scan your computer to detect the hardware problems. Just follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

If Method 1 doesn’t help resolve the problem, move on and try Method 2.

Method 2: Show hidden devices in Device Manager

The touchpad entry can be hidden in Device Manager. If that’s the case, you need to unhide it manually. Here’s how to show hidden devices in Device Manager:

1) Open Device Manager (learn how to access Device Manager).

2) Click the View menu at the top and select Show hidden devices.

how to show hidden devices in device manager

3) Click the Action menu and select Scan for hardware changes.

scan for hardware changes in device manager

4) Check if the touchpad entry shows up. The touchpad driver can show up as an Unknown Device. Check if you see any Unknown Device listed.

If it shows up, reinstall the device driver by right-clicking on the device and selecting Uninstall device, and restarting the computer. Then check to see if the error is resolved.

If it still doesn’t show up, this method doesn’t work for you. Continue to try Method 3.

Method 3: Update your device drivers

Missing chipset drivers or touchpad drivers can cause the touchpad not showing up in the Device Manager issue. You can try updating the drivers and see if it helps.

You can go to the PC manufacturer’s website to download the drivers. Usually, drivers can be downloaded from the Drivers, Support, or Download section.

Alternatively, you can search “PC model + driver” using your preferred search engine, then you can find the driver download page of your PC directly from the search results.

Tip: If it’s not easy for you to update the drivers manually, you can use Driver Easy to help update the drivers. With Driver Easy, you can update drivers with just a few clicks. Go to the vendor’s website to download Driver Easy.

After updating the drivers, if the touchpad driver missing issue still persists, try Method 4.

Method 4: Restore BIOS to default

The last resort you can try is to restore BIOS to default. The specific steps to restore BIOS vary depending on the computer manufacturer. But you can refer to the steps below to give it a try.

IMPORTANT: Modifying BIOS incorrectly can cause serious system issues. Ensure you know what you’re doing. If not, it’s recommended you contact your laptop manufacturer for help.

1) Enter BIOS.

First, boot your computer. If your computer is already on, restart it.

After booting your computer, on the load screen, you should see a notification telling you what key you can press to access BIOS (F2, DEL, F8, etc.). Keep pressing that key then you can access BIOS.

2) Once you’re in the BIOS, you can press F9 or F5 to bring up a prompt that’ll allow you to restore the BIOS. You can also find the option under the Security tab or the Exit tab.

The name of the option allowing you to restore BIOS varies depending on what motherboard you have. It could be Reset to Default, Load Factory Defaults, Load Setup Defaults, Load Optimized Defaults, etc.

3) Use the arrow key to select Yes, then BIOS will be restored to default.

4) Once done, press the key next to Save and Exit.

5) Reboot your computer and check to see if the problem is resolved.

Hopefully you can fix the touchpad not in Device Manager with the above steps. If you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment below. I’ll get back to you ASAP.

8 thoughts on “Touchpad Not Showing in Device Manager ? Here’s How to Fix It.”

  1. Thank you dear IT guy!
    I had this problem with my ASUS laptop, and didn’t manage to find a solution, until I followed your methods.
    Method2 did the trick for me! ??

    Hugs from a Europoor – can’t stop won’t stop!

    Reply
  2. I have tried method 2 and found the touchpad hidden. But when I tried to uninstall it and restart my laptop, it was nowhere to be found. Even when I show hidden files.

    Reply
  3. Hi Camilla,
    Thanks for your solution (Method 2) which reinstalled a missing touchpad on my HP Pavilion.
    Had tried many other suggestions on other websites.
    This was the only one that was successful in reviving my touchpad.
    Much appreciated!

    Reply

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