How to Disable a Mouse Pad on PC or Mac

This wikiHow teaches you how to disable the touchpad or trackpad on a PC or Mac laptop.

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:
Disabling the Windows Touchpad

  1. Image titled Disable a Mouse Pad on PC or Mac Step 1
    1
    Click the Start
    Image titled Windowsstart.png
    menu.     It’s usually at the bottom-left corner of the screen. Use this method to completely disable the touchpad, regardless of whether you've connected an external mouse.
  2. Image titled Disable a Mouse Pad on PC or Mac Step 2
    2
    Type device manager into the search bar. A list of matching results will appear.
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  3. Image titled Disable a Mouse Pad on PC or Mac Step 3
    3
    Click Device Manager.
  4. Image titled Disable a Mouse Pad on PC or Mac Step 4
    4
    Click the arrow next to “Mice and other pointing devices.” This expands additional options.
  5. Image titled Disable a Mouse Pad on PC or Mac Step 5
    5
    Right-click your touchpad. The name varies, but might contain the word touchpad, trackpad, or clickpad.
  6. Image titled Disable a Mouse Pad on PC or Mac Step 6
    6
    Click Disable. A confirmation message will appear.[1]
  7. Image titled Disable a Mouse Pad on PC or Mac Step 7
    7
    Click Yes. The touchpad is now disabled. To re-enable it later, right-click the touchpad, then click Enable.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:
Disabling the Windows Touchpad when Using a Mouse

  1. Image titled Disable a Mouse Pad on PC or Mac Step 8
    1
    Click the Start
    Image titled Windowsstart.png
    menu.     It’s usually at the bottom-left corner of the screen. Use this method to disable the touchpad upon plugging in an external mouse or touchpad.
  2. Image titled Disable a Mouse Pad on PC or Mac Step 9
    2
    Click
    Image titled Windowssettings.png
    Settings.
  3. Image titled Disable a Mouse Pad on PC or Mac Step 10
    3
    Click Devices.
  4. Image titled Disable a Mouse Pad on PC or Mac Step 11
    4
    Click Touchpad. It’s in the left column.[2]
  5. Image titled Disable a Mouse Pad on PC or Mac Step 12
    5
    Remove the check mark from “Leave touchpad on when a mouse is connected.” Now the touchpad will automatically disable once your external mouse is connected.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:
Disabling the macOS Trackpad when Using a Mouse

  1. Image titled Disable a Mouse Pad on PC or Mac Step 13
    1
    Click the
    Image titled Macapple1.png
    menu.     It’s at the top-left corner of the screen. It’s possible to disable your Mac’s trackpad upon connecting an external mouse. Because of restrictions in macOS, removing the external mouse will re-enable the touchpad.[3]
  2. Image titled Disable a Mouse Pad on PC or Mac Step 14
    2
    Click System Preferences.
  3. Image titled Disable a Mouse Pad on PC or Mac Step 15
    3
    Click Accessibility.
  4. Image titled Disable a Mouse Pad on PC or Mac Step 16
    4
    Click Mouse & Trackpad. It’s in the left panel.[4]
  5. Image titled Disable a Mouse Pad on PC or Mac Step 17
    5
    Check the box next to “Ignore built-in trackpad when mouse or wireless trackpad is present.” A check mark will appear in the box, and the change will take effect immediately.
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References

  1. ↑ http://www.intowindows.com/3-ways-to-disable-touchpad-in-windows/
  2. ↑ https://www.windowscentral.com/how-disable-touchpad-while-mouse-connected-windows-10
  3. ↑ https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2597596
  4. ↑ https://www.tekrevue.com/tip/disable-macbook-trackpad/

About This Article

Nicole Levine, MFA
Written by:
Nicole Levine, MFA
Tech Specialist
This article was written by Nicole Levine, MFA. Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions. This article has been viewed 6,165 times.
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Co-authors: 5
Updated: July 22, 2021
Views: 6,165
Categories: Basic Computer Skills
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