The Elan touchpad is one of the best touchpads available today with most brands of laptops. This hardware is manufactured by ELAN Microelectronics and is sophisticatedly designed to be a natural-feeling pointing device with features like palm rejection and gesture support. The difference between a normal touchpad and an Elan touchpad can be felt only by installing updated and compatible drivers that allow users to customize its settings, such as tap functionality, scrolling, and mouse button actions. We have covered all aspects of troubleshooting the Elan touchpad driver not working on Windows 11.
The first step is to check the Windows settings to ensure that the Touchpad is not disabled. You can look for the touchpad icon on your keyboard’s function keys. Press the Fn key along with the F number keys in the top row that display the icon of a touchpad. If you are not sure, then you can use Windows Settings.
1. Press Win + I to open the Settings.
2. Click on Bluetooth & devices in the left panel.
3. Scroll down in the right section and click on Touchpad.
4. Ensure the toggle switch next to the Touchpad is enabled.
Some experts have recommended connecting an external mouse to the laptop and configuring it. If the mouse is working fine, then disconnect it and check the touchpad. If not, then your PC has a hardware fault and you will have to take it to a service center.
Microsoft provides an in-built troubleshooter that can help fix hardware problems. Here is what you need to do.
1. Press Win + R to launch the RUN box.
2. Copy and paste the command below and hit the Enter key.
msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic
3. A box will open here. Click the Advanced link.
4. Make sure that the “Apply Repairs Automatically” box has been checked.
5. Click on the Next button and adhere to the instructions on your screen.
6. Reboot your computer after the process is complete.
The System File Checker app helps fix the system files that have been corrupted. Here is what you need to do.
1. Press the Windows + S keys and type “Cmd”.
2. You will notice Command Prompt as the Best Match result.
3. Click on Run as Administrator.
4. Copy and paste the command below, followed by Enter.
sfc /scannow
5. Let the scan complete and restart the computer.
The Deployment Image Servicing and Management is another tool that will help users check for system image errors. Here is what you need to do.
1. Press Win + R to launch the RUN box.
2. Type “cmd” and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open the Command Prompt in elevated mode.
3. Copy and paste the following command.
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
4. Reboot the computer after the process completes.
Windows updates include new features, driver updates, bug fixes, etc. You must keep your Windows updated, and this will help with most minor and major issues.
1. Open Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates.
2. Expand Advanced options → Optional updates → Driver updates.
3. Look for any ELAN Touchpad updates and install them
Some experts suggest that the Elan Touchpad issues occur due to corrupted drivers. In this case, you can uninstall the existing drivers and reinstall them. Here are the steps.
1. Press Win + R to open the RUN box.
2. Type “devmgmt.msc” and click on OK.
3. In the Device Manager window, you need to click on Mice and Other Pointing Devices to reveal all drivers under this category.
5. Follow the steps online and restart the PC.
6. Windows will automatically detect the hardware and install the drivers for it.
The first place to get updated drivers is the hardware manufacturer’s website. Visit the official website and look for resources related to your PC model and make. Download the drivers and install them. You will always get the most updated drivers from the OEM websites.
The Device Manager is a built-in tool that helps update drivers on Windows. This free tool looks for drivers on Microsoft Servers only, and this is why you may not always get the most updated drivers. Here are the steps.
1. Press Win + X to open the Power Menu.
2. From the list of settings, click on Device Manager.
3. Click on the Mice and Other Pointing Devices to expand this driver category.
4. Look for your Touchpad and right-click on it to select Update Driver.
5. Finally, click on Search Automatically For Drivers and adhere to the onscreen instructions.
6. Restart your computer after the process is complete.
If you find the above driver updating methods difficult, then we have a method that requires only a few mouse clicks to scan and identify the driver anomalies on your computer. It can then download and install the latest compatible drivers with ease. This software is Advanced Driver Updater, and here is what you need to do to update your drivers.
1. Download the Advanced Driver Updater from the link given below.
2. Double-click on the file to install the app.
3. Launch the software using the shortcut on the desktop.
4. Click on the Start Scan Now button.
5. The app will scan your PC for driver issues.
6. Click on the Update button next to the driver you wish to update. In this case, it will be Touchpad drivers.
7. Reboot your computer after the driver update process is complete.
Sometimes a new driver version causes instability. In this case, here is what you need to do.
1. In Device Manager, right-click Elan Input Device → Properties.
2. Go to Driver tab → click Roll Back Driver (if available).
3. Restart your PC and test the touchpad.
In some cases, the touchpad is disabled in the BIOS. Here is what you have to do.
1. Restart your PC and press the BIOS key (usually F2, F10, or DEL).
2. Look for the Internal Pointing Device or Touchpad Setting.
3. Ensure it’s enabled, then save and exit
If Elan’s custom driver fails, a generic Microsoft driver can restore basic functionality.
1. In Device Manager, right-click Elan Touchpad → Update driver.
2. Select Browse my computer → Let me pick from a list.
3. Choose HID-compliant mouse → Next.
4. Restart your PC.
Third-party mouse utilities, gesture tools, or security software may disable the touchpad. Uninstall or temporarily disable software like Synaptics, Smart Gesture, Razer Synapse, or heavy security programs. Restart and test again.
Moving on, we have another method that involves Windows Services. Here are the steps.
1. Press Win + R, type services.msc, press Enter.
2. Find Elan Service or ETD Service.
3. Right-click → Properties → Set Startup type: Automatic → Start the service.
If the above methods do not work, then we recommend you restore your PC back in time to a point where the Touchpad was working properly.
1. Press the Windows key and type “System restore”.
2. Click on “Create A Restore Point”.
3. Click on System Restore button.
4. Select a restore point and click on Next to restore your PC to a previous point in time.
The last solution that remains to fix the Elan Touchpad Driver Not Working On Windows error is to reset the Windows PC. Here are the steps.
1. Enter WinRE > Troubleshoot and then click on Reset This PC.
2. Select between “Keep My Files” and “Remove Everything”.
3. Follow the online instructions, and your PC will be reset.
The above troubleshooting fixes have been tried and tested by our team of experts. It will help you fix all issues with the Elan Touchpad on your computer. We would like to hear about your experience and how you fixed this error in our comments section below.
Recommended : How to Fix Touchpad Right Click Not Working on Windows 11/10?
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