A Chromebook is a simplistic computer that can help you with light tasks and connectivity. Chromebooks are designed to make them more accessible and easy to handle. The OS on the device is a Chrome OS which looks and feels just like the Chrome browser but with a few more additional features. Having a Chromebook is handy and great for students. Depending on the model you own, Chromebooks can be used as a laptop as well as a tablet. Chromebooks are more commonly used as a laptop. This brings us to the problem that has been bothering many Chromebook users.
Chromebook users have been reporting a non-working trackpad for the past two years. There have been numerous reports, different devices, and different instances. The only common link appears to be Chromebooks. So if you too are struggling with the unresponsive trackpad on your Chromebook, here are some troubleshooting steps you can try to fix it!
Steps to fix Chromebook trackpad not working:
1) Clean the trackpad:
Make sure that your Chromebook trackpad does not have any dust particles on it. Dust, dirt, or similar disturbances on the trackpad can affect its functioning. Check if cleaning the touchpad fixes the problem.
2) Press the Esc key:
According to Google support, pressing the escape key on your Chromebook several times will fix the trackpad. So try it out. Press the Esc key a few times to check if it changes anything. You can also try drum rolling your fingers on the trackpad.
3) Restart your Chromebook:
If the fixes mentioned above do not fix your broken trackpad, restart your Chromebook. This is the oldest trick when troubleshooting a device, but it fixes the problem almost always. Hence, completely shut down your Chromebook and start it again. Upon restarting, the Chromebook touchpad will be working just fine. Suppose this does not fix the touchpad, we still have a couple of troubleshooting steps for you.
4) Hard reset the device:
To hard reset your Chromebook, first Turn it off. Now press and hold the Refresh and Power buttons on your device. When you see your Chromebook starting up, release both the buttons. See if the trackpad on your Chromebook is working again. If not, try the next troubleshooting step as a last resort.
5) Remove additional accounts:
If there are multiple accounts linked to your Chromebook, remove the one you are using. After deleting the problematic account, restart the device and add your account again. Check if the trackpad is fixed.
If the trackpad on your Chromebook is still not working, use other control options available. Some users can use the touch feature to navigate their way through the device depending on the model they are using. Others can connect an external mouse and easily work around the problem.
