We all have been thorough this annoyance. You are typing a crucial email and then the mouse cursor suddenly jumps to some other location or application.
This happens due to the high touchpad sensitivity. The best way to address the issue is to disable the touchpad while typing. Since manually disabling the touchpad every time you want to type something is not a good idea, it’s best to configure Windows 10 to automatically disable the touchpad while typing.
When you configure Windows 10 to automatically disable the touchpad while typing, the touchpad or trackpad is disabled/blocked as long as you type. The moment you stop typing, the touchpad/trackpad is enabled or activated again.
Fortunately, Windows 10 offers a built-in option to disable the trackpad while typing. You don’t need to go for a third-party software for this job.
Turn off the trackpad while typing in Windows 10
Complete the given below directions to disable the touchpad/trackpad while typing in Windows 10.
Step 1: Open the Settings app. Navigate to Devices > Touchpad.
Step 2: In the Touchpad sensitivity section, select Low sensitivity option from the drop-down box to disable the touchpad while typing. If you don’t want to completely disable the touchpad while typing, you can select Medium sensitivity option.
How to automatically turn off the touchpad when mouse is connected article might also interest you.
Stevie says
Low sensitivity did not help. For years I’ve used a piece of cardboard and I recommend making a hinge with adhesive tape so it’s easr y to flip open the touchpad. My preference is to use shirt-thickness cardboard with the tape on the right side. To work as a hinge, tape the side of the cardboard to the computer frame 1/4 inch to the right of the touchpad. Then flip the cardboard over and attach another tape to the other side of the cardboard. That will swing freely but give good adhesion. If this sounds ridiculous, it is.
Joe Murray says
Thanks this solved my issue completely on a Dell Lattitude 5511! Afterwards I remembered that the problem appeared shortly after I set sensitivity to “high”
Another Jeff says
So, I was able to solve this issue. I dumped the PC laptop, and got a MacBook Pro with Windows running in VMware Fusion. macOS has the option to disable the touchpad while typing, and I no longer suffer from these issues.
YouShouldBeAshamedOfYourselves says
You’ve gotta be kidding me, right? “How do I disable touchpad when typing?” The answer is “Well, here’s how to turn it off entirely?!” And I tried it. Just to give it a whirl. Even with the cursor still on the on/ off toggle button, I COUDLN’T TURN THE TRACKPAD BACK ON. I figured it out eventually… but this is the PROFESSIONAL advice? That’s like walking into a bakery and saying “I’d like a loaf of wheat bread please,” then the baker says “here’s a handful of crumbs. Some of them are from wheat bread. That’ll be $17.95 plus tax.” Pathetic.
Emily says
Ok about to return this POS. How the hell HP gonna make a trackpad that spans 1/3 the keyboard with no option to disable? I knew I should’ve avoided HP. Had one die on me in college and lost A TON of my masters thesis. Figured I’d give them a second shot 15 years later. Still crap.
MUGUME ROBERT says
My issue is about the spacebar making the cursor jump to the top of the page when pressed
Secondly, it cannot skip a paragraph when the down arrow key is used
I need your help on how to fix this. Thanks
I am using hp laptop
Kathy Clark says
I like what the commenter said about putting a piece of cardboard over the touchpad. What’s even more annoying than typing going to the wrong place is when you look up, a whole section has been highlighted accidentally, then you accidentally touch the touchpad again, and it erases everything you typed! GRRR…. Hey Microsoft, some of us were taught to rest our thumbs on the space bar when we learned typing. You can’t do that on a laptop, not even by accident. It’s hard not to let your thumbs touch the touchpad. Will try the cardboard.
Andrew Hoffman says
This fix did not work at all. Previously I could use the F6 button to shut off the touchpad while typing, but that no longer works either. How freaking unhelpful!!!
Dave Slomer says
I’m sorry, Admin, but setting Touchpad Sensitivity to Low Sensitivity does NOT disable touchpad while typing on all machines (e.g., mine), nor is it documented as being so. It might help to set AAPThreshold in the registry to 0. It is found in the registry key on the next line.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PrecisionTouchPad
That won’t disable the touchpad while typing, either, but it is well documented as helping to minimize stray taps. However, be assured that stray taps will still continue. The frequency will lessen. That’s about it.
WTH, Microsoft and manufacturers of “Precision Touchpads”, whose “precision” seems to actually be to sniff for any semblance of a touch of the pad or just getting too danged close.
It might be best to just disable “Tap with a single finger to single-click” and just always use the left button to click. BTW, that option is right below the Sensitivity setting, and right below it is “Tap with TWO fingers to right-click” and that’s a really cool thing that is almost impossible to do accidentally. I’d check that box no matter what is done to the “single finger” checkbox.
Also, clicking Additional Mouse Options on the Mouse Setting screen opens a dialog with several tabs, on one of which is the option to hide the cursor while typing. That SHOULD improve the inadvertent clicks horror, but it doesn’t on MY machine.
Microsoft has blessed us with this (MIS!)behavior since Windows 8 and apparently have no clue how it all works. My old 2011 Dell had this option and there were NO stray clicks.
Tony Wray says
It is so annoying to type a sentence and find that half of it is in the wrong place. With my previous laptop, I was able to edit the mousepad gestures and turn off the “tap” function completely, but with this HP one the best I can do is turn down the sensitivity, which does nothing to help. I may end up having to fasten a flap of cardboard over the mousepad – thanks Microsoft.
Matthew says
This does not work.NOTHING works. the only thing that helped slightly was SmartSense. But, SmartSense only made it so I could use it for a second. Nothing helps. And this dumb setting makes fps games and other games impossible to play. make this easier to turn off.
Brendan says
Ha! This actually helped me do exactly the opposite – turn the sensitivity all the way up. The reason is because I was playing a game where I needed to use the keyboard to move around, and move and click with the touchpad at the same time (Stardew Valley). Thanks to this post I understand what setting was causing the cursor to freeze while I was touching the keyboard. But now I know what setting I need to change when I’m having issues accidentally touching the touchpad.
Thanks.
Jeff says
This touch pad is not likeable for me and I shut down scrolling and it still scrolls occasionally and I can’t figure out how to stop the tap option. I could do this on my last lap top. It is crazy when typing if I tap the touch pad I wind up on another page and it is just crazy I would love to just use my buttons to tap and the two and three fingers scroll I hate it and is problematic for me. Please tell me how to disable this touchpad or just the tap portion. I still want to move my pointer around but that is it, no automatic scrolling. Help!!!!