Do you often use a USB or Bluetooth mouse with your laptop rather than its touchpad? Avoid false manipulations by automatically deactivating the touchpad as soon as your mouse is connected.
All laptops have a touchpad located under the keyboard to move the mouse pointer on the screen. Over the years, this touchpad has also been enriched with a few functions to handle windows and files under Windows (see our practical sheet) but also to behave at times like the touch screen of a smartphone. It allows, for example, to zoom in photos, to adjust the sound volume, to switch between the different virtual Windows desktops, etc. Very useful properties when using only the touchpad.
However, many users prefer to rely on a real mouse when using their laptops in the office or at home. Handling a mouse, wired or wireless, is comfortable over long periods of time and even more so if the PC is connected to an external screen. Alas, by default, the touchpad remains active when a mouse is connected to the computer. And its sensitivity can be a source of some errors since it is enough to touch it to move the pointer on the screen and an unfortunate click during the entry of a text for example can very quickly annoy. To save you this hassle, Windows 10 and 11 have a setting to automatically disable the touchpad and its buttons as soon as a mouse is connected to the PC. So you no longer have to worry about avoiding rubbing your wrists on the touch surface. Practice !
How to automatically deactivate the touchpad as soon as you connect a mouse to a PC?
For your mouse to automatically take control of the touchpad as soon as it is connected to the laptop, a simple adjustment is enough. Be careful, however, if you are using a Bluetooth mouse. If it requires a USB dongle (adapter), consider removing it to use the touchpad again. Even if your Bluetooth mouse is turned off with its switch, the presence of the USB dongle still tells Windows that a Bluetooth mouse is connected.
► Press the shortcut Win + I to access Windows settings. With Windows 10, click Peripheral devices then Touchpad in the left column. With Windows 11, click Bluetooth and devices in the left column then on Touchpad in the center of the window.
► Then pull down the menu Touchpad at the top of the window. Just uncheck the box Keep touchpad enabled when a mouse is connected (with Windows 10, this option is immediately accessible on the screen). If your mouse is already connected to your PC, you may find that neither the touchpad nor its buttons are active. Simply unplug your mouse (or its USB/Bluetooth dongle) to regain use.
