Touchscreen Chromebooks are excellent devices, especially for light tasks. They make work easy, and they are also very straightforward to use. They also offer an outstanding browser experience. If you don’t need a laptop for dealing with demanding tasks, Touchscreen Chromebooks are a perfect pick.
However, despite all the benefits, the devices still have shortcomings. Some features, including the touchscreen, can be a problem. You’ll want to turn off the touchpad and the touchscreen at times for the best experience. But how do you turn off the touchscreen?
To turn off the touchscreen on a Chromebook follow these steps:
- Go to the Chrome browser and type “chrome://flags/#ash-debug-shortcuts” on the taskbar
- Locate the debugging Keyboard Shortcuts
- Click Enable and restart your device. To disable the touchscreen feature, use the Search + Shift + T option
- Use the Search + Shift + P option to disable the touchpad option
Table Of Contents
Why Turn Off the Touchscreen?
The touchscreen feature on your laptop is helpful as it enables you to perform tasks without using the keyboard. It’s convenient and makes the device easy to use.
However, you sometimes don’t want to use the touchscreen feature. You want nothing to happen when you point at the screen.
Not to worry. Google allows you to turn off the feature when you don’t need it.
Additionally, you can turn off the touchpad if you want. For instance, you may plug in a regular mouse on your device. You can also turn off the touchpad to use the touchscreen option only.
If you leave the touchpad active, you can accidentally click on it or have the cursor moving unnecessarily, which can be annoying.
How to Turn the Touchscreen Off
If you want to turn off the touchscreen on your Chromebook, you have to enable the debugging keyboard shortcuts on the website’s flags menu. Use the following steps:
- Open the Google Chrome browser and type “chrome://flags/#ash-debug-shortcuts.” You can also copy and paste the command on the website’s address bar
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After entering the command on the address bar, press Enter. The step will open Google Chrome’s flags menu. On the drop-down menu that opens, go to the Debugging keyboard shortcuts and click Disabled and then select Enabled
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After clicking Enable, you’ll get a button at the bottom of the screen saying Restart. You can use the button to restart your Chromebook and use the Search + Shift + T option to disable the touchscreen.
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If you want to enable or disable the touchpad, you can use the Search + Shift + P option.
Related: How to Connect AirPods to Chromebook – A Step-By-Step Illustrated Guide
How to Lock the Touchscreen on Chromebook
If you’re not using your device and have to step away, it’ll be best to lock the screen. Since the screen is sensitive, leaving it unlocked can result in some unwanted actions. So, how do you lock the touchscreen?
You have various options.
For instance:
- If you’re using a keyboard, press Launcher + L or use Search + L
- Go to the bottom right of the screen, select the time, and then select Lock
If the device is plugged in, the touchscreen will lock after 8 minutes, and the device will go to sleep after 30 minutes. If it’s unplugged, the touchscreen will lock in 6 minutes, and the Chromebook goes to sleep after 10 minutes.
When it comes to unlocking the screen, using a PIN helps you do it faster. It’ll help to create the Pin before you can lock the device.
Some Chromebook devices allow you to use your PIN to sign in instead of your Google account. The admin can require you to use your password occasionally if you use a school or work account.
How do you create a PIN?
- Select Time at the bottom right of the screen and then go to Settings
- Go to Security and Privacy and select Lock screen, and sign in
- Create a password and select Confirm
- Next, choose PIN or password and go to Set up PIN
- Create a PIN and select Continue. Ensure the PIN has six digits or more
- Re-enter the PIN and click Confirm to complete the setup process
How to Enable Debugging Shortcuts
If you want to enable the debugging shortcut on your Chromebook follow this method:
- Tap the ‘Everything’ button on the keyboard.
- Type in chrome://flags and press enter.
Start by tapping the Everything button on the keyboard to enable debugging shortcuts. The Everything button is the magnifying glass icon on the far left of the keyboard, where you’d find the Caps Lock on a Windows device.
Next, type in chrome://flags and press enter.
How to Fix a Chromebook Touchscreen
Chromebook is one of the most used devices due to its ease of use and convenience. With the touchscreen, you don’t have to use the touchpad or the keyboard while using the device.
However, in some instances, the Chromebook touchscreen can stop working. It’ll help a lot if you know how to fix it.
To fix a Chromebook touchscreen:
- Ensure the touchscreen is enabled
- Clean the touchscreen
- Hard reset the Chromebook
Why Does a Chromebook Touchscreen Stop Working?
Chromebooks are simple and easy to use, and the same applies to their problems. If the Chromebook’s touchscreen stops working, you can tell what the problem is and the best way to deal with it.
So, why does a Chromebook touchscreen stop working?
- The touchscreen can stop working if your device has any software issues. If the software is the cause of the problems, you can deal with it if you factory reset the device. However, factory resetting the device should come as the last resort.
- If you use the device in an environment that’s susceptible to dirt, there’s a high likelihood the touchscreen can stop working. You can also experience issues if you use wet or dirty hands. Ensure you use the device in a clean environment to avoid the problem.
- The Chromebook touchscreen can also stop working due to system settings. The device has a specific setting that enables and disables the touchscreen. If you unknowingly disable the settings, the touchscreen will stop functioning
- The hardware you connect to your device can also make the touchscreen not work. If you install faulty hardware or have faulty drivers, your Chromebook’s touchscreen can stop working.
So, how can you fix the touchscreen issues?
Ensure the Chromebook Touchscreen Is Enabled
Ensure the touchscreen setting is working correctly. To check the setting, use the following steps:
- Press Search + Shift +T simultaneously. The process will help activate the Chromebook’s touchscreen
- Alternatively, you can open your browser and navigate to chrome://flags/#ash-debug-shortcuts
- Next, locate the Debugging keyboard shortcuts. Enabling them helps to activate the Chromebook touchscreen
Clean the Touchscreen
Cleaning the touchscreen is key in fixing touchscreen issues. Before using any other remedy, it’ll be best to clean the screen first.
To clean the screen:
- Shut down your device and use a lint-free clock to clean the screen. Clean the entire screen and remove any sticky substances, hairs, and all watermarks.
- If the lint-free cloth doesn’t work, use an LCD cleaning solution. Instead of a lint-free cloth, pour a little of the LCD cleaning solution on a fiber cloth and use it to clean the screen. Ensure you don’t pour the liquid on your keyboard. When you’re done, use another cloth to dry the screen.
- When cleaning your Chromebook touchscreen, avoid any cleaning solution with alcohol, ammonia, or acetone.
- After cleaning the touchscreen, please wash your hands and dry them. Check to see if the touchscreen starts working correctly again.
Hard Resetting the Chromebook
If you enable the touchscreen and clean it and the problems persist, learning how to hard reset your Chromebook can help fix it.
- First, power off the device
- Press and hold the Refresh key
- While still holding the refresh key, press the Power button
- Release the Refresh key when the device starts
Using the above methods should help fix the issues of the touchscreen not working. However, you may have to powerwash your Chromebook if the problems persist.
However, the method involves deleting the local data. It’ll be helpful to back up your data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my Chromebook touchscreen not working?
The Chromebook touchscreen can stop working if it’s dirty. It can also stop working if you have faulty drivers or hardware or due to wrong system settings.
Ensure the touchscreen is enabled and clean for proper working.
Why is the Search + Shift + T shortcut not disabling the Chromebook touchscreen?
If the keyboard shortcut isn’t working, you’ll have to go to your Google Chrome browser to enable the shortcut.
Why do I have to disable the touchscreen or touchpad?
Disabling the touchscreen or touchpad helps boost your Chromebook device’s convenience. If you don’t want your touchscreen to do anything when you point or touch it, disabling it will help. Disabling the touchpad ensures you don’t accidentally move the cursor to perform unwanted actions.
Wrap up
Chromebooks are excellent devices as they are easy to use. You can enable or disable the touchscreen feature to boost the device’s convenience.
If you want to disable your Chromebook touchscreen or touchpad, you can use the methods above. You also learn how to fix your touchscreen if it’s not working correctly.