Why you might want to disable your touchscreen
A Chromebook touchscreen can be useful, but it also gets in the way. Your palm brushes the screen while typing and clicks things by accident. The screen collects fingerprints and smudges. If you have a trackpad that works fine, you may straightforward prefer not to use touch at all. Disabling the touchscreen stops these accidental taps without affecting anything else on your device.
The good news: you do not need to open your Chromebook or install anything. You can turn off the touchscreen through your device settings in about two minutes. If you change your mind later, you can turn it back on just as easily. This is a software setting only — no hardware is involved.
Key Takeaways
- You can disable your Chromebook's touchscreen through Settings without any technical knowledge or special tools.
- The touchscreen toggle is found under Device settings, not under a general accessibility or display menu.
- Disabling the touchscreen does not affect your trackpad, keyboard, or any other part of your Chromebook.
- You can re-enable the touchscreen at any time by following the same steps and turning the toggle back on.
- Not all Chromebooks have a touchscreen, so the setting may not appear in your Device menu if yours does not.
How to find the touchscreen setting
Start by opening your Chromebook's Settings. Click the time in the bottom right corner of your screen, then click the gear icon labeled "Settings." A new window will open showing your Chromebook's main settings page.
On the left side of the Settings window, you will see a menu with several options. Look for "Device" and click it. This section controls hardware features like your screen, keyboard, and touchpad. Once you click Device, a list of options appears on the right side of the window. You may need to scroll down to see all available options.
Turning off the touchscreen
In the Device section, scroll down until you see "Touchscreen." Next to it is a toggle switch — a small button that is either on (usually blue or highlighted) or off (usually gray). Click this toggle to turn off your touchscreen. The switch will change appearance, showing that the touchscreen is now disabled.
That is all you need to do. Your touchscreen is now off. You can close the Settings window when ready. Your trackpad and keyboard will work exactly as before, and your screen will still display everything normally — it just will not respond to touch anymore. The change takes effect right away without requiring a restart.
Testing that the touchscreen is off
To confirm the change worked, try tapping your screen with your finger. Nothing should happen. If you tap and something still responds, go back to Settings, click Device, and check that the Touchscreen toggle is actually in the off position. Sometimes the toggle requires a moment to register, so wait a few seconds and try tapping again.
If the touchscreen still responds after you have confirmed the toggle is off, restart your Chromebook. Shut it down completely, wait 10 seconds, and turn it back on. This forces the setting to take effect. After the restart, test the screen again by trying to tap it. In most cases, the toggle works when ready without needing a restart.
Turning the touchscreen back on
If you want to use your touchscreen again, follow the same path: click the time, open Settings, click Device, and find the Touchscreen toggle. Click it once to turn it back on. The toggle will change appearance again, and your touchscreen will respond to touch when ready. You do not need to restart your Chromebook to re-enable it.
You can toggle the touchscreen on and off as many times as you want. There is no limit to how often you can change this setting, and it does not wear out any hardware or cause problems. Some people disable it during work and re-enable it when they want to use touch later in the day.
What to do if you cannot find the touchscreen setting
Not all Chromebooks have a touchscreen. If you look in Device settings and do not see a Touchscreen option at all, your Chromebook does not have a touch-enabled display. This is normal — many Chromebooks come with a regular screen and trackpad only. In that case, there is nothing to disable, and you can stop looking.
If you are certain your Chromebook has a touchscreen but the setting is not appearing, make sure you are running the latest version of Chrome OS. Click the time, open Settings, click "About Chrome OS" on the left menu, and let your Chromebook check for updates. Install any updates it finds, restart your device, and check the Device settings again. Outdated software sometimes hides settings that newer versions display.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will disabling the touchscreen slow down my Chromebook?
No. Turning off the touchscreen does not affect your Chromebook's speed or performance. It straightforward stops the touch hardware from responding to contact. Everything else runs exactly as it did before.
Can I disable the touchscreen without going into Settings?
No, the Settings menu is the only way to control this feature on a Chromebook. There is no keyboard shortcut or quick menu option. You must go through Device settings each time you want to change it.
What if my touchscreen stops working after I disable it?
If you disabled it and now want it back on, follow the same steps to the Touchscreen toggle and turn it back on. If the touchscreen still does not work after you re-enable it, restart your Chromebook. If it remains broken, the hardware itself may have a problem unrelated to the software setting.
Does disabling the touchscreen affect my keyboard or trackpad?
No. The touchscreen is a separate input device. Disabling it has no effect on your keyboard, trackpad, or any other way of controlling your Chromebook. All other inputs continue to work normally.
Can I disable the touchscreen on just one user account?
No. The touchscreen setting applies to the entire Chromebook, not to individual accounts. If you disable it, it stays off for all users until someone turns it back on through Device settings.