Dell Latitude 5320 Touchpad Unresponsive

Is your Dell Latitude 5320’s touchpad no longer responding the way it should? This guide covers the most common (and a few less obvious) reasons why your touchpad may stop working. Use this page to identify what’s going wrong and walk through the steps that can help you restore full touchpad functionality.

A proper restart (not a crash or forced shutdown) clears any pending updates and rests the system services. Connect and external mouse and click on the windows symbol (this is where the start menu is located). Next select the power symbol and hit the restart option. If you do not have an external mouse, use the following accessibility features: Hit the Menu key to open the right-click context menu. Use the Tab key to highlight the power option and use the Enter Key to select. Next, use the Tab key to highlight the Restart option and again use the Enter key to select the option.

Perform a hard shutdown. Turn any running programs off and then hold the power button for 15-30 seconds. Your device will shut down. Wait briefly, then power on your device.

Sometimes the touchpad stops responding simply because it has been disabled in Windows. This can happen after updates, accidental key presses, or changes in system settings. Connect an external mouse to your laptop and use it to navigate. To restore functionality, open Windows Settings -> Bluetooth & Devices -> Touchpad and make sure the toggle is on. If you do not have an external mouse, use the following accessibility features: Hit the Menu key to open the right-click context menu. Use the Tab key to highlight the search bar. In the search type 'touchpad' and using the tab key highlight the option from settings. Hit the Enter Key to select it. Once you have launched the Touchpad settings page, use the Tab Key and the Enter Key to go through the options displayed and ensure the touchpad is not disabled.

If the touchpad cable inside the laptop becomes loose or partially disconnected, the touchpad may stop responding or behave erratically. This can happen after a drop, repair attempt, or internal movement. Opening the laptop and reseating the touchpad ribbon cable ensures a solid connection between the touchpad and the motherboard.

If the touchpad remains unresponsive even after checking settings, drivers, firmware, and cable connections, the hardware itself may be damaged. Physical wear, liquid exposure, or internal component failure can cause permanent malfunction. In these cases, the touchpad assembly will need to be replaced to restore full functionality.