Touch screens on HP laptops are handy, but they can get in the way: accidental taps while cleaning the screen, a cracked display registering “ghost touches,” or simply preferring a mouse. Windows 10 doesn’t have a simple on/off switch for the touch screen, but you can disable it in Device Manager in under a minute, and turn it back on just as easily. This guide shows how on HP laptops (and most other brands).
Quick Answer
Right-click Start and open Device Manager. Expand Human Interface Devices, right-click HID-compliant touch screen, choose Disable device, and click Yes. The touch screen stops responding immediately. To turn it back on, right-click it again and choose Enable device.
Method 1: Device Manager
- Press Windows + X and choose Device Manager.
- Expand Human Interface Devices.
- Right-click HID-compliant touch screen and choose Disable device.
- Click Yes to confirm.
- If you see more than one HID-compliant touch screen entry, disable each one, then test the screen.
Don’t disable other HID devices, such as your keyboard, touchpad, or “HID-compliant consumer control device,” or those may stop working.
Method 2: PowerShell (Quick On/Off)
Open Windows PowerShell (Admin) from the Windows + X menu and run:
- Disable: Get-PnpDevice | Where-Object {$_.FriendlyName -like ‘*touch screen*’} | Disable-PnpDevice -Confirm:$false
- Enable: Get-PnpDevice | Where-Object {$_.FriendlyName -like ‘*touch screen*’} | Enable-PnpDevice -Confirm:$false
You can save these commands in shortcuts or scripts to switch the touch screen quickly.
Method 3: HP BIOS Setting (Some Models)
A few HP business laptops include a touch screen option in the BIOS. Restart and press F10 at the HP logo to open BIOS Setup, then look under Advanced > Built-In Device Options (or similar) for a touch screen setting. Most consumer HP models don’t have this, so Device Manager is the main method.
Turn the Touch Screen Back On
- Open Device Manager and expand Human Interface Devices.
- Right-click HID-compliant touch screen (it shows a down-arrow icon when disabled) and choose Enable device.
If you’re turning touch off because it’s inaccurate, try to calibrate the touch screen first.
Troubleshooting
- No “HID-compliant touch screen” listed: Click View > Show hidden devices. If it’s still missing, your laptop may not have a touch screen, or the driver isn’t installed.
- Touch comes back after an update: Windows or HP driver updates can re-enable it. Disable it again, or use the PowerShell command in a startup script.
- Ghost touches or erratic behavior: Clean the screen, update drivers with HP Support Assistant, and try Control Panel > Tablet PC Settings > Calibrate. Persistent ghost touches usually mean a hardware fault, so disabling touch is a good workaround until repair.
- Pen stops working: Disabling the touch screen may also disable an active pen on some models.
Summary
- Open Device Manager > Human Interface Devices.
- Right-click HID-compliant touch screen and choose Disable device.
- Re-enable it the same way with Enable device.
- Use PowerShell for quick toggling.
Related: Disable tablet mode in Windows 11.
Related: Enable the touch screen in Windows 10.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.