Guide to Turning Off Your Windows Touchscreen: Step-by-Step Instructions

How to Turn Off Your Touchscreen in Windows

Touchscreens can be a mixed bag, can’t they? Super convenient until they start acting up or you accidentally smudge your screen every time you type. If the touchscreen is more of a pain than a help, disabling it might be worth a shot. Thankfully, Windows has a built-in way to do this that doesn’t require a degree in computer science or hours of fumbling around.

Getting to Device Manager

First off, you need to open up the Device Manager. It’s like the backstage pass for hardware management on your machine. You can just hit the Start menu and type “Device Manager“, or you could do the classic Run dialog trick by pressing Windows + R and typing devmgmt.msc, then hitting Enter. Easy, right?

Once you’re in there, you’ll see all your hardware components listed out like a buffet. If the touchscreen’s a nuisance, this tool gives you the power to control its fate.

Finding the Right Device

Now, look for “Human Interface Devices”, and expand it. Inside that category, you should find something called “HID-compliant touch screen”. It’s the touchy-feely part of your hardware setup. If unsure whether it’s the right one, right-click it and choose “Properties”. Under the Details tab, pick Hardware Ids to confirm. If you see something like VID_ PID_, you’ve found the right driver.

Disabling the Touchscreen

To disable the touchscreen, right-click on that “HID-compliant touch screen” option and select “Disable device”. A confirmation dialog will pop up asking if you’re sure. Click “Yes”, and voilà—your touchscreen will stop responding. Kind of nice how quickly that happens.

For those who like to live on the edge, you can also toggle it off using PowerShell. Run the following command (make sure you’ve got administrator rights):

Disable-PNPDevice -FriendlyName "HID-compliant touch screen" -Confirm:$false

But if you want to list everything in this family first, you could try:

Get-PnpDevice -FriendlyName "*touch screen*" | Disable-PnpDevice -Confirm:$false

Just a heads-up: Not all commands work on every machine, so it might need a reboot if the touchscreen still acts goofy after disabling.

What Happens Next

Right after you disable it, the touchscreen should no longer react to your touch. You can still navigate using your mouse and keyboard like always. If you ever want to re-enable it, just head back to Device Manager, find that same entry, and click “Enable device”. Or run the equivalent PowerShell command:

Enable-PNPDevice -FriendlyName "HID-compliant touch screen" -Confirm:$false

No need for a full system reboot, although sometimes a quick restart might help kickstart it again if it doesn’t respond right away.

Things to Keep in Mind

• Backup Before You Mess Around: It’s smart to create a restore point just in case. Go to System Properties > System Protection and hit Create.
• Have Input Alternatives: If you disable your touchscreen, make sure your keyboard and mouse are good to go—you don’t want to end up with a dead computer.
• Driver Updates: Always check for driver updates if the touchscreen issues seem persistent. You can do this under Settings > Windows Update.
• Pre-Test Your Setup: Sometimes just restarting can fix glitchy touchscreen issues before you dive into disabling anything.

Common Questions

Can the touchscreen be turned back on?

Absolutely. Just go back to Device Manager or use those PowerShell commands to turn it back on. It’s pretty straightforward.

Will this change affect anything else?

Nope. Disabling just affects the touchscreen itself—your keyboard and mouse remain fully functional.

Is this process the same for all touchscreens?

Most modern devices will let you do this, but some specialized hardware might require different methods. Always check the device’s manual if in doubt.

Do I need to restart my machine?