To enable a touchscreen in Windows 10, open Device Manager, expand Human Interface Devices, and enable the HID-compliant touch screen entry.
A touchscreen that suddenly stops responding on a Windows 10 PC usually isn’t broken hardware — it’s a disabled driver entry that takes about 30 seconds to turn back on. Many users waste time searching the modern Settings app for a toggle that doesn’t exist there. Here’s how to enable touch screen on Windows 10 using the one place Microsoft actually puts the control.
Where The Touch Screen Toggle Actually Lives In Windows 10
Windows 10 does not have a touch screen on-off switch inside the Settings or Control Panel apps meant for everyday use. The enable and disable controls live inside Device Manager, under the Human Interface Devices category. The specific device entry is named HID-compliant touch screen, and it appears only on PCs that include a touchscreen digitizer and the correct driver. If that entry is absent, the fix is a driver or hardware issue rather than a simple re-enable.
How To Enable Or Disable The Touch Screen — Step By Step
Microsoft’s official method uses a short Device Manager sequence that works identically on every Windows 10 PC with a touch screen installed.
- Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager from the menu that appears.
- Expand Human Interface Devices by clicking the arrow next to it.
- Right-click the entry named HID-compliant touch screen.
- Select Enable device to turn the touchscreen back on, or Disable device to turn it off.
If multiple HID-compliant touch screen entries appear, repeat step 3 and 4 for each one — enabling only one may not restore full touch functionality. After enabling, the screen should respond to touch immediately. If a reboot is needed, Windows will prompt you.
| Issue | Likely Cause | What To Try |
|---|---|---|
| HID entry is present but grayed out | Entry was disabled (possible after a driver update or system reset) | Right-click and select Enable device |
| Multiple HID entries, touch still dead | Only one entry was enabled | Enable every HID-compliant touch screen entry in the list |
| No HID-compliant touch screen entry at all | Driver missing, corrupted, or hardware not detected | Check View → Show hidden devices in Device Manager; reinstall the touch driver from your PC manufacturer’s support site |
| Entry visible but enable option is missing | Driver is in a faulted state, not simply disabled | Right-click and choose Uninstall device, then restart the PC to let Windows reinstall the driver |
| Touch works erratically or registers wrong points | Calibration drift or partial driver failure | Open Calibrate the screen for pen or touch input in Control Panel and run the calibration routine |
| Touch worked before a Windows Update and then stopped | Update may have replaced the touch driver | Roll back the driver in Device Manager: right‑click the HID entry → Properties → Driver → Roll Back Driver |
| Device Manager shows an error icon on the HID entry | Driver conflict or corrupted system file | Note the error code, then search for that code on Microsoft’s support site for the specific fix |
What If The HID-Compliant Touch Screen Entry Is Missing?
When the HID-compliant touch screen entry does not appear at all — even after clicking View → Show hidden devices in Device Manager — the PC’s touch digitizer is not being detected by Windows. This usually means the touch driver was uninstalled, corrupted, or never installed after a clean OS setup. Visit your laptop manufacturer’s support page (Dell, Lenovo, HP, etc.), locate the touch driver for your exact model, and install it manually. After a restart, the HID entry should reappear under Human Interface Devices.
An Older Enable Method Found On Some OEM Manuals
Certain PC makers published enable instructions that use a different menu path. Dell’s manual for the Latitude 13 7370, for example, directs users to open Control Panel, then Pen and Input Devices, then the Touch tab, and check Use your finger as an input device. This path is model‑specific and does not appear on most Windows 10 machines. If you are following a printed manual that came with your laptop and that path matches its instructions, it will work for that device. For the broad majority of Windows 10 touchscreen PCs, the Device Manager method above is the correct universal approach.
Microsoft’s official guidance on enabling and disabling a touchscreen in Windows confirms that Device Manager is the standard tool. If the touchscreen still does not respond after enabling the HID entry, Microsoft’s separate troubleshooting article covers driver restores and hardware checks.
Quick Fix Sequence For A Dead Windows 10 Touch Screen
When your touchscreen stops responding, run through this short checklist in order. Most cases resolve at step 1 or 2.
- Enable every HID-compliant touch screen entry in Device Manager — right‑click each one and choose Enable device.
- Restart the PC to let the driver fully reload.
- Check for a hidden entry via View → Show hidden devices in Device Manager if the HID entry is missing entirely.
- Reinstall the touch driver from your PC maker’s support site if the entry is still absent after the show‑hidden check.
- Run Microsoft’s dedicated touch troubleshooter — search for “touch” in Windows Settings and select Find and fix touchscreen problems.
If none of those steps restore touch, the problem may be hardware‑related — a damaged digitizer or a loose internal cable — rather than a Windows configuration issue.
References & Sources
- Microsoft Support. “Enable and disable a touchscreen in Windows.” Official steps for the Device Manager HID method used in this article.