Disable your Chromebook's touchscreen through Settings

You can turn off your Chromebook's touchscreen without any special tools or restart. The setting lives in your device settings under the Accessibility section, and takes about 30 seconds to find and toggle off. Once disabled, your touchscreen stops responding to touch input entirely — the trackpad and keyboard still work normally.

This is useful if your touchscreen is acting glitchy, if you keep accidentally tapping the screen while typing, or if you simply prefer not to use touch input. Some people disable it to extend battery life slightly, though the difference is small on most Chromebooks.

Key Takeaways

  • Open Settings, go to Accessibility, and toggle off the touchscreen option — this is the standard way to disable it on any Chromebook.
  • Disabling the touchscreen does not affect your trackpad, keyboard, or any other hardware; only touch input stops working.
  • You can re-enable the touchscreen the same way if you change your mind later.
  • If your touchscreen is physically broken or not responding at all, this setting will not fix it — that requires hardware repair.

Step-by-step: turning off the touchscreen

Step 1: Open Settings. Click the time in the bottom right corner of your screen, then click the gear icon labeled "Settings."

Step 2: Go to Accessibility. In the left sidebar, scroll down and click "Accessibility." This section contains options for how your Chromebook responds to input.

Step 3: Find the touchscreen toggle. Look for an option labeled "Touchscreen" or "Enable touchscreen." It will have a toggle switch next to it, usually set to "On" by default.

Step 4: Click the toggle to turn it off. The switch will move to the left and turn gray. Your touchscreen is now disabled. You can close Settings — the change takes effect immediately.

What happens when you disable the touchscreen

Once disabled, tapping anywhere on your screen does nothing. Your trackpad continues to work exactly as before, and you can still use your keyboard normally. If you have an external mouse plugged in, that works too. The only input method that stops working is direct touch on the screen.

Some Chromebooks show a small notification when you first disable the touchscreen, confirming the change. If you do not see one, that is normal — the setting has still taken effect.

Re-enabling the touchscreen later

If you want to turn the touchscreen back on, follow the same steps: Settings > Accessibility > Touchscreen toggle. Click the toggle to turn it back on, and your touchscreen will respond to touch input again immediately.

There is no penalty for turning the touchscreen on and off repeatedly. You can disable it during work hours and re-enable it whenever you want without any risk to your Chromebook.

When disabling the touchscreen does not solve the problem

If your touchscreen is not responding to touch at all, or if it is responding erratically even before you disable it, the problem may be hardware-related rather than a setting. Disabling the touchscreen through Settings only works if the hardware is functioning — it just tells your Chromebook to ignore touch input.

If your screen is physically cracked, wet, or the touch sensor is damaged, you will need to contact your Chromebook manufacturer or a repair service. Some schools and workplaces also have IT support that can help with hardware issues.

Troubleshooting: the touchscreen toggle is missing

On rare Chromebooks, the touchscreen toggle does not appear in Accessibility settings. This usually means your device does not have a touchscreen — many Chromebooks are built with a standard screen only. You can check your device's specifications on the manufacturer's website or in your original purchase paperwork.

If you are certain your Chromebook has a touchscreen but the toggle is not showing, try restarting your device. Occasionally a setting fails to load properly, and a restart fixes it. Hold the power button for a few seconds, select "Power off," wait 10 seconds, then press the power button again to turn it back on.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does disabling the touchscreen save battery?

Disabling the touchscreen saves a small amount of power, but the difference is usually not noticeable on most Chromebooks. The touchscreen uses relatively little energy compared to the display itself. If battery life is your main concern, lowering screen brightness or closing unused browser tabs will have a much larger effect.

Can I disable the touchscreen on a Chromebook that does not have one?

No. If your Chromebook does not have a touchscreen, the toggle will not appear in your Accessibility settings. You can check your device model on the manufacturer's website to confirm whether it includes a touchscreen.

Will disabling the touchscreen affect my keyboard or trackpad?

No. Disabling the touchscreen only turns off touch input. Your keyboard, trackpad, and any external mouse or keyboard you connect will continue to work normally.

What if I accidentally disable the touchscreen and forget how to turn it back on?

You can re-enable it the same way: Settings > Accessibility > Touchscreen toggle. If you cannot remember the path, you can also search for "touchscreen" in Settings — type the word in the search box at the top of Settings, and the toggle will appear in the results.

Does this setting sync across my Google account?

No. The touchscreen setting is specific to each Chromebook device. If you sign into your Google account on a different Chromebook, that device will have its own touchscreen setting, separate from your first device.