Chromebooks are brilliant devices, if you don't need a laptop that can handle demanding programs. If you like the browser experience, getting a Chromebook is a brilliant idea. However, some features can get a bit too heavy.
The touch screen is a good example. It's good for easy navigation and makes for a great combination of smartphone and laptop-style navigation. However, sometimes you'll want to disable your Chromebook's touchscreen and trackpad. Fortunately, Google has thought of this and made enabling/disabling the touchscreen very easy.
Here's how to handle the touchscreen and touchpad, plus some additional touchpad tips.
Why disable the touchscreen?
Having a touchscreen on a laptop is awesome. You can use the screen without using the touchpad, while still being able to type using the keyboard. Sometimes, however, you want to point to the screen and nothing happens. This is why Google has made it possible to turn it off and on at will.
Why disable the touchpad?
Let's say you are using the touchscreen feature instead of the touchpad option. Or maybe you have the regular mouse plugged into your Chromebook. Occasionally, you'll accidentally touch the touchpad while typing, and the pointer will move around annoyingly. Worse still, you may click and perform an action you didn't mean to do.
This is why the touchpad feature can be easily enabled or disabled on Chromebooks.
Disable touchscreen/touchpad
Chromebooks aren't like your regular laptops. They have simpler functionality than Windows devices and MacBooks. In fact, most settings are done from the Chrome browser on the laptop. It might sound a bit boring, but it certainly adds to the simplicity aspect here.
- To disable the touchscreen and/or touchpad, open the Chrome browser on your Chromebook.
- Then type " chrome://flags/#ash-debug-shortcuts In the address bar.
- From the next screen, locate Debugging keyboard shortcuts. It will probably be highlighted.
- Click on Allow to enable this option.
- Now restart the device and use the Search + Shift + T to disable the touch screen function. To disable the touchpad function, press Search + Shift + P.
Additional tips on using the touchpad
It might not seem like it, but the Chromebook's touchpad has more functionality than your regular laptop's touchpad. So, before you disable the touchpad forever, check out these tips and give them a try.
To click, press or tap the bottom half of the touchpad. To perform a right-click action, simply press/tap the touchpad with two fingers at the same time. Otherwise, press Other then click/tap with one finger.
To scroll, place two fingers on the touchpad and move them left/right to scroll horizontally or up/down to scroll vertically.
If you want to go back to a page you were on, swipe left with two fingers. Swipe right with two fingers to move forward.
To see all open windows, use three fingers and swipe down or up.
To close a tab, hover your pointer over it and tap/click the trackpad with three fingers. To open a web link in a new tab, hover over the link and tap/click the trackpad with three fingers. Swipe left/right with three fingers to switch between multiple tabs.
Finally, to move an item from point A to point B, click and hold it with one finger. Then drag the item to the desired location.
To change how the touchpad works, go to Parameters and change the settings in the Touchpad/Touchpad and Mouse section.
Disabling the touchscreen and touchpad
As you can see, turning off your Chromebook's touchscreen and trackpad is quite simple. All you need to do is enable the Hotkey debugging option. Switch between touchpad and touchscreen and use the mentioned tips for a seamless browsing experience on your Chromebook.
Did you find this tutorial helpful? Have you learned how to use your Chromebook's touchscreen and trackpad? Let us know in the comments section below. And don't be afraid to ask questions or add some extra tips.
