How to turn on the touchpad on the Xiaomi RedmiBook laptop: all working ways

The touchpad on Xiaomi RedmiBook laptops is a convenient alternative to the mouse, but sometimes it suddenly stops responding to touch. The reasons can range from accidental hotkey shutdown to driver failure or hardware malfunctions. In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to turn on the touchpad on RedmiBook 14/15/16 Pro, RedmiBook Air and others running Windows 10/11 or Linux.

Before you take your laptop to the service center, check the simple solutions: maybe the touchpad is software-enabled. We've collected 5 proven methods, from basic to advanced, and added a table with typical errors and fixes. If your RedmiBook doesn't respond to touch even after all the manipulations, at the end of this article you'll find diagnostic tips to identify hardware problems.

1. Hot keys: the fastest solution

On most Xiaomi RedmiBook laptops, the touchpad is turned off by the Fn + F6 key combination (or Fn + F12 depends on the model), a feature that duplicates the physical on/off button of the touchpad, which is located in the upper left corner of the touchpad (if any).

How to check:

• 🔍 Press Fn. + F6 (phn + F12) And see if the touchpad lights up (if you have one). Some RedmiBook Pro models don't have an indication -- just try to swipe your finger across the panel.
• 💡 If the combination doesn't work, make sure the Fn key isn't locked.Some laptops have a separate Fn Lock button (usually next to the Esc).
• 🔄 Try pressing the combination twice – sometimes the first press is not recorded due to the driver freeze.

Important: On RedmiBook Air 13 and some versions of RedmiBook 14, the touchpad disable feature can be tied to Fn + Del. If standard combinations don't work, check out the user manual for your particular model (you can find it on the official Xiaomi website).

2. Checking in Windows settings

If the hotkeys didn't work, maybe the touchpad is disabled at the operating system level. In Windows 10/11, it's fixed in a few clicks:

1. Open Windows Settings (Win + I)
2. Go to the Devices section → Touch panel.
3. Make sure the switch "Enable touch panel" is in the position "On".
4. Check for additional settings (e.g., “Do not turn off the touchpad when connecting the mouse”).

On RedmiBook with Windows 11 preinstalled, the path may be slightly different:

• 🖱️ Parameters → Bluetooth and devices → Touch panel.
• 🔧 If there is no partition, try updating the driver (more on this below).

Linux feature: On RedmiBook with Ubuntu or Manjaro distributions, the touchpad may not work due to the lack of drivers.

sudo modprobe -r psmouse && sudo modprobe psmouse

If this doesn’t work, install the xserver-xorg-input-synaptics package:

sudo apt install xserver-xorg-input-synaptics

3. Updating or reinstalling drivers

Touchpad failures are often associated with outdated or damaged drivers. Xiaomi RedmiBook laptops use touchpads from Synaptics, ELAN or Microsoft Precision to update the driver:

1. Open Device Manager (Win + X → Device Manager).
2. Deploy the Mouse section and other pointing devices.
3. Find a device called the Touchpad, Synaptics, ELAN, or HID-compliant mouse.
4. Right-click and select Update Driver → Automatic Search.

If the automatic update does not help:

• 🔗 Download the driver from the official Xiaomi website (Support section" → "Drivers").
• 💻 For RedmiBook Pro models, choose a driver marked "Touchpad" or "ELAN/Synaptics".
• 🔄 After installation, restart the laptop.

Critical feature for RedmiBook 16 Pro 2023: On some batches of these laptops, the ELAN touchpad conflicts with Windows 11 22H2 drivers. The solution is to roll back to the driver version 15.20.2.1 (available on Xiaomi's website in the archive).

4. Verification in BIOS/UEFI

In rare cases, the touchpad is disabled at the BIOS level, which can happen after a setting reset or firmware update, to check:

1. Restart your laptop and press Del (or F2, depending on the model) to log in to the BIOS.
2. Go to the Advanced section → Internal Pointing Device.
3. Make sure the setting is set in Enabled.
4. Save the changes (F10) and reboot.

Warning: Do not change other settings in the BIOS unless you are sure of their purpose. Incorrect settings can make it impossible to boot the system.

💡

If you can’t log in to the BIOS, turn off quick boot in Windows: Control Panel → PowerPower → Power button actions → Change inaccessible settings → Uncheck the tick from “Enable Quick Start”.

5. Resetting Windows settings

If the touchpad stopped working after installing updates or programs, resetting the system will help, which does not delete personal files, but returns system parameters to factory settings.

How to perform the reset:

1. Open Options → Update and Security → Recovery.
2. Select Return the computer to its original state → Save my files.
3. Follow the instructions on the screen (the process will take 20-30 minutes).

⚠️ Warning: After the reset, you will have to re-install the programs and adjust the parameters.

💡

Windows reset helps in 70% of cases when the touchpad stops working after updates or virus attacks.

6. Diagnostics of hardware malfunctions

If none of the software methods worked, the problem could be a physical breakdown. On Xiaomi RedmiBook laptops, the most common ones fail:

• 🔌 The touchpad plume is a thin cable that connects the panel to the motherboard, and it's damaged by falls or pressing hard.
• 🛠️ The touchpad controller is a chip that processes signals. It can burn up when voltage surges.
• 💧 Liquid entry – even a small amount of moisture leads to corrosion of contacts.

How to check:

1. Connect an external mouse – if it works, the problem is precisely in the touchpad or its connection.
2. Light a flashlight under the touchpad: if you see an inflection or rupture of the plume, you will need a replacement.
3. Try gently pressing the top of the touchpad – if it starts working, it’s a sign of poor plume contact.

⚠️ Note: Disassembling Xiaomi RedmiBook laptop to check the plume is no guarantee if it is still valid.

FAQ: Frequent questions about RedmiBook touchpad