How to turn on the touchpad on Xiaomi phone: 5 working ways (2026)

The touchpad (or touchscreen) on Xiaomi smartphones is not a standalone device, but a touchscreen that responds to touch. If it stops working, users often look for the "touchpad on" option in the settings, but there is no such feature. The problem is either a software failure or a hardware malfunction. In this article, we will discuss all possible causes and ways to fix them, from basic checks to complex firmware manipulations.

It's important to understand that if the screen is physically damaged (cracks, dents, moisture), no adjustments will help — you need to replace the display module. But in 80% of cases, the software is to blame: driver failure, application conflict or improper gesture settings. Next, step-by-step instructions for the models of Redmi, POCO, Mi and Black Shark.

1. Check the underlying causes of a broken touchpad

Before digging into the settings, eliminate the obvious problems:

• 🔋 Battery discharge. At a charge level below 5%, the sensor can shut down to save power.
• 🧤 A dirty screen. Fat tracks, dust, or bubble shielding film interfere with touch recognition.
• 📱 Cover or bumper. Some accessories press on the edges of the screen, blocking the sensor.
• 🌡️ Overheating or cold.°C or higher than 40°C touchscreen can glitch. Let the phone heat up/cool down to room temperature.

If after these manipulations the sensor did not work, go to software methods.

2. Reset and forced restart

The easiest way to get the touchpad back on track is to reboot, but how do you do that if the screen doesn't respond to touch?

Use the hardware buttons:

1. Press the power button for 10-15 seconds until the phone turns off.
2. Wait 30 seconds (this is important – let the capacitors run out).
3. Press the power again to turn on the device.

If the phone doesn’t turn off with a long hold, try the combination:

Power button + Volume up (hold 20 seconds)

This method works on 60% of Xiaomi devices with touchscreen software failures, and if it doesn’t work, move on to the next step.

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On the POCO F5 and Redmi Note 12, the touchscreen may temporarily not work properly after a forced reboot. Give the phone 2-3 minutes to initialize the drivers.

3. Enable touchpad through Safe Mode

Third-party application conflict is a common reason for the sensor to be disabled. To check this, boot your phone in Safe Mode, where only system programs are running.

Instructions for Xiaomi:

1. Turn off the phone (through long power retention).
2. Hold the power and hold until the Mi logo appears.
3. Once the logo disappears, immediately pinch and hold Volume down until the phone boots up.
4. In the lower left corner of the screen should appear the inscription Safe Mode.

If the touchscreen is running in safe mode, one of the installed apps is to blame. Remove recently added programs (especially launchers, antiviruses or games with extended resolutions).

4. Reset gesture settings and sensitivity

On Xiaomi, the touchscreen is not only controlled by the driver, but also by gesture settings. If they get lost, the screen can stop responding to touch, and you can fix this through the settings menu (if you have access to it through a mouse or a mouse). OTG-adapter).

Instructions:

1. Put it on the phone. USB-mouse-wise OTG-adapter (or use Scrcpy to manage from PC).
2. Go to Settings → Display → Screen sensitivity.
3. Choose the Reset to the Factory (or Restore by Default).
4. Return to Settings → Additional → Special Features → Gestures and turn off all custom settings.

If you don’t have a mouse on hand, try controlling your phone through a voice assistant:

• 🎤 Say, OK, Google, open the settings».
• 🎤 Then, “OK Google, open up the screen sensitivity».
• 🎤 And finally, OK, Google, reset the settings».

This method works on devices with MIUI 12 and later, and on older versions of firmware, the voice assistant may not support such commands.

Make sure your phone is 50%+ charged.

Connect. OTG-Mouse or Prepare PC with Scrcpy

Make a backup copy of important data

Remember passwords from accounts (after reset, you may need to re-enter them)-->

5. Hard Reset (Hard Reset)

If the touchscreen doesn't respond even after rebooting and resetting gestures, it leaves a complete reset, which will delete all the data from the phone, but often solves the sensor driver problem.

Instructions for Xiaomi:

1. Turn off the phone (hold power for 10-15 seconds).
2. Hold on to the combination: Volume up + Power until the Mi Recovery logo appears.
3. In the recovery menu, select Wipe Data (use volume buttons for navigation and Power for confirmation).
4. Confirm the reset by selecting Yes.
5. After completion, select Reboot.

On the POCO X3 Pro and Redmi Note 10 Pro models, you may need to re-activate your Mi Account after a reset, even if you haven't used it.

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Hardware resets delete all data, including photos, contacts and messages, and if the phone is not detected by the PC, it will be impossible to recover the information.

6. Driver verification and firmware through Fastboot

If the reset didn't work, the problem could be in the damaged touchscreen drivers, in which case flashing through the Fastboot will help.

You'll need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Mi Flash Tool drivers installed.
• 🔌 Cable USB Type-C (preferably original).
• 📁 Firmware for your model (download from the official Xiaomi website).

Step-by-step:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press Volume Down + Power to enter Fastboot.
3. Connect the phone to the PC.
4. Launch the Mi Flash Tool, select the downloaded firmware and press Flash.
5. Wait for the end (10-15 minutes) and the phone will reboot automatically.

After the firmware is done, the touchscreen should work, and if it isn't, it's a hardware problem (a plume or sensor controller is damaged).

7. Diagnostics of hardware malfunctions

If none of the software methods worked, it's a hardware problem.

• 🔍 Cracks or chips on the screen (even small ones can damage the touch layer).
• 💧 Oxidation traces under the screen (infection of moisture).
• 🔌 The screen responds only to a portion of the touch (e.g., only in the upper half).
• 🔊 Extraneous sounds when pressing the display (crunch, creaking - a sign of detachment of the plume).

In these cases, it is required:

1. Diagnosis in the service center (cost from 500 to 3000 rubles).
2. Replacement of the display module (from 2000 to 10 000 rubles depending on the model).
3. Check the plume and controller (sometimes it is enough to reconnect the connector).

⚠️ Note: Do not try to disassemble Xiaomi yourself AMOLED-screens (e.g. Mi 11 Ultra or Redmi) K50). These displays are glued to a special adhesive, and with a careless opening, you can damage the matrix.

8.Alternative ways to control the phone without a touchpad

While the phone is being repaired, you can use it through:

• 🖱️ USB-(via mouse) OTG-It works on all models with MIUI 10 and newer.
• 💻 Control from PC via Scrcpy or Vysor (needs enabled) USB-debugging).
• 🎮 Gamepad (connects via Bluetooth, but requires pre-configuration in Settings) → Connected devices).
• 🗣️ Voice Assistant (Google Assistant or Xiao) AI).

For inclusion USB-debugging without a working screen:

1. Connect the mouse via OTG.
2. Go to Settings. → The phone.
3. Click on the MIUI version 7 times to activate the developer mode.
4. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers and include USB-debugging.

⚠️ Warning: If you use Scrcpy to control a phone with a broken screen, disable password lock. When you reboot, it will be impossible to unlock the device!

FAQ: Frequent questions about touchpad on Xiaomi