A touchpad that suddenly stops working on your Acer Nitro V 15 can bring your gaming or work to a halt. Whether the cursor is frozen, taps aren't registering, or multi-finger gestures have failed, you're forced to rely on an external mouse. The good news is, this is almost always a software or settings issue you can fix yourself.
Toggle the Touchpad with the Function Key
First, check if you accidentally disabled the touchpad. On the Nitro V 15, press the Fn + F7 keys together. Look for a small icon on the F7 key that looks like a touchpad with a line through it. Pressing this combination will toggle the touchpad on and off.
You can also verify this in Windows settings. Use your keyboard to navigate to Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad. Make sure the touchpad is switched to "On."
Perform a Full Restart
If the touchpad stopped working after the laptop woke from sleep or hibernation, a simple restart is your best bet. This reloads all the drivers, including the one for your touchpad.
Use the Tab key to navigate to the Windows Start menu, then use the arrow keys to select the power icon and choose "Restart." Let the laptop boot up completely and test the touchpad immediately.
Disconnect Any External Mice
Windows has a feature that can automatically disable the internal touchpad when it detects an external mouse. Unplug any USB mouse and turn off any paired Bluetooth mice.
After disconnecting, give the touchpad a try. To prevent this from happening automatically in the future, go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad and look for a setting like "Leave touchpad on when a mouse is connected" and make sure it's enabled.
Update Your Touchpad Driver
Outdated or corrupted drivers are a common culprit. Press the Windows key + X and select "Device Manager." Expand the "Mice and other pointing devices" category.
Right-click on the device listed (it might be called "HID-compliant mouse" or "ELAN" or "Synaptics" touchpad) and select "Update driver." Choose "Search automatically for drivers." If Windows finds an update, install it and restart.
Clean the Touchpad Surface
Gaming sessions can leave behind oils, sweat, or crumbs that interfere with the touchpad's sensors. Make sure your fingers are clean and dry.
Gently wipe the touchpad surface with a dry, soft microfiber cloth. If needed, slightly dampen a corner of the cloth with water, wipe the surface, and then immediately dry it with another part of the cloth. Never spray liquid directly onto the laptop.
Check the Touchpad Setting in BIOS
The touchpad can be disabled at a system level. Restart your Nitro V 15 and immediately start pressing the F2 key repeatedly to enter the BIOS setup.
Use the arrow keys to navigate. Look for a menu like "Main" or "Advanced" and find an option for "Internal Pointing Device" or "Touchpad." Ensure it is set to "Enabled." Save and exit (usually F10).
Reinstall the Touchpad Driver
If updating didn't work, a clean reinstall might. Go back to Device Manager under "Mice and other pointing devices." Right-click your touchpad driver and select "Uninstall device." Check the box that says "Attempt to remove the driver for this device" if you see it, then click Uninstall.
Restart your laptop. Windows will automatically install a basic driver upon startup. For full functionality, I'd then visit the official Acer support website, enter your Nitro V 15's serial number, and download the latest touchpad driver from there.
Run Windows System File Checker
Corrupted Windows system files can affect hardware like the touchpad. Press the Windows key, type "cmd," and select "Run as administrator" next to Command Prompt.
In the black window, type sfc /scannow and press Enter. Let the scan run to completion; it will attempt to repair any corrupted files it finds. Restart your laptop when it's done.
Test for a Hardware Issue
If none of the software fixes work, you need to see if the problem is physical. Boot into the BIOS by pressing F2 during startup. Try using the arrow keys in the BIOS menu.
If the touchpad doesn't work in the BIOS either, it could point to a loose internal ribbon cable or hardware damage. The ribbon cable connecting the touchpad to the motherboard can sometimes come loose, especially if the laptop has been moved around a lot. This would require opening the chassis to check, which is a job for a professional if you're not comfortable doing it yourself.
