How to Disable the Touchscreen on a Chromebook

While the touchscreen feature on a Chromebook allows for easy browsing and quick navigation, it may get a bit too much at times. Fortunately, Google had thought this through, enabling users to turn off the touchscreen without much hassle. This means you can point to the screen without having anything happen while using the keyboard and touchpad or mouse. This also means that you can continue to use your Chromebook even after the screen is cracked.

The best thing is that the touchscreen disabling feature works across all Chromebook brands. Whether you use HP, Dell, Acer, Lenovo, or ASUS, you can easily turn the touchscreen off.

Sounds good?

Let’s find out how to disable the touchscreen on a Chromebook.

A Requirement You Must Fulfill

The only requirement for disabling the touchscreen on a Chromebook is that you have Chrome 48 or higher.

To check your current version of Chrome OS, follow the steps below.

1. Open the Chrome Browser.
2. Move the cursor to the top right of the screen and click on “Menu.”
3. Go to “Help” and select the “About Google Chrome” option.
4. Check your Chrome version in the pop-up window.

If you don’t have Chrome 48 or higher, you’ll have to update your Chromebook first. Otherwise, you won’t be able to disable the touchscreen on your device.

Now, let’s answer the burning question.

How to Disable the Touchscreen on a Chromebook

Disabling the touchscreen on a Chromebook is pretty easy. Chromebooks generally have simpler features than MacBooks and Windows devices. You can do most of the tweaks on the Chrome browser itself.

This makes things SO much simpler and convenient.

Don’t believe us?

Check out how you can disable the touchscreen on a Chromebook by following seven easy steps, as described below. Just make sure you type each command exactly as shown to avoid being directed to an error page.

Step 1

First and foremost, you need to launch Chrome Browser. You can do it either the conventional way or try different methods for launching an app on a Chromebook. These include:

• Clicking the “Launcher” icon in the corner.
• Pressing the “Finder” button (the magnifying glass icon on the keyboard) to open the Launcher.
• Using your voice to search your Chromebook and open the installed app.

Step 2

Next, you’ll have to open a new tab on Chrome. The easiest way to do this is by pressing CTRL + T.

Step 3

Once the tab is open, you need to navigate to the debug shortcuts. All you have to do is type the following into the address bar.

chrome://flags/#ash-debug-shortcuts

Make sure the address path is accurate. Once you’re done, press enter. You’ll see a list of debugging options for your device.

Step 4

The next step is to locate the debugging options that govern your keyboard. You must search for the entry called “Debugging keyboard shortcuts.”

The results will be highlighted in yellow. If not, you can press CTRL + F and type the phrase.

Step 5

Now, it’s time to enable the debugging keyboard shortcuts. All you have to do is click on the “Enable” button to turn it on.

This will allow you to use keyboard shortcuts to control a Chromebook. You’ll now be able to disable the touchscreen function on your device.

Step 6

This step involves restarting your Chromebook. You can’t enable keyboard shortcuts without restarting the device.

While there’s no harm in restarting it, you can simply log out and log back in If you think it’s risky.

Step 7

Finally, it’s time to disable the touchscreen function on your Chromebook. You can easily do so by pressing the following keyboard shortcuts.

Search + SHIFT + T

Make sure you press these keys all at once to turn the touchscreen off. Pressing it again will enable the function.

That’s it!

What If You Want to Turn the Touchscreen Back On?

If you don’t want to toggle the touchscreen on and off, you can disable the debugging function by repeating steps 1 to 5. Once it is disabled, you’ll have to restart your Chromebook.

Facing Problems Disabling the Touchscreen on a Chromebook?

No worries!

Most people can’t access the page and get errors while doing so. If you find yourself in the same boat, please check if you’ve used the correct spelling.

Another possibility is that you may not be the administrator of your Chromebook. You must log in to the admin account if you want to disable the touchscreen on your device.

Lastly, if your Chromebook has been provided by your school or office, it will likely be enrolled in a network. This means that it may be disabled by default. You’ll have to reach out to someone in the IT team and get it sorted. Alternatively, you can ask for their permission to reset your Chromebook to unenroll it.

Our Final Thoughts

See how easy it is to disable the touchscreen on your Chromebook?

It takes no more than a few minutes.

Whether you like to use the touchpad or an external mouse, turning the touchscreen function off is a good idea. The Chromebook touchpad boasts more functionalities than an average laptop touchpad.

Besides, you’ll get to save some battery power since your device won’t have to ping constantly for touch.

Now that you know how to disable the touchscreen on a Chromebook, go ahead and verify if your device allows this function. If yes, follow the steps mentioned herein carefully and enjoy!

We hope you found this step-by-step guide helpful. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions or confusion.