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How To Turn Off Touch Screen On Chromebook (Disable Guide)

Chromebooks are a brilliant alternative to PCs and standard laptops. For those who need a lightweight work laptop or something to check their email and browse the web, Chromebooks have you covered.  

The touch screens that come with many of them can be a useful bonus but can get in the way at times. Learn how to turn off touch screen on Chromebooks in this handy guide.  

Chromebooks are a laptop or tablet series created by Google in collaboration with major laptop brands. Chromebooks run Linux-based Chrome OS technology and work well with all Google apps.  

Initially created in 2011, these laptops were limited and had little variety in their early iterations. Modern Chromebooks are much higher quality, making them perfect for those who typically perform lighter tasks such as browsing the web and writing documents.  

Because of their lower capacity, Chromebook laptops and tablets are relatively cheap; perfect for students and those looking to better separate their home and work lives.

Chromebooks have little storage as most work will be stored on the Cloud, but they are lightweight, attractive, and easy to use.  

If a touch screen is something you want, more modern editions will most likely have them. Likewise, if you would rather avoid a touch screen or keep your costs down, older models are more likely to not have a touch screen. 

Related: Ipads Vs Chromebooks For School: Which Is Best?

What We Like 
  • Inexpensive 
  • Lightweight 
  • Cloud-based storage 
  • Convenient 
Things We Don’t 
  • Limited storage 
  • Not for big files or tasks
  • No Microsoft Office 
silver acer chromebook

Why Disable The Touch Screen On Chromebook? 

While touchscreens can be incredibly convenient, they are not always necessary or wanted. There are a variety of circumstances where you may prefer to keep your touchscreen turned off:  

  • Cleaning the screen 
  • Traveling 
  • With small children while working 
  • Personal preference to permanently turn off 

It may be that you never need to turn off your touch screen – that is entirely up to you. No matter your situation, it is vital to know how to turn your touch screen on and off for maximum flexibility.

Whether you would rather keep your options open or turn the touchscreen off completely, we have a thorough guide on how to turn it off down below.

Related: Best Scanners For Chromebooks 

man holding a black samsung chromebook

How To Turn Off Touch Screen On Chromebook (Guide For All Brands) 

1. HP / Acer / Samsung  

Here is the method for how to disable a touch screen on an HP Chromebook. This also works for Acer Chromebooks and how to disable touch screen on Samsung Chromebooks. 

  • Open your Chromebook 
  • Go to shortcuts 
  • Type chrome:/flags/#ash-debug-shortcuts into the search bar 
  • Go to that page 
  • Search for debugging keyboard shortcuts 
  • Turn on the debugging keyboard shortcut by clicking enable 
  • Restart your Chromebook 
  • Check that your touchscreen is off by touching it 

2. Lenovo  

How to turn off the touch screen on Lenovo Chromebooks: 

  • Launch your Chrome browser 
  • Type chrome://flags/#ash-debug-shortcuts into the search bar 
  • Locate the debugging keyboard shortcuts and click enable. Disable is the default mode for keyboard shortcuts. 
  • Click the relaunch now button to restart 
  • Log back into your account 
  • Press search + shift + t at the same time to toggle your screen on and off 

3. Dell

How to disable the touchscreen on Dell Chromebooks: 

  • Log in to your Chromebook account 
  • Go to my computer 
  • Click on device manager 
  • Select properties to human interface devices 
  • Click the touchscreen option 
  • Select disable to turn off the touchscreen 
  • Return and adjust at any time 
black samsung chromebook in a pile of leaves

Turning Off The Touchscreen On A Chromebook FAQs

How do you disable the touchpad on a Chromebook? 

For those who prefer using a physical mouse rather than a touchpad, it is easy to disable your touchpad. Simply press shift + search + p to toggle the touchpad on and off.  

Does turning off the touch screen increase performance and battery life? 

There is little to no evidence turning off the touch screen will make a significant impact on battery life or make a slow Chromebook faster. More impactful changes would include lowering the brightness, turning off Bluetooth, closing unneeded applications, and more. 


Conclusion

It is easy when you know how to disable the touchscreen on your Chromebook. Using our tips above, we hope that you feel confident enough to adapt your Chromebook to suit your busy lifestyle. If you need more tips on using your home devices, we have plenty of how-to guides and reviews on our website. 

Related: How To Charge A Chromebook Without A Charger