How to Use Touchpad and Keyboard at The Same Time Windows 10 (2 Methods)

While working on your laptop, you suddenly find out that you are not able to use your touchpad and keyboard at the same time. Either you have to use the keyboard first and then you will have to use a touchpad or vice versa.

It’s quite annoying and can make your work speed slow. This thing basically happens due to an incompatible touchpad driver, palm sensitivity, and so on. By making a few changes, you will be able to use the touchpad and keyboard at the same time simultaneously.

Read on as we have provided the methods that you will need to follow for using your touchpad and keyboard at the same time. So, let’s begin then. 

Methods for Using Touchpad and Keyboard at the Same Time on Windows 10

There are several methods that can be followed for using the touchpad and keyboard at the same time on your Windows 10 PC. Here we have provided the methods. Do follow them and start achieving what you are looking for!

Method 1: Lower the Palm Sensitivity

Palm sensitivity or PalmKMS value is the reason for the delay between a keystroke and the use of the touchpad. So, lowering the palm sensitivity helps to use a touchpad and keyboard at the same time. Here are the steps you will need to follow.

• Press the Windows key and type Mouse. After that navigate to Mouse settings.
• There, click on Additional Settings.
• On the next window, click on the Device Settings tab and then go to Settings.
• After that, click on Pointing which can be found under Synaptics Settings.
• Then click on Sensitivity > Palmcheck.
• And finally change the sensitivity and set it to minimum.
• Save the settings and restart your PC.

If it doesn’t work then you will need to change the value of PalmKMS by using the registry editor. Here are the steps that you will need to follow.

• Press Windows + R and type Regedit.
• Now, hit enter and paste this address into the address bar – HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Synaptics\SynTP\Defaults
• Now, you will need to change the value of the first three string entries to 0.
• Right-click on the string, and select Modify.
• Now, enter 0 in the value section, and save it.

Method 2: Disable SmartSense

If you have SmartSense on your laptop then you will need to disable it to use the touchpad and keyboard at the same time. It prevents the touchpad from working with the keyboard at the same time. Here are the steps that you will need to follow –

• Press the Windows icon and type Mouse to navigate into the Mouse Settings.
• Then click on Additional settings and navigate to the Synaptics settings tab.
• Now, click on Clickpad Settings. 
• On the next window, look for SmartSense there. Once you find it, double-click to expand it.
• There you will find three sliders, set the sliders to off and you will be able to disable SmartSense.

Now, you will need to restart your PC. 

NOTE: Sometimes, after restarting your PC, SmartSense may be enabled again. In this case, first, go to the Windows Update section and roll back the driver Windows has installed. After that restart your PC. Now, download install MS tool and install it. Navigate to the MS tool and then click on Synaptics touchpad driver to hide it from updating. By so, the original HP driver won’t be updated and it will keep SmartSense disabled.

Bonus: Upgrade or Rollback Synaptics Pointing Device Driver

If you were already capable of using a touchpad and keyboard at the same time and suddenly couldn’t able to do so, then the issue is with the touchpad driver. 

Either the updated version of the driver is causing the issue or the current one is backdated and couldn’t perform according to your need. In this case, either you will have to update or roll back to the previous version of the driver.

First, press the Windows Key and then type mouse. Press enter and then click on Additional Settings. Go to the hardware tab, and then click on Properties. On the next window, click on Change Settings, and then go to the Driver tab.

Now, if you are facing the issue after updating the driver then click on Rollback and if you are having this while using the older one then click on Update.

Conclusion

Lastly, working with both touchpad and keyboard will help you to do the work swiftly and more quickly. Disabling the SmartSense and minimizing Palm sensitivity will let you use the touchpad and keyboard at the same time. Follow the aforementioned methods to start using the touchpad and keyboard at the same time. During applying the methods, if you face any issues or have any queries, then let us know in the comment box below.