This Windows 11-specific issue is most likely caused by the fact that the entire touchpad functionality is disabled from the Windows Settings menu, at the BIOS level, or via the hardware shortcut. Sometimes, a generic trackpad driver can also limit some available gestures. If you’re only experiencing issues with Firefox, and the gestures work fine outside the browser, the issue is most likely caused by the widget.disable-swipe-tracker flag. To address every potential cause mentioned above, start following the methods featured below:
1. Enable Touchpad from Windows Settings
The first thing you need to do when troubleshooting this issue is to ensure that gesture support is enabled at the operating system level. Even if you didn’t explicitly disable the touchpad functionality from the Settings screen, mouse management software might have done it for you as soon as you plugged in a mouse. Note: A variety of Razer mouse models can do this when Razer Synapse is installed. So before migrating to any of the other solutions below, follow the instructions below to navigate to the Touchpad Settings inside the Windows 11 Settings menu and make sure that the touchpad functionality is allowed: If the same issue is still occurring, move to the next method below.
2. Enable Touchpad via FN Shortcut
Remember that almost every laptop manufacturer includes a hardware key to help you toggle the touchpad on and off functionality. Typically, this is a combination of the FN key + an F key. Note: For example, in my case, on a Lenovo Legion, it’s FN + F11. The strange thing about this hardware shortcut is that it’s not connected with the touchpad ON / OFF toggle you can find on the Settings screen. So, for example, if you disable the touchpad via the hardware key first and enable the touchpad from (Settings >Bluethooth & Devices > Touchpad), your touchpad will still refuse to work. I struggled with the same issue myself until I realized that the two ways of disabling or enabling the touchpad are not congruent. If the touchpad gestures on Windows 11 used to work before stopping abruptly, it’s possible that you’ve hit the hardware shortcut combination by mistake and disabled this functionality. Note: Take a look at your F keys and see if you can spot the icon that resembles a touchpad. If you see it, press the FN key first and keep it pressed while pressing the F key. If you verified that your touchpad gestures are not disabled via the hardware shortcut, move down to the next method below.
3. Enable Advanced Touchpad in BIOS
Another place where you should look to enable your touchpad settings if you can’t use any of the advanced gestures is your BIOS settings. If you can’t use any of the newer gestures (like pinch to zoom or three-finger or four-finger gestures), the problem is most likely occurring at a kernel level. Most BIOS laptop models will allow you to switch between Basic and Advanced Touchpad options. Typically, this setting is located in the main menu of your BIOS settings. In case this scenario is applicable and you’re looking for specific instructions on enabling the advanced touchpad options inside your BIOS settings, follow the steps below: If the same issue persists despite ensuring that the touchpad functionality is enabled in your BIOS settings, move down to the next method below.
4. Update touchpad drivers
Although Windows 11 comes with a series of reliable generic drivers that cover every interfacing aspect, from the touchpad and keyboard to Bluetooth, you should always go for the manufacturer-provided driver to avoid any inconsistencies. If you’re still using generic drivers, you should navigate to your manufacturer’s driver download page and download the dedicated driver or your particular model. Note: This is important because some mobile-centric manufacturers have implemented proprietary gestures unavailable for other OEMs. Follow the instructions below to make sure you are using the dedicated touchpad drivers for your particular laptop model: If the issue is still not fixed and you’re only experiencing this issue while browsing on Firefox on Windows 11, move down to the next method below.
5. Enable touchpad gestures in Firefox (if applicable)
If you are using Firefox, you should have a series of unique gestures at your disposal to improve the browsing experience. Swiping left or right to trigger page navigation will make a huge difference when used correctly. However, if you can’t take advantage of the browser-specific gestures but the generic touch gestures work just fine outside of Firefox, the issue is most likely caused by the widget.disable-swipe-tracker experimental flag. Note: Skip this method if none of the touchpad gestures work on Windows 11. To fix this issue, you’ll need to access the about:config menu inside Firefox and make sure that the problematic experimental flag (widget.disable-swipe-tracker) is set to false. For step-by-step instructions on how to do this, follow the steps below:
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