While there are cases where an unresponsive touch screen calls for professional repairs, there are a number of steps, from easy to advanced, that you can take to get things working again.
Basic Fixes for a Touch Screen That’s Not Working
Clean the screen with a lint-free cloth.Restart your device.Remove your case or screen protector.Make sure your hands are clean and dry and that you aren’t wearing gloves.
Regardless of your experience level, there are some basic, easy fixes that you can try when your touchscreen stops working.
Intermediate Fixes for an Unresponsive Touch Screen
Dry the device out if it got wet.Tap the edges if the device was dropped.Remove memory and sim cards.Disconnect peripherals like USB devices.
If your device has suffered some damage, like if it was dropped or got wet, then fixing it is a little more complicated. The steps are still pretty easy to follow, but if you aren’t comfortable trying to dry out your iPhone, then it’s best left to the professionals.
Restart an iPhone Restart an iPad Reboot an Android device Reboot a computer
Clean your hands to avoid passing dirt onto the screen. Wipe the touch screen with a lint-free cloth. The cloth may be dry or wet, but never use a sopping wet one.Remove the screen protector. If a screen protector gets dirty underneath it, is slightly wet, or gets too warm, it will stop registering your touch. You may need to clean the screen after removing the screen protector if it had a tear in it or hadn’t been removed for years.
Another slightly more complicated fix for a touch screen is to simply turn the device off and remove all of the sim cards, memory cards and peripherals. The reason this can be complex is that these cards are sometimes difficult to remove, and you have to put them back in one at a time to figure out which one was the problem.
Advanced Fixes for an Unresponsive Touch Screen
Put the device in safe mode.Use the device’s calibration tool or sensitivity setting.Update or reinstall your drivers.
There are a lot of other reasons for a touch screen to stop working, and most of them can be pretty tough to figure out. If that doesn’t work, fixing the digitizer requires taking the phone apart. Since touch screen problems can also be caused by files or programs that you download, the next step is to start up your phone, tablet or laptop in safe mode. This is basically just a bare bones mode that doesn’t load extra programs, but it can be pretty complicated to get it going. Another potential fix is to reconfigure the touch screen and reinstall drivers. This is even more advanced, but it does sometimes do the trick.
Updating and Reinstalling Touch Screen Drivers
If you have a Windows device with a malfunctioning touch screen, then updating the driver might fix the problem. Disabling and re-enabling the driver or reinstalling it might also do the trick. If you find that the touch screen starts working when you enter safe mode, then there is a problem with some app or program that you downloaded. Start with recently downloaded apps and go from there. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > 3D & Haptic Touch. Adjust the slider between light and firm. Try turning off 3D Touch if the screen is still inaccurate or unresponsive. In all cases, you’ll need to connect a keyboard and mouse or touchpad to your device first.
