Windows trackpads are one of the biggest criticisms that users have when it comes to modern laptops. Much of that disapproval is alleviated if PC manufacturers just utilize Microsoft's Precision Touchpad drivers as we routinely mention in our Windows Central laptop reviews. Today, I'm excited to show you how to install and enable Precision Touchpad drivers on what should be any laptop that uses Synaptics or Elan drivers. Originally spotted on Reddit this quick guide will breathe new life into your premium Windows laptop. To be clear, we are talking about a bit of a "hack" and not an official solution, so make sure to do a quick backup just in case.

What we are doing Before we begin, let me explain how this all works. Precision Touchpads are a combination of a multitouch physical trackpad and the drivers that power the gestures and movement. Most high-end laptops use glass/metal trackpads with multi-gesture support. Best VPN providers 2020: Learn about ExpressVPN, NordVPN & more Where they vary is the driver choice. HP, for instance, uses Synaptics for its Spectre series of premium laptops. Razer is using Synaptics on the 14-inch Razer Blade, but have switched to Precision drivers for the new Razer Blade Stealth and Razer Blade Pro. The same for MSI who use Elan drivers on its Stealth Pro line of gaming laptops. All we are doing is installing the Microsoft Precision drivers and replacing the Synaptics or Elan ones. The drivers come from Lenovo (Synaptics) and Softpedia (Elan).

Why do it? The rule of thumb is Microsoft's Precision drivers are made for Windows 10 and customized by Microsoft themselves for the "ideal" trackpad experience. Most users consider the sensitivity, movement, and gestures of Precision to be better than Synaptics or Elan. What have we tested this on? We have verified that this trick works on Razer Blade (2016 and 2017 editions) and HP Spectre x360 13- and 15-inch models. We've done it multiple times across five different devices, and all worked. Others have confirmed it is working on the Dell Alienware 14 (2013), HP Pavilion 15, some Asus laptops with Elan, Acer Aspire M5, and more.