If you are using Ubuntu Linux on a laptop, you may notice a specific behavior regarding the trackpad: the moment you begin typing on the keyboard, the trackpad completely stops responding to touch. This is an intentional feature called “Disable while typing” (DWT), designed to prevent the palm of your hand from accidentally brushing the trackpad and sending your mouse cursor flying across the screen while you are writing a document.
However, if you are playing a video game on your laptop (like a first-person shooter where you need to use the WASD keys to move while simultaneously using the trackpad to aim), this feature makes the game completely unplayable. The OS will literally freeze your mouse every time you press a movement key.
To use your keyboard and trackpad simultaneously, you must disable this palm-rejection feature.
How to Keep the Touchpad Active While Typing
You can toggle this feature easily in the standard Ubuntu Settings app.
- Open the Settings app in Ubuntu.
- In the left-hand navigation sidebar, click on Mouse & Touchpad.
- Look under the “Touchpad” section in the right pane.
- Locate the toggle switch labeled Disable while typing (or “Tap to click” sub-settings depending on your specific GNOME version).
- Turn this toggle to the Off position.
Alternative: GNOME Tweaks Method
If the option is missing from the main Settings app in older versions of Ubuntu, use GNOME Tweaks:
- Open a terminal and run
sudo apt install gnome-tweaks - Launch the Tweaks application.
- Click on Keyboard & Mouse in the sidebar.
- Under the Touchpad section, turn off Disable While Typing.
Your trackpad will now remain 100% active at all times, allowing you to fluidly aim and shoot in games while holding down keyboard keys.