How to Disable Windows 8 Touch Keyboard

Windows 8’s software keyboard can appear when you don’t want it, even if you have a physical keyboard attached.  There’s how to disable Windows 8 touch keyboard

If you have bought a laptop computer since 2013, then it probably has Windows 8 pre-installed.  Unless you’re reading this article in the far future and Windows 9 is out… in which case: Congratulations on surviving Windows 8, Mircrosoft!

Many new laptop computers also come with multi-touch screens, and in many cases behave like a Windows tablet.

In my case, the Acer laptop I use has a non-detachable keyboard and also features a touch screen.  Whenever I am near any sort of input screen (password field, Word, etc) and touch the screen, the on-screen keyboard appears, which I will never, ever, use since I have an always-present physical keyboard.

Another thing that makes this annoying is that a keyboard icon appears in your taskbar.  If you have a thin vertical taskbar (implment it here), then this leaves little room for programs.

Disable the Touch Keyboard Taskbar Icon

1. Right-click an empty area of the taskbar
2. Select Properties.
3. Click the “Toolbars” tab
4. Un-check “Touch Keyboard”

Disable the touch keyboard completely

1. Go to Manage > Services and Applications > Services
2. Find “Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel” and double-click it.
3. Change the Startup type to “Disabled”.
4. Click “Stop Service”.
5. Reboot your PC

After you disable the service then you won’t get a touch-screen keyboard at all.  There are enough GUI annoyances in Windows 8 that make no sense on a laptop computer as it is… even if it does have a touch screen.