Two finger right-click not working (Surface Book 2)

Question

I've had my Surface Book 2 for about 10 days and generally happy with it except for one very frustrating bug. The 2 fingered right click on the trackpad is very unreliable. About 40% of the time it works, 40% of the time it reads as a 1 click, and the other 20% it doesn't register at all. I've tried lots of different ways of 2 finger clicking, thinking I just needed to adjust my actions a bit, and some helped a bit, but none are reliable.  To right click reliably I need to use the bottom right corner of the trackpad, but this is not efficient for my work flow. Given this is meant to be a premium laptop that I need to use all day for work, it really undermines my productivity and I'll have to return it even though I spent many hours loading software and files etc. Very frustrating. Is this a known bug? A software or hardware issue? I'm worried a replacement Surface Book might have the same problem.

Answer 1

You’re most welcome, David. Yes, it is also a possible hardware-related issue. If in any case that you’ll still experience the same issue after following the troubleshooting steps mentioned above, we recommend that you perform a fresh start in your device. This is the least intrusive form of reset. It is a Windows feature that installs the most recent version of Windows. Fresh start retains all of your personal files and some Windows settings. Fresh start also keeps any drivers that you installed. To do this, kindly go to Start > Settings > Update & security > Windows Defender (Windows Security) > Device performance & health. Under Fresh Start, select Additional info > Get Started.

If the issue is still persisting, then it would be best to reset your Surface Book 2 using a downloadable recovery image for your device. Kindly observe if the issue will continue to exist.

We appreciate your patience.

If you have additional questions, please let us know by replying to this thread. This way, we’ll get notified and respond back to you as soon as we can.

Cheers.

Answer 2

Hi Dennis,

I have done the things you have requested above including the diagnostic toolkit and the fresh start, but nothing has made any difference and it is just wasting hours of my time, which is just adding to the frustration of having bought a faulty laptop. I need a laptop that works properly for my business, so I think I should return it to the store. Can you give me a record number of this service inquiry so I can show to the store staff a get a replacement?

Thanks,

David

Answer 3

Hi SDG13,

Sorry to hear this. Please be advised that this is not a known issue. However, with the information you’ve given, there is a tendency that this is a driver or software driven issue.

So we can assist you accordingly, we’d like to know if the issue you’re experiencing started from the time you purchased your Surface Book 2. What is the current OS build and version installed on your Surface? Just type "winver" in Cortana search then hit Enter. Is the onscreen touchpad button for two fingers to right-click working? To validate this, kindly press and hold the Taskbar > Tap the touchpad button option > Click the touchpad icon located in the bottom-right corner of the taskbar. 

Also, have you tried adjusting the Touchpad sensitivity? If yes, what happened? If not, kindly try adjusting it. To do this, kindly go to Settings > Devices > Touchpad > Touchpad sensitivity. Are there multiple tasks running on your device? If yes, can you try connecting it to a power supply. Then, observe if it will help.

In the meantime, while we are isolating the issue, you can try to detach and re-connect the keyboard on your Surface. This causes Windows to re-enumerate the device in Device Manager which can help fix certain issues. If the issue remains, we recommend that you run the **Surface Diagnostic Toolkit**on your device. This tool will check for any errors and fix it. You may refer to the article for more information and step-by-step guide on how to run the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit.

Please respond to this thread to let us know how the issue progresses. Similarly, if you have more questions, please inform us by replying to this post.

Many thanks.

Answer 4

Thanks Dennis,

I'm not using my Surface Book 2 (i7 16 gb) today, but will check it tonight. It has been a problem from the 1st day I bought it (only 10 days ago from Harvey Norman in Brisbane, Australia) and I have removed the screen and turned it on an off several times, and used it with and without power supply during that period and it has always been a problem. I tested the two fingered clicking again last night in a range of different programs and it continues to be very unreliable. It is stock Windows 10 without any modifications from me and I haven't been using or loading many programs yet. Will try some of the things you suggested above, but be surprised if they help since its a brand new machine that I haven't used much. Feels like a problem with the trackpad hardware to me.

David

Answer 5

Hi DCG13,

We appreciate your response. With regards to your service number inquiry, we do not have proper tools to generate such reference for this thread/conversation. Going back to your concern, we would like to know more of the issue you'r experiencing. Can you tell us the current OS Build of your Surface Book 2? To know this, type 'winver' on the Search bar/Cortana, then hit Enter. This will show the current Windows build and version installed on Surface. Also, can you tell us if your device is on Insider Build?

Should you need other solution, let's try other solution by keeping the connectors on your Surface Book 2 keyboard clean. Here's how:

1. Detach the Clipboard from the keyboard.
2. Wet a cotton swab with rubbing alcohol. (Use 95% isopropyl alcohol or higher if possible.) Clean the silver pins on both faces of the three connectors located on the top middle surface of the keyboard hinge. Rub the cotton swab back and forth vigorously to clean the pins. Use a fresh swab surface to clean each of the connector faces (six in total).
3. After you're done, make sure the pins are dry and that there are no cotton fibers on the connector. Reattach the Clipboard to the keyboard.

If the cleaning doesn't help, we suggest that you uninstall then reinstall the touchpad driver via Device Manager:

1. On the Device Manager, go to the 'Human Interface Devices' section then tap or click the arrow icon.
2. From the drop-down list, right-click on 'HID-compliant touch pad", then select Uninstall.
3. Once you uninstall the pen driver, restart your Surface. (The driver should automatically install after the restart.)

Keep us updated with the outcome.