Fix Lenovo Synaptics Trackpad Sometimes Fast, Sometimes Slow

Problem

The tracking speed of the Synaptics trackpad/touchpad on your Lenovo laptop (mine is Yoga 2 Pro) is sometimes very fast and sometimes very slow. It seems to be switching between two “speed modes”.

Explanation

This is likely a bug in the Lenovo-branded Synaptics trackpad drivers, which are automatically installed through Windows Update whether you like them or not.

• On a side note, Lenovo’s trackpad driver doesn’t have trackpad-only tracking speed adjustment, whereas the stock Synaptics driver does. It allows changing the tracking speed for only the trackpad, on top of the global Mouse settings. I speculate this could be related to the bug.

Solution

The bug is avoided by installing the official/stock Synaptics trackpad driver from the Synaptics website. We also need to prevent Windows Update from “updating” the drivers to the OEM version.

1. Download the stock Synaptics trackpad driver from synaptics.com/resources.
2. Disconnect from the internet. (Important, to prevent Windows Update from messing stuff up)
3. Uninstall the OEM trackpad driver in the “Programs and Features” control panel.
4. Reboot.
5. Install the stock Synaptics driver.
6. Reboot.
7. Follow this How-To Geek guide to prevent Windows Update from updating the drivers. (The stock Synaptics driver is actually newer anyway.)
8. Turn your internet connection back on.

Did it solve your problem? Let me know in a comment below.