Surface Pro X Phantom Touches

Question

Surface Pro X Phantom Touches

Jacie Fisk 0

I have a Surface Pro X (arm-based) and I have been experiencing phantom touches on the top right corner of my screen. If I flip to vertical, the phantom touch follows to right corner of whatever orientation I have it in. During this issue, whatever mouse I use does not work. However, touch and using the pen will often work.

My device manager (including showing hidden devices) does not show the HID touch screen driver.

My computer is up to date and the diagnostic tools find no issues. The phantom touches do not show up in UEFI.

Is there any way of fixing this issue myself?

edit: If I can just get the driver to reappear to disable touch screen, that’s fine too!

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Answer 1

Hi Jacie Fisk,

I understand how disruptive this must be, especially when the phantom touches prevent the mouse from working normally and the touchscreen driver is not even available for you to disable.

One important precaution: please do not uninstall any touch-related device or driver on a Surface Pro X. Microsoft specifically warns that if these drivers are removed from this model, restoring them may require a full system reset.

Please try the following:

Disconnect any dock, charger, USB accessory, or nearby electronic equipment temporarily, then test the Surface in another location. Electronic interference can sometimes cause phantom touches.
Open Settings > Windows Update, select Check for updates, and install everything available. Then check Advanced options > Optional updates and install any available Surface updates.
Open the Surface app, expand Help & support, and check whether any driver or firmware update is offered.
In Device Manager, select Action > Scan for hardware changes, then restart the Surface. Do not uninstall the existing touch, HID, or firmware entries.
If the HID-compliant touch screen entry still does not return, back up your important files and consider resetting the Surface using Microsoft’s recovery options.

Unfortunately, the touchscreen cannot be disabled through Device Manager while the HID-compliant touch screen entry is missing. Also, disabling touch normally disables related touch accessories, including the Surface Pen and Windows touch keyboard.

If the phantom touches continue after Windows and Surface updates, and especially after a reset or recovery, Microsoft’s guidance is to submit a service order so the touchscreen and digitizer can be inspected.

Official guidance:

Fix touch issues on a Surface touchscreen

Download drivers and firmware for Surface Pro

Download a Surface recovery image

I hope the update or recovery process restores the missing touch component and stops the phantom input without requiring hardware service. Thank you so much for your understanding.

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Jacie Fisk 0 Reputation points

2026-09-17T14:12:20.9333333+00:00

Hi,

Thank you. I have checked for electronic interferences, updates both in settings and the Surface app, and scanned for hardware changes in the device manager. Nothing of this has fixed the issue. I had a feeling that a reset would be my next option.

I’m not sure if this is worth noting, but I did notice that opening the diagnostic toolkit immediately stops the phantom touches from happening.
Vikki-T 10,965 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-18T12:50:40.5233333+00:00

Hi Jacie Fisk,

Thank you for the update. The fact that the phantom touches stop immediately when the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit is opened is worth mentioning to Microsoft Support.

Before resetting the Surface, I recommend contacting Microsoft Support and sharing that observation, along with the missing HID-compliant touch screen entry and the fact that the issue does not occur in UEFI. Since you have already checked for interference, installed the available updates, and scanned for hardware changes, Support can advise whether a recovery should still be attempted or whether the device should be assessed for service.

You can contact Microsoft Support here: https://support.microsoft.com/contactus

When the Support Assistant appears and continues to suggest automated troubleshooting, enter “Contact support” or “Speak with a live agent.” Then follow the prompts and look for Chat with a support agent in your web browser. Available contact options may vary depending on your region, local support hours, and agent availability.

If Support recommends a reset or recovery, please back up your important files first. Also, continue to avoid uninstalling any touch-related drivers on the Surface Pro X.

I hope they can help determine the appropriate next step without requiring you to repeat the troubleshooting you have already completed. Thank you so much for your cooperation.