How can I add a touchscreen to my desktop PC?

Dave is planning to get a new family computer but would like a touch-sensitive screen for Windows 8

If you decide to go for a touch-screen monitor, choose one that is easy to tilt backwards Photograph: Amazon

If you decide to go for a touch-screen monitor, choose one that is easy to tilt backwards Photograph: Amazon

Last modified on Tue 21 Feb 2017 18.05 GMT

I need to replace my PC setup at home, so your article on buying a new family PC was really great for me. Currently the PC is only used by the children for accessing the web, running Minecraft, iTunes, playing The Sims etc. I would really like to try using a touchscreen monitor to get the best out of Windows 8. I am aware of the argument about gorilla arms, but after using an iPad, I find myself prodding all computer screens with an (unrealistic) expectation that something should happen.

There’s a lot of choice for people who want all-in-ones, but I would much rather get a tower to leave the option of potentially upgrading the PC. I am a developer and might use the family PC for development in the future. Dave

You can add a touch-sensitive screen to any PC – or even an old laptop – by buying a touch-sensitive monitor. There must be a market for them, because most leading monitor suppliers offer them. This includes Acer, AOC, Asus, Dell, HP, Iiyama, LG, Samsung and ViewSonic. The less well-known HannsG also has competitive offerings.

However, touch sensitivity requires extra technology, which is an extra cost, especially for large screens. Touch-sensitive monitors are therefore more expensive than traditional designs, which must restrict the size of the market.

All-in-one or tower?

As you have found, there are lots of all-in-one PCs with touch screens, but they are basically laptop designs with separate keyboards. Slimline designs impose thermal constraints on the processor, which will typically operate at a TDP between 15W and 35W, or less. The processor will be throttled when it gets too hot, and the PC may shut down. By contrast, spacious desktop towers can use processors that run at 45W to 90W or more, so you get more performance for less money.

Towers provide space for adding more memory, ports, faster graphics cards, extra hard drives, optical drives (DVD or Blu-ray) and so on. They are also much easier to repair, so they should last longer. The main drawback is that they take up more space than laptops or all-in-one designs. This may be critical if you want to mount the screen on a wall, which is common with touch-screen PCs used for public information access.

Screen positions

You must consider the flexibility of the design. While the “gorilla arm” argument is simplistic to the point of stupidity – teachers have been using blackboards for centuries – there are important considerations to do with screen distance and angle.

The better all-in-ones provide flexibility to handle different programs and different uses. Often the screen leans back, and in some cases, can be used in a horizontal position. This makes it practical to play electronic versions of family board games, navigate around maps, play a virtual piano, and so on.

Desktop monitors are usually designed to be used with the screen in a vertical position, and relatively high up. This puts the screen a long way from your hands, so you are less likely to use it for touch operations. This contrasts with using a laptop, where the screen may be as handy as the keyboard.

If you decide to go for a touch-screen monitor, choose one that is easy to tilt backwards and possible to use in a horizontal position. Obviously, you should be able to return it to an upright position for word processing and so on.

Alternatively, you can buy any touch screen you like, if you mount it on a monitor arm that enables the screen to be moved around. This may actually be a better option, but it will probably cost more.

Touch-screen considerations

Touch-screen monitors are a bit more complicated than traditional designs, because they are active rather than passive devices. Traditional screens just have to show a picture, whereas touch-screen monitors have to feed information back to the PC. They often do this via a separate USB cable that runs next to the VGA/DVI/HDMI/etc video cable.

Monitors also vary according to the number of touch-sensitive points. This can range from five to 40, but 10 is usual for Windows 8. Further, different monitors may use optical, resistive or capacitative touch technology. Capacitative touch provides the same experience as using a tablet, which is what you want.

Some monitors support a new standard: MHL (Mobile High-definition Link). This enables you to connect a compatible smartphone or tablet to the monitor to show videos with high-resolution sound (up to 7.1 channels, including TrueHD and DTS-HD). The mobile device gets charged while it’s attached.

Other considerations are the usual ones: screen size and resolution, brightness, type of technology (LED, IPS etc), number of ports, whether it includes loudspeakers, and so on. Since you’re a developer, you’ll probably want to knock out a quick spreadsheet to compare all the options.

Note that touch-screen monitors designed for Windows 7 – probably with two touch-points – are less than ideal for Windows 8, where the bezel has to be flush with the display for edge-swipes. However, I don’t expect there are many Windows 7 touch monitors still on the market.

Monitor choice

I have very little experience of different touch-screen monitors, and haven’t tested any, so you will need to do your own research. I can point to some of the products that are available, but unfortunately it may be hard or impossible to see them before you buy one.

PC World, for example, only seems to offer three touch-screen monitors. These are all Acer models with Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) and screen sizes of 21.5in (£179.99), 23in (£249.99) and 27in (£379.99). These have MHL support, USB 3.0 and tilt stands that adjust from 80 to 30 degrees, so you could do worse. The 23in IPS-screen Acer T232HLA looks like the best option.

Argos stocks the 23in and 27in Acer monitors, but at higher prices. John Lewis doesn’t appear to stock any.

From my Amazon searches, the ViewSonic TD2220 looks like an economical option at about £180. It’s a 22in Full HD display. However, the 23in HannsG HT231HPB is slightly cheaper (£157.95), and Amazon reviewers give it 4.6 out of 5 stars.

Other touch-screen monitors that might be worth a look include the 23.6in AOC Style i2472P (£262.98), the 21.5in Dell S2240T H6V56 (£207.38) and the 23in Dell S2340T (£339.95). There’s also a ViewSonic TD2340 for £199.99, apparently reduced from £439.99, and a 24in Samsung S24C770TS for £449.99.

I think 22-24in is the optimum size for a Full HD screen, but there are similar options in smaller and larger sizes.

One more thing …

If you have a modern Windows 8 laptop, then you can probably use Windows 8’s touch gestures on its built-in touchpad. In the same vein, you could just buy a touchpad for your desktop PC and use it with a cheaper non-touch screen. Logitech’s rechargeable Touchpad T650 is an expensive option at £114, though the wireless T650 looks a better buy at £39.99.

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How to Enable the Touchscreen in Windows 10

Changed your mind? Turn touch back on in a few quick steps

What to Know

• Open the Device Manager and select Human Interface Devices >HID-compliant touch screen >Action >Enable device.
• If you do not see HID-compliant touch screen, select Action >Scan for hardware changes.
• If touchscreen doesn’t work after enabling, right-click HID-compliant touch screen >Update Driver. Search for driver update and install it.

The touchscreen on a Windows device is usually enabled out of the box. If it isn’t, enable it using the Device Manager, found in the Control Panel. In this guide, we show you how to turn on the touchscreen in Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7, as well as how to force Windows to check the hardware for a touchscreen and how to update the touchscreen driver.

How to Turn on the Touchscreen in Windows 10 and 8

To enable the touchscreen in Windows 10 and 8, you need to access the Device Manager. You can access the Device Manager through the Control Panel, but it’s a little faster to access it directly through the search box on the taskbar.

Select the search box on your taskbar.

Type Device Manager.

Select Device Manager.

Select the arrow next to Human Interface Devices.

Select HID-compliant touch screen.

Select Action at the top of the window.

Select Enable Device.

Verify that your touchscreen works.

If the touchscreen has been disabled on your Windows 10 tablet, you need to connect a USB keyboard and mouse to turn it back on.

How to Force Windows to Check for a Touchscreen

If you don’t see an entry for an HID-compliant touchscreen in your device manager, there are two possible causes. The first is that Windows doesn’t realize you have a touchscreen, which can be fixed by scanning for hardware changes. The other is that you don’t have a touchscreen.

If your touchscreen has never worked, and you don’t see a listing for HID-compliant touchscreen, contact the manufacturer of your device. Provide them with the product number, and they’ll be able to tell you if your device is supposed to have a touchscreen. Many laptop product lines include similar versions with and without touchscreens.

If you’re sure that your device is supposed to have a touchscreen, here’s how to force Windows to check for it:

If you don’t already have the Device Manager open, select the search box on your taskbar, type Device Manager, and then click Device Manager to open it back up.

Select the arrow next to Human Interface Devices to expand the list, and verify that you don’t see HID-compliant touchscreen.

Select Action on the toolbar.

Select Scan for hardware changes.

Select the Human Interface Devices list to see if HID-compliant touchscreen is there.

If the Windows hardware wizard finds your touchscreen, check to see if it works. If it doesn’t, proceed to the next section to check for driver updates.

If it doesn’t find your touchscreen, you may have a hardware problem, or your device may not have a touchscreen at all.

How to Update Your Touchscreen Driver

In some cases, you may have a touchscreen that doesn’t work even after you have enabled it. If you can see a listing for HID-compliant touch screen in your Device Manager, and your touchscreen still doesn’t work after you enable it, then you may have a driver or hardware problem.

In situations where a touchscreen doesn’t work due to a driver issue, you can typically fix it by updating the driver, running Windows Update, or contacting the manufacturer of your computer for any special instructions or update tools.

Here’s how to update your touchscreen driver:

If you don’t already have the Device Manager open, select the search box on your taskbar, type Device Manager, and then select Device Manager to open it back up.

Select the arrow next to Human Interface Devices to expand the list.

Right-click HID-compliant touch screen.

Select Update Driver.

Select Search automatically for updated driver software.

If the driver update wizard finds a new driver, install it.

Check to see if your touchscreen works.

If your touchscreen still doesn’t work, try running Windows Update.

How to Enable a Touchscreen on Windows 7

Touchscreens work differently in Windows 7 than in later versions of windows. If you have Windows 7, you need to enable your touchscreen through the Pen and Touch menu instead of the Device Manager. This menu can be accessed through the control panel.

Select the Start button.

Select Control Panel.

Select Pen and Touch.

Select the Touch tab.

Select the box next to Use your finger as an input device.

The box needs to be checked for the touchscreen to work. If it’s already checked, and your touchscreen doesn’t work, you may have a hardware or driver problem.

Verify that your touchscreen works.

Do You Need a Touchscreen in Windows 10?

No, Windows 10 laptops and 2-in-1 devices technically don’t need a touchscreen. That means you can run into situations where you find that the touchscreen is disabled. Disabling the touchscreen can prevent unintentional inputs, like clicking on things you didn’t mean to click on, so some people opt to do without this feature.

The main reason to enable a touchscreen on a Windows 10 device is that it can make it easier to accomplish some tasks because tapping on the screen typically takes less time than moving the mouse around and clicking with a small trackpad.

In some cases, a touchscreen and compatible pen device can allow you to use your Windows 10 laptop, 2-in-1, or tablet in the same way that you would use a drawing tablet. If you do any kind of graphic design work, this is a great way to get additional functionality out of a touchscreen-enabled Windows 10 device.