Tablet PC mode is missing on a Dell Windows 10 Desktop with a touch screen monitor

Summary: The following article provides information about a problem that is seen on some Dell desktops. Desktops that use both the Windows 10 operating system and a touch screen monitor but the Tablet PC mode is not available in the settings. ...

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
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Symptoms

Table of Contents:

  1. Tablet PC mode missing from Windows 10 on a Dell Desktop
  2. How to add Tablet mode to Windows 10
  3. Enabling and using Tablet mode in Windows 10

 

Tablet PC mode missing from Windows 10 on a Dell Desktop

 

Some people have reported that the Windows 10 Tablet PC Settings option is missing. Some desktops cannot calibrate an attached touch screen monitor because of this.

This includes Dell product families such as the Inspiron, XPS, Vostro, OptiPlex, and Precision.

External Touch Screen Monitor

(Figure.1 External Touchscreen Monitor connected to a desktop)

Cause

 

How to add Tablet mode to Windows 10

 

The following steps take you through turning on the Tablet PC mode settings in Windows 10:

  1. Click the Start menu and type in turn windows.

  2. Select the first option in the generated search list.

Windows 10 Start Menu Search

(Figure.2 Start Menu Search results)

The Turn Windows Features On or Off window opens up. This is where you install or uninstall Windows 10 features:

Note: The number and types of features you can turn on or off depends on the version of Windows 10 you have installed on your desktop.
 

  1. Scroll down the list and locate a folder labeled Tablet PC Components.

  2. If you hover your cursor over the folder, a box appears on-screen and informs you which components are installed when you check the box.

    The components are:

    1. Tablet PC Input Panel

    2. Windows Journal

    3. Math Input Panel

    4. Other Hand Writing Recognition Features

  3. Check the box next to Tablet PC Components and click OK.

  4. Follow the on-screen directions to complete the installation.

 

Tablet Mode

(Figure.3 Tablet Mode)

Note: You may be required to use administrator rights on the desktop to complete installing and enabling these components. It depends on which Windows features you are using on your desktop.
 
Note: When Windows 10 is using tablet mode, there are no tiles available on the screen to quickly switch back to desktop mode. Tap or click the Action Center icon in the taskbar to bring up a list of quick settings for your desktop. You can use them to switch from tablet mode back to desktop mode. Then tap or click the Tablet mode setting to switch between tablet and desktop mode. On a tablet, laptop, or desktop with a touch-panel display, access the Action Center settings with a quick swipe from the right edge of the screen.

Action Center

(Figure.4 Action Center Icon Location)

Resolution

Enabling and using Tablet mode in Windows 10

 

For more information about enabling Tablet mode on your desktop, read the following guide:

Microsoft provides a lot of good information about how to use Tablet mode in Windows 10. You can get information about how to get started using Tablet mode in the following article:

Affected Products

Fixed Workstations
Article Properties
Article Number: 000175397
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 03 Apr 2024
Version:  6
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