How to Enable or Disable Fingertip Writing in the Handwriting Panel in Windows 11

This article explains the steps to enable or disable using your fingertip to write in the handwriting panel in Windows 11.

If you have a Windows tablet or portable device with a touchscreen, you can use the touch keyboard to enter text in a text field.

The touch keyboard feature also has a handwriting panel that you can write on with a pen or your fingertip. This is typically available on tablet devices with a touchscreen and no attached keyboard.

Windows lets you enable or disable the ability to use your fingertip to write in the handwriting panel via the Settings app or the Windows Registry Editor. When you disable using your fingertip, you can write notes in the handwriting panel with a pen.

Here’s how to do that.

Turn on or off write with a fingertip in the handwriting pane

As described above, you can disable or enable writing with your fingertip in the handwriting panel in Windows 11 via the Settings app or the Windows Registry Editor.

Below is how to do that.

First, open the Windows Settings app.

You can do that by clicking on the Start menu and selecting Settings. Or press the keyboard shortcut (Windows key + I) to launch the Settings app.

When the Setting app opens, click the Bluetooth & devices button on the left.

Windows 11 Bluetooth and device icon in the settings app

Select the Pen & Windows Ink tile on the right to expand it.

On the Bluetooth & devices -> Pen & Windows Ink setting pane under Handwriting, select and expand the “Use your handwriting to enter text” tile.

Then check the box “Write with your fingertip” to enable. Uncheck the box to disable this feature in Windows 11.

Windows enable or disable write with your fingertip — Windows enable or disable writing with your fingertip.

Close the Settings app when you are done.

Disable or enable writing with your fingertip via the Windows Registry Editor

Yet another way to turn on or off writing with your fingertip in the handwriting pane is to use the Windows Registry Editor.

First, open the Windows Registry, and navigate to the folder key path below.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\TabletTip\EmbeddedInkControl

If you don’t see the EmbeddedInkControl folder key, right-click on the TabletTip key, then create the subkey (EmbeddedInkControl) folders.

Windows enable or disable writing with fingertip registry — Windows enables or disables writing with the fingertip registry

Right-click the EmbeddedInkControl folder key’s right pane and select New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value. Type a new key named EnableInkingWithTouch.

Double-click the new key item name (EnableInkingWithTouch) and make sure the Base option is Decimal, and then update the Value data:

To turn this feature on. Type 1.
To turn this feature off. Type 0.

Windows enable or disable writing with fingertip registry value data — Windows enables or disables writing with fingertip registry value data

Save your changes and restart your computer.

That should do it!

Conclusion:

This post showed you how to enable or disable writing with your fingertip in the handwriting panel in Windows 11. If you find any errors above or have something to add, please use the comment form below.