Trackpad randomly stops working until I restart the laptop

If any of you are on Windows rather than a Chromebook: check the function key row for a touchpad toggle that got pressed by accident, then Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Touchpad and make sure the touchpad is on. After that, update the touchpad driver from the laptop maker's support page. On a Chromebook the fixes are different, which I will leave for others.

Hannah, one hardware thing to rule out, because I see it often on older laptops. A battery that is starting to swell sits right under the trackpad and pushes it up. The tell is a click that feels stiff, a trackpad that looks raised, or a base that no longer sits flat on the table. If you see any of that, stop using it and take it to a repair shop. Do not press on it or try to open the case yourself.

It is probably the ribbon cable under the touchpad. Pop the bottom cover off and re-seat it, it takes five minutes. You can do it with the charger still in so you can test it straight away and see if the cursor comes back.

On the Linux side this is usually a driver that loses the device after suspend, which fits your note about the lid. On a Chromebook you do not get to blame the kernel directly, but the pattern "fine after a restart, worse after sleep" is useful information for whoever repairs it, so write down when it happens.

@Tyler B. agreeing with Ines. Working inside a laptop that is plugged in is how people damage the board or hurt themselves, and the battery is the real risk. If it is a ribbon cable, a repair shop can reseat it with the power off and the battery disconnected.

Start with the safe resets and watch for hardware signs. On a Chromebook, Google's steps are: clear dust from the touchpad, press Esc several times, drumroll your fingers on it for ten seconds, restart, then do a hard reset. If it keeps failing, contact the manufacturer. Stop at once if the case looks bulged.

Hannah, here is the full picture. Google's "Use your Chromebook touchpad" page lists the fixes in order: make sure the touchpad is free of dust and dirt, press the Esc key several times, drumroll your fingers on it for ten seconds, turn the Chromebook off and on, and perform a hard reset. It also suggests that, if you have more than one account, you delete the account with the problem and add it back, and it says to contact the manufacturer if none of this works. Source: Use your Chromebook touchpad, Chromebook Help.

Because the keyboard and an external mouse work, the touchpad is the failing part, not the whole system. Pattern notes help: freezing after the lid has been closed suggests a sleep or resume problem, and a pattern that gets worse over weeks points to hardware. Keep a short log of when it happens.

If someone here is on a Mac, Apple's trackpad settings page covers the options under System Settings, Trackpad, and links to its own page for a pointer that does not move. Source: Change Trackpad settings on Mac, Apple Support.

A safety correction. Tyler, please do not open the bottom cover with the charger plugged in. Power the laptop off, unplug it, and leave internal work to a repair shop, especially with a battery inside. Owen's point about a swollen battery is the more important check.

@Ines Calder thank you. I did the drumroll and hard reset last night and the touchpad has been steady since. I will keep the log, and if it comes back I will contact the manufacturer and ask them to check the battery area too, since Owen's point makes sense.