Technology
How does a touchscreen work?
Most modern touchscreens are 'capacitive': the screen holds a tiny electrical charge, and your finger (which conducts electricity) changes that charge where you touch. Sensors detect exactly where the change happened.
See it in motion.
Watch a 2-minute animated lesson that shows exactly how touchscreens works.
Step by step
- 1The screen has a transparent grid carrying a small electric charge.
- 2Your finger conducts, disturbing the charge at the contact point.
- 3Sensors pinpoint the location from the change in capacitance.
- 4That's why ordinary gloves often don't work — they don't conduct.
Frequently asked questions
- Why don't touchscreens work with gloves?
- Most are capacitive and need a conductive touch; ordinary gloves block your finger's electrical effect.
- What is a capacitive touchscreen?
- One that senses touch by detecting the change in electrical charge your conductive finger causes.
- How does multi-touch work?
- The sensor grid detects several charge disturbances at once, tracking multiple fingers independently.