How to order 2-in-1 laptop out of tablet mode?

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Hi all,

I have a 2-in-1 laptop (Dell 7779) running F35 Workstation with GNOME. The touchscreen can fold all the way around to turn the computer into a silly-looking 17-inch tablet. When I do that, the built-in keyboard and mouse are, appropriately, disabled, except for brightness-related keys. However, sometimes the same thing happens after I close and re-open the lid, perhaps because of some fault in the hinge sensors. I’m left trying to use the on-screen keyboard to save work, close a bunch of vim instances, etc. so I can reboot and get the keyboard working. This is tricky because the on-screen keyboard doesn’t have all the special and modifier keys.

Is there some command I can issue to order the computer out of tablet mode instead of working through the on-screen keyboard?

(This is not a new issue; I’ve had this computer about five years and it’s happened the whole time. I’ve just been too lazy to make this post.)

Thanks!

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There are new security updates for the bios (9.Nov.) Did you check this out?

https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/product-support/product/inspiron-17-7779-2-in-1-laptop/drivers

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Thanks; I didn’t know about that update; I’m still on the previous version. None of several years of BIOS updates have made a difference, so I can’t say I’m optimistic, but I’ll install it next time I reboot.