Abstract: A hand-held machine tool (1) is provided including a housing (2), with a drive device for actuating a tool that can be brought into operative connection with the machine tool (1) and a control device (8) for actuating the drive device (4) being provided, and the control device (4) being designed with a control element (10), and at least one capacitive sensor element (32, 33) operatively connected to the control device (10) being provided. The at least one sensor element (32, 33) and/or the control element (10) is at least partially, in particular almost completely separated from a main channel (50) of the machine tool (1) in which the drive device (4) is arranged.

Abstract: A method is provided for actuating a hand-held machine tool including a drive device, with a control device for actuating the drive device and at least two capacitive sensor elements operatively connected to the control device being provided. The method includes the following method steps of determining an electrical charge of the first and second sensor element comparing the determined first electrical charge with a defined first threshold value and the determined second electrical charge with a defined second threshold value; enabling the actuation of the drive device and/or defined activation of the drive device via the control device when a predefined condition exists between the determined first electrical charge of the first sensor element and the determined detected second electrical charge of the second sensor element. A machine tool for carrying out a method of this kind is also described.

Abstract: A method is provided for operating a hand-held machine tool including a drive device, with a control device for actuating the drive device and at least two capacitive sensor elements operatively connected to the control device being provided. The method includes the following method steps of determining a first and second electrical charge of the first and second sensor element comparing the determined first electrical charge with a defined first threshold value and the determined second electrical charge with a defined second threshold value which differs from the first threshold value; enabling, via the control device, the actuation of the drive device when the first electrical charge is greater than the defined first threshold value and/or the second electrical charge is greater than the defined second threshold value. A machine tool for carrying out a method of this kind is also described.