Well, Surface has been an exclusive laptop/tablet by Microsoft. It is a set of touchscreen Windows PCs where they have interactive whiteboard like screens.
It is mainly used to perform operations and tasks and can be used as a touchpad too. There are end numbers of devices in the Surface family.
What is Surface Pen?
Surface systems are nothing without its pen as it is one of the unique and main features of this device. It is designed to help you write and draw on your surface device how you do it on a pen and paper.
However, many users have reported that the Surface Pen doesn’t work and causes many problems. Some of the common problems that users reported are-
- No light in the Surface Pen-
In this error, the LED light on your surface pen doesn’t work. However, a low battery can be the reason behind this issue.
- Surface Pen tip doesn’t work and won’t write-
This is one of the most annoying issues as you cannot operate thing with your stylus.
- Surface Pro 4 pen’s not writing, but the buttons work-
This issue might also occur due to the low battery where your stylus buttons work but don’t operate on the screen.
- Surface Pen Driver Error-
This issue occurs if your driver is outdated or corrupted. You can just fix this issue by updating or reinstalling your drivers.
In this set of a guide, we’ve some solutions for you to fix the ‘surface pen not working issue.’
1. Check or Replace the Battery Of your Surface Pen
Most of the issues mentioned above are mainly caused due to low or damaged battery. The surface pen requires an AAAA battery, and it comes with your surface pen.
If your battery is drained, replace it with a new one. Also, make sure if the battery is adequately placed in the device.
Ensure that you’re the battery is free of dust and particles to prevent it from damaging. Once you insert s new battery in your device, restart your surface and check if your pen is working now.
2. Disable and Pair Your Surface Pen again
As your surface pen is a Bluetooth device, there might be some connectivity issue. You might see that your Surface pen status shows ‘Not connected’ in the Bluetooth settings on your device.
Your surface pen uses Bluetooth only when its top purple button is on. However, re-pairing Bluetooth to your device might also fix the issue.
Follow the steps mentioned below to pair Bluetooth manually.
1) Use your fingertips and head to the Settings app on your Surface
2) Tap on the Change PC Settings option
3) Now, click on Bluetooth
Note- for Windows 10 users, you’ll have to navigate to Settings> Devices > Bluetooth and other devices
4) Select the Surface Pen option and then hit the Remove device icon
5) Your pen is now removed successfully, and you can’t see the surface pen option under the Bluetooth section
6) Restart your stylus by pressing pen’s top button for about 6-7 seconds until the green lights turn on in the middle of your pen
7) You can now see your Surface pen under the Bluetooth feature again
8) Hit the Pair button to complete pairing the device
Once your device is paired completely, operate it and check if it’s working correctly.
3. Install the Latest Driver Updates
As discussed above, one of the main reasons that your pen isn’t working might be due to outdated drivers or lack of system updates. However, Windows 10 automatically downloads any missing updates. Here’s how you do it manually-
1) Go to your Windows Settings app and head to the Updates and Security section
2) Hit the Check for Updates button
Now, the available updates download automatically and install as soon as you restart your PC. Once the updates are downloaded and installed, check if the problem persists.
If the issue still occurs, try downloading and installing the latest firmware and driver updates for the Surface device.
You can all of the correct and necessary files directly from the official Microsoft website. You can also use a third-party tool to do the task.
4. Disable and Enable your Pen in Device Manager
Some temporary issue might have created a fuss while functioning on your Surface device. Performing a simple enable and might do the work for you. Here’s how you do it.
1) Press and hold Windows + X keys to open the startup menu
2) Select Device Manager from the list
3) Select your Pen from the list of devices (mostly in the Bluetooth section)
4) Right-click on your Pen and select Disable device
5) Tap on Yes icon to confirm
6) Now after a few seconds, right-click on the Pen again and select Enable from the drop-down menu
Once your Pen is enabled, operate it and check if this workaround works. According to many users, disabling and enabling the Intel ® Precise Touch Device has fixed the issue.
5. Reinstall Your Pen Driver
If updating your pen driver didn’t fix the issue, the issue might be with your complete pen driver itself. We should quickly and uninstall and reinstall the pen driver to prevent your device from any severe damage. Let’s do it-
1) Head to the Search bar and type device manager
2) Select Device Manager from the list of results
3) Select Surface Pen from the list of devices and right-click on it
4) Choose Uninstall from the drop-down menu
5) Once again click on Uninstall in the confirmation box
Your Surface Pen driver is now uninstalled successfully. Once it’s removed, remain on the same window
6) Click on Scanfor hardware changes icon (to the top side of the window)
It may take a few minutes to reinstall Surface pens drivers. Once it’s reinstalled, check if it has worked for fixing the issue.
6. Perform a Hard Reset
Simply performing Hard Reset to your device might fix the issue. Let’s do it-
1) Press the Power button and hold it for good 20-25 seconds until your PC is completely shut down
2) Now press and hold Power + VolumeUp key till you can see the Surface logo on your screen
3) You can now see the UEFI menu. Exit the UEFI menu
4) Once it’s done, your PC reboots
Check if your Pen issue is solved, as your PC boots.
7. Ensure that No Other Device is Conflicting With Your Touchscreen
It sounds like a super general fix, but it has worked for many users. According to a user, his Surface pen tip wasn’t working because of a light lamp.
Keep all other devices, especially the electronic ones away from your Surface device.
8. Run the Troubleshooter
The Troubleshoot feature on your system can identify and fix any glitches on your system. Follow the steps mentioned below to run the troubleshooter.
1) Open your Windows Settings app and select Update and Security
2) Choose Troubleshoot from the list of option from the left side
3) Now, select Hardware and Devices and click on Run the troubleshooter icon
The troubleshooter will identify the problem and fix it automatically or find various sources to fix them. You can also try to run the Bluetooth troubleshooter to get a more thorough solution.
That’s all! All of these solutions are applicable on Surface Pro, Surface Pro 3, Surface Pro 4, and Surface Hub. Go through all the solutions and find the perfect one.
Have any other issues with your Surface device? Add your queries or suggestions in the comments section below.
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