Surface Book 2 Pen issue

[Gizmo2005]

It worked yesterday but it doesn't work today. I was in a meeting today and press the top of the pen to launch OneNote. However, it doesn't write. I removed the device and repaired it. IT still doesn't work. I swapped battery and nothing. Starts the app but doesn't write. I even restarted the PC twice. No luck.

Any ideas? Again, worked yesterday.

 

[jnjroach]

Pull the nib (writing tip) out and then put it back in and see if that fixes it - it usually works. If it doesn't look in Device Manager and see if the Pen (under HID devices) is showing a fault or error.

 

[Gizmo2005]

I tried it. In fact , I have another 3rd party pen with a very similar tip. I swapped out and it didn't do any good. When looking at Devive Mgr, I see there are no errors or exclamation marks. I took it to the Microsoft store and they said it was a defective pen and a new one will be $100. I'm not happy about it. It's less than 1 year old and worked just fine 2 days ago.

 

[Plantje]

Less than one year old? Should be a warranty case, right?

 

[Orlbuckeye]

I had an issue with mine awhile back and it was a driver issue. Try going into Windows Updates\Troubleshoot\blue tooth devices Run the troubleshooter.

 

[Gizmo2005]

Ran the trouble shooter. My heart skipped a bit when it said it found an issue and fixed it. However it's still the same. Clicking the top opens the OneNote app. But it still won't write. Restarted the PC. Unpaired and repaired the pen to no avail.

 

[Gizmo2005]

OK. Well that's odd. My 3rd party Pen now works. But my Surface Pen (The one with 2 buttons) does not. I ordered the 2017 version so I should have that in a week. In the meantime, I can use the 3rd party pen. The Surface Pen is officially shot I think. I've paired/unpaired/paired a dozen times, turn the battery around a dozen time. IT still doesn't work. Oh well.....

 

[Wayne Orwig]

Ran the trouble shooter. My heart skipped a bit when it said it found an issue and fixed it. However it's still the same. Clicking the top opens the OneNote app. But it still won't write. Restarted the PC. Unpaired and repaired the pen to no avail.

My pen on my Book 1, and my other pen on my Pro 3, are both broken. For the last month, maybe month and a half, the stylus on both of them works fine, but clicking the top no longer launches any app. If I reboot the PC, it may work, but once the PC has gone to sleep, it will never work until the next reboot, or re-pair. Both pens, both PC, same thing (three pens actually). Annoying.

 

[Gizmo2005]

The pen is a great tool. I see people in my office using the pens with the 'eraser nub' and it makes me cringe. You taking notes or are you doodling? Because you can't take notes on that thing. But the pen doesn't come issue free. The Galaxy Note pens are superb. I've owned a Note 2014 and a Note Pro with pens. I've never had a problem in 6-7 years. No battery issues. No connection issues. Nothing. Sure it was a little small in the hand, but it still works like a charm. Plus you can store it within the device itself so it doesn't get lost. Microsoft can learn from this.

 

[Wayne Orwig]

The pen is a great tool. I see people in my office using the pens with the 'eraser nub' and it makes me cringe. You taking notes or are you doodling? Because you can't take notes on that thing. But the pen doesn't come issue free. The Galaxy Note pens are superb. I've owned a Note 2014 and a Note Pro with pens. I've never had a problem in 6-7 years. No battery issues. No connection issues. Nothing. Sure it was a little small in the hand, but it still works like a charm. Plus you can store it within the device itself so it doesn't get lost. Microsoft can learn from this.

Samsung uses Wacom technology in the Notes. The original Microsoft Surface Pro 1 used the same Wacom. I had a Pro 1 and I could use the pen from my Samsung Note on the Microsoft Pro 1 or vise versa. But, Wacom tech has limitations on the buttons, and on the larger screen you encounter accuracy issues. I could never get the screen calibrated very well, and drawing a long line revealed the drifting issues. Search the old Pro 1 forums and you will find that it is a common problem.

I still prefer the stylus accuracy on my Book and Pro 3 over the older Wacom, even with my issue.

 

[MikemanSP4]

I had this same issue awhile back - I did all of the solutions previously mentioned in this article to to end. What finally worked for me was a combination of un-installing/re-installing the Surface Book 2 Drivers - rebooting when prompted - Then I headed on over to the Bluetooth section under "Settings" (the little gear icon) and I removed all instances of no longer used Bluetooth devices AND I removed the pen (Un-paired) and then re-paired the Surface Pen - This allowed me to be able to write again using the pen.

You can attempt removing just the pen (un-pair) from the list of paired devices - and of course add it again without re-installing the Surface Drivers. If this doesn't work, try both.

Hope this helps - let us know what solution, if any, works for you.

 

[Gizmo2005]

Updtate: 4/26/19

Well I got the newer pen (the one with no clip and one long oval button). It worked for a while. THen today, I brought it out and it doesn't work again. It may be the battery. I wished there was a battery indicator somewhere. What I'm finding is that I can't depend on this thing. If I go into an important meeting, I can't rely on this thing to work 100%. So rather than bringing my SurfaceBook, I bring a regular notepad. It's a shame. This BT technology is not 100% reliable. The pen with battery should last 6 months...not 1 month. They still haven't perfected this yet. Someday I hope get their SH_T together and make a pen that just works...just like the WACOM pens on my Samsung Notes.