Pen does not work with upgrade to Windows 11

I have a Surface Pro 6. My pen has always worked through every version of Windows, including Windows 10. I recently upgraded to Windows 11. However, my pen no longer works. I have tried to reinstall the drivers for my Surface. They seem to be written for Windows 10, though. I have also tried to pair it using Bluetooth. While the "eraser" works for clicking open a shortcut window, the pen itself does not.

Another user had the same problem as me. Unfortunately, the solution for him (changing the battery) did not work for me. I have also checked to make sure I have the up-to-date version of Windows 11.

I would appreciate any help.

Hi Mark2796,

Thank you for reaching Microsoft Community. I understand that you want to be able to use your Surface Pen also on your Surface Pro 6 running on Windows 11 already just like how it was in Windows 10 and yes, the Surface Pen should still work in Windows 11. We appreciate also the time and effort spent to try and troubleshoot the issue prior to posting.

May I know which Surface Pen do you have? See: Identify your Surface Pen and features (microsoft.com) for reference.

Please proceed in doing these steps first on the device and see if the issue persist:

1: Force Shutdown

Press and hold the Power button for 20 seconds

This should the hardware cache of the device

2: Run Surface Diagnostic Toolkit

See: Fix common Surface problems using the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit (microsoft.com)

3: Check for Windows Update

Go to Windows Settings > Update & Security and select Check for updates

Make sure all updates need are installed including Optional updates

4: Run System File Checker Tool and DISM commands

Open Command Prompt (Run as administrator)

Type and enter these commands below:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
SFC /scannow

Note: Allow each command to complete its process before entering the next command line

Exit Command Prompt and restart the Surface

If in case the issue persist, proceed to these steps below to uninstall and reinstall the touchscreen and pen drivers of the device:

1. Open Device Manager

2. Click View on top and check Show hidden devices

3. Expand Human Interface Devices > HID-compliant pen > Uninstall device

                                                               Surface pen settings > Uninstall device

                                                               Surface pen integration > Uninstall device

                                                               HID-Compliant touch screen > Uninstall device

                                                               Intel (R) Precise Touch Device > Uninstall device

                                                               Surface Touch Pen Processor > Uninstall device

     Note: If prompted with a checkbox stating "Delete the driver software for this device", leave it uncheck then hit Uninstall.

4. Expand Firmware > Surface touch > Uninstall device

     Note: If prompted with a checkbox stating "Delete the driver software for this device", leave it uncheck then hit Uninstall.

5. Restart

6. Test the Surface Pen

Hope this helps.

Kind regards,

Marrion

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Marrion,

Thank you for your suggestions. However, after following all of the steps except one (which I will explain), my pen still does not work.

Looking at your steps, my comments will be in italics and underlined:

May I know which Surface Pen do you have? I have a Surface Pen with no clip.

1: Force Shutdown - This step was completed without incident.

2: Run Surface Diagnostic Toolkit - I could not complete this step. I received a message that my Surface is running Bitlocker, and I needed to either take it to a Microsoft Store (the nearest being 60 miles from my home) or chat with an agent (which I have not yet been able to do).

3: Check for Windows Update - This step was completed without incident.

4: Run System File Checker Tool and DISM commands - This step was completed without incident.

After completing 3 of these 4 steps, and with the pen still not working, I proceeded.

If in case the issue persist, proceed to these steps below to uninstall and reinstall the touchscreen and pen drivers of the device:

1. Open Device Manager

2. Click View on top and check Show hidden devices

3. Expand Human Interface Devices > HID-compliant pen > Uninstall device

                                                               Surface pen settings > Uninstall device

                                                               Surface pen integration > Uninstall device

                                                               HID-Compliant touch screen > Uninstall device

                                                               Intel (R) Precise Touch Device > Uninstall device

                                                               Surface Touch Pen Processor > Uninstall device

4. Expand Firmware > Surface touch > Uninstall device

5. Restart

6. Test the Surface Pen

I completed these steps as well. I note, though, that the step involving uninstalling the Surface Touch Pen Processor was not done as there was no such device in the list.

After completing all of these steps, my pen still does not work.

I would appreciate any further help you can give me.

Mark

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Hi Mark2796,

Thank you for getting back and I'm sorry to hear that the issue persist.

May I know how did you upgrade the device to Windows 11? Was it through the Windows Update page in Windows Settings or was it by using the Update Assistant (Download Windows 11 (microsoft.com))

May I know also what is the Windows 11 Version and OS Build installed on your Surface? See: Windows Settings > System > About and look under Windows specifications.
Regarding with the BitLocker message also when running the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit, is your Surface Pro 6 running on Windows 11 Home or Windows 11 Pro? If it is on Windows 11 Pro, kindly try turning off the BitLocker protection first on the device then try running the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit again. To turn off BitLocker, you may follow these steps below:

Open Control Panel > System and Security > BitLocker Drive Encryption

Click the Turn off BitLocker option

Note: Before turning off the BitLocker Encryption, please make sure to save or back up your BitLocker Recovery key first. See: Back up your BitLocker recovery key (microsoft.com) and Finding your BitLocker recovery key in Windows (microsoft.com) for reference. You may also get the BitLocker Recovery Key of the device through the Command Prompt (Run as administrator) by running this command: manage-bde -protectors C: -get

Kind regards,

Marrion

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Hi Mark2796,

We haven't heard from you in 72 hours, so we assume that your issue has already been resolved. We will not be monitoring this thread moving forward so, if you need further assistance, please create a new thread to discuss these concerns by clicking this link: Create a new question or start a discussion (microsoft.com).

Thank you for understanding. 

Kind regards,

Marrion

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Last updated April 11, 2025 Views 1,116 Applies to: