Surface Slim Pen 2 vibrates but LED won't turn on.

Question

Exactly what the title says, I've tried resetting it according to the Microsoft website, when I tried to disconnect and reconnect it wouldn't even let me reconnect. I thought it would still works because it vibrates, but do I just need to buy a new one?

Answer 1

Hi @ella fox,  

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum. 

I am sorry to hear about the issues you are experiencing with your Surface Slim Pen 2. It is certainly frustrating when the pen provides tactile feedback through vibration but refuses to pair or show any signs of life via the LED indicator. This specific behavior, vibration without an LED response, often indicates that while the haptic engine is receiving power, the Bluetooth module or the firmware handshake has encountered a critical error.

Before considering a replacement, please attempt the following troubleshooting steps to see if the device can be revived:

• Press and hold the top button for a full 20 seconds. It is important to ignore any intermediate vibrations and keep the button depressed for the entire duration. Once finished, place the pen back in its charging cradle for at least 10 minutes. 
• With the pen docked, force-restart your Surface by holding the Power button for 20 seconds until the Windows logo appears. This can often reset the accessory charging logic. 
• Finally, open Device Manager, expand Human Interface Devices, and uninstall the HID-compliant touch screen and Intel Precise Touch drivers. Restart your device to allow Windows to reinstall them cleanly. 

If the LED remains dark after these steps, the internal Bluetooth module has likely failed. If your device is still within its one-year limited hardware warranty, I recommend reaching out to Microsoft Surface Support. You can check your status and start a service request at https://account.microsoft.com/devices

I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and update me on the outcome.