Tech Talk

The Surface Pen is an incredibly useful tool and accessory for the Surface Pro, Surface Studio, Surface Laptop, and Surface Book. It's a battery-powered peripheral, meaning at some point the Surface Pen will stop working unless the battery is replaced. Don't worry because changing it is easy. Here's our step-by-step guide to help you along.

Note: Make sure you have the correct batteries before you begin. A single AAAA battery is required for replacement, meaning you may have to find replacement batteries online rather than in stores.

Products used in this guide

• Premium inking experience: Surface Pen ($99 at Microsoft)
• Power that lasts: AAAA Battery ($6 at Amazon)

How to remove the Surface Pen battery

To remove the Surface Pen battery, follow these simple steps:

1. Pull the top of the pen away from the body of the Pen (you may have to use some force).

   

2. Pull out the AAAA battery from the body of the Pen.

   

How to insert a new battery in your Surface Pen

To put a replacement battery in your Surface Pen, go through the following steps:

1. Place the negative end of the AAAA battery into the body of the Pen (the negative end will be marked with a minus sign [ - ]).

   

2. Slot the top of the pen back into the body of the Pen. If your older Pen has paper attached, make sure you fold that back in with it or remove it. The new Surface Pen shouldn't have any paper.

   

3. With some force, push the top of the battery into the Pen. If you're using an older Surface Pen, you have to twist the top to secure it.

How often should you replace the battery?

Microsoft says the Surface Pen lasts a year on a single battery. That estimate will vary depending on your use of the Surface Pen, however, so it's always handy to have a spare battery ready.

Our top equipment picks

Here's the gear you need to complete the steps in this guide.

What you need

Microsoft Surface Pen

$99 at Microsoft

The best pen for Surface

If you're looking to enhance your Surface experience, consider buying the digital Surface Pen to enable new and unique inking experiences natively in Windows 10.

The Surface Pen is Microsoft's premiere accessory for inking experiences on Windows 10. It works in applications like Photoshop and Paint 3D and even works normally in apps, meaning you can control every element of the OS with the pen if you need to.

Proper batteries

AAAA batteries

$6 at Amazon

Make sure you get the right ones

These Energizer AAAA batteries should provide long-lasting power to your long-lasting digital pen. AAAA batteries are tougher to find than others, so you might have to stick with online retailers.