This article explains what you can do when your Apple Pencil is not working properly, meaning your Apple Pencil becomes unresponsive.
Why is my Apple Pencil not working?
There can be several reasons that can cause the Apple Pencil to stop working. It can be a hardware problem, battery issue, a problem with your Bluetooth settings or your device.
How to fix Apple Pencil not working issue
We list steps below to fix this issue:
Try each method until your problem is fixed.
Make sure that you have the Apple Pencil model that works with your iPad
First, make sure that your Apple Pencil is compatible with your iPad model. Below, you’ll find out which Apple Pencil works with which iPad.
You can use Apple Pencil Pro only with these iPad models and iPadOS 17.5 or later:
- iPad Pro 13-inch (M4)
- iPad Pro 11-inch (M4)
- iPad Air 13-inch (M2 and M3)
- iPad Air 11-inch (M2 and M3)
- iPad mini (A17 Pro)
You can use Apple Pencil (USB-C) only with these iPad models and iPadOS 17.1.1 or later:
- iPad Pro 13-inch (M4)
- iPad Pro 11-inch (M4)
- iPad Pro 11-inch (1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th generation)
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th generation)
- iPad Air 13-inch (M2 and M3)
- iPad Air 11-inch (M2 and M3)
- iPad Air (4th or 5th generation)
- iPad (A16)
- iPad (10th generation)
- iPad mini (A17 Pro)
- iPad mini (6th generation)
You can use Apple Pencil (2nd generation) only with these iPad models:
- iPad mini (6th generation)
- iPad Air (4th or 5th generation)
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th generation)
- iPad Pro 11-inch (1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th generation)
- Apple Pencil (1st generation)
You can use Apple Pencil (1st generation) only with these iPad models:
- iPad mini (5th generation)
- iPad (6th, 7th, 8th and 9th generation)
- iPad (A16)*
- iPad (10th generation)*
- iPad Air (3rd generation)
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st and 2nd generation)
- iPad Pro 10.5-inch
- iPad Pro 9.7-inch
Make Sure Your Apple Pencil Is Charged
Is your Pencil charged? Because if it is not, your Pencil may not be able to work until there is a minimum charge in the battery. When your Pencil’s battery is low, you will receive low battery warnings. Here’s what you can do:
- Pair and charge Apple Pencil (1st generation) on an iPad with a Home button
- Remove the cap and plug Apple Pencil into the Lightning connector on your iPad.
- Pair and charge Apple Pencil with iPad (10th generation) and iPad (A16)
- Remove the cap and plug Apple Pencil into the USB-C to Apple Pencil Adapter.
- Connect the other end of the adapter to your iPad using the USB-C charge cable that came with your iPad.
- Charge Apple Pencil (2nd generation)
- Make sure that Bluetooth® is turned on in Settings > Bluetooth.
- Attach Apple Pencil to the magnetic connector on the right side of your iPad.
- Pair and charge Apple Pencil (USB-C)
- Slide open the end of Apple Pencil and connect it to the USB-C charge cable that came with your iPad.
- Connect the other end of the USB-C charge cable to the USB-C connector on iPad.
- Charge Apple Pencil Pro
- Make sure that Bluetooth® is turned on in Settings > Bluetooth.
- Attach Apple Pencil Pro to the magnetic connector on the long side of your iPad.
Turn Bluetooth Off And Back On
Your Apple Pencil uses Bluetooth to connect to your iPad. A Bluetooth problem could be interrupting that connection, preventing your Apple Pencil from writing. Turning Bluetooth off and back on again may be all you need to do to resolve a minor software glitch.
Open Settings on your iPad and tap Bluetooth. Tap the switch next to Bluetooth to turn it off. Tap the switch again to turn Bluetooth back on. You’ll know Bluetooth is on when the switch is green and a list of your Bluetooth devices appear underneath My Devices.
Check the tip of your Apple Pencil
A common issue is that the tip/nib of your pencil can become loose and then stop working. Simply tighten the nib and see if that fixes your problem. If that didn’t work, move onto the next solution.
Restart your iPad Pro
Power off your iPad by pressing and holding the Top button or by going to Settings > General> Shut Down then power on by pressing and holding the Top button until the Apple logo appears.
Force Restart your iPad Pro
If your Apple Pencil is still not working with your iPad, force restart your iPad. Do not worry, this does not erase the content of your iPad. To do this, first press and then immediately release the Volume Up button, second, press and then immediately release the Volume Down button and then third, press and hold the Power button (on/off button) until you see the Apple logo.
Restart the app
Are your having issues with a specific app (Notes etc) when you are using your Apple Pencil. It’s possible that your Apple Pencil won’t work because the app you’re trying to write in has crashed. Closing and reopening the app on your iPad can fix the problem when a crash occurs. If you think an iPad app has crashed, it’s a good idea to force close this app and then relaunch it. To do this, from the Home screen, swipe up and this action will bring up the app switcher. Find the app you want to quit (app that you are having Apple Pencil problems with). And swipe up on the app. And then retry.
Repair
Unpair and then repair your Apple Pencil from your iPad. To do this, on your iPad, go to Settings > Bluetooth > and tap the (i) info icon to the right of Apple Pencil (under My Devices), and tap Forget. After unpairing, check out our guide to learn how to pair your Apple Pencil with your iPad.
The list of steps above will likely help you resolve your issue when you are unable to get your Apple Pencil and iPad working together. If not you may want to contact Apple, or leave feedback.
