Microsoft Surface Pen on Other Devices Depends on MPP
A Microsoft Surface Pen on other devices can work, with one condition: Microsoft says the pen might be compatible with Windows 10 and Windows 11 PCs and other devices that support Microsoft Pen Protocol, or MPP, and the device’s MPP version should match the pen’s. Microsoft’s two pen pages name no iPad, Android tablet or Chromebook, so the answer below is about Windows devices.
Microsoft’s own line is the proof: the pen “might be compatible with Windows 10/11 PCs and other devices that support Microsoft Pen Protocol (MPP)” and, in its words, “not just Surface devices.”
Expect small differences. Microsoft says the pen and inking experience “will vary slightly based on your PC or device manufacturer and the Surface Pen you use with it.”
Step 1: check the other device for MPP
Start with the device you want to write on, and look it up on its maker’s website. Microsoft’s instruction is to “Go to the website of your device manufacturer to see if it supports MPP” and to “Take note of the number listed on your device details.”
That number is the MPP version, and it is the thing you compare in the next step. Microsoft’s page names no non Surface PC brand or model; the search for Dell, HP, Lenovo, ASUS, Acer and Samsung returns zero hits on it, so the maker’s own site is where Microsoft sends you.
Step 2: find your pen’s MPP version
Next, work out which Surface Pen you hold, because Microsoft lists an MPP version for each pen model. Microsoft’s rule for the match is plain: “In order for the pen to work with your device, the MPP should match with your Surface Pen.”
Microsoft lists six pens and their versions in one table on the “Use a Surface Pen with another Windows PC” page. All six, as printed:
| Surface Pen model | MPP version |
|---|---|
| Surface Slim Pen | MPP v2.6 |
| Surface Slim Pen (1st generation) | MPP v2.5 |
| Surface Hub 2 Pen | MPP v2.5 |
| Surface Pen with no clip | MPP v2.0 |
| Surface Pen with single button on flat edge | MPP v1.5 |
| Surface Pen with two side buttons | MPP v1.2 |
If you are not sure which pen you have, Microsoft points to its “Identify your Surface Pen and features” page, which is the compatibility page linked in the sources below. The Slim Pen with no generation label has two other names on Microsoft’s compatibility page, which lists it as “Also called Surface Slim Pen 2” and Surface Slim Pen (2nd Edition).
Which Surface models each pen writes on
The same compatibility page answers the other part of the question, which Surface devices each pen works with. Microsoft prints a table per pen and introduces each one with “Check your Surface model to see which pen features are supported on your device.”
Six Surface laptops do not take a pen at all, and Microsoft’s note at the top of the page is the reason: “These device models are not compatible with Surface Slim Pen or Surface Pen because they do not support inking or writing.” Microsoft’s list of six:
- Surface Laptop Ultra
- Surface Laptop (8th Edition)
- Surface Laptop (7th Edition)
- Surface Laptop 13-inch (2nd Edition)
- Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition)
- Surface Laptop Go (all editions)
For the pens that do write, Microsoft’s tables say which Surface models each one supports. The Surface Slim Pen table names Surface Pro 12-inch (2nd Edition) and (1st Edition); Surface Pro 8, Pro 9, Pro 10 for Business, Pro (11th Edition) and Pro (12th Edition); Surface Pro X; Surface Laptop Studio and Laptop Studio 2; Surface Duo 2; and Surface Hub 3 and Hub 2S.
The Surface Pen with no clip table names Surface Pro (5th Gen), Pro 6, Pro 7 and Pro 7+, the Surface Laptop models from the 1st Gen to Laptop 6 for Business, Surface Laptop Studio and Studio 2, every Surface Book, Surface Go through Go 4, and Surface Studio through Studio 2+. The single button pen’s table names Surface Pro 4, Surface Pro 3, Surface Laptop (1st Gen), Surface 3 and Surface Studio, and the two side buttons pen’s table names Surface Pro 3 and Surface 3.
The Surface Slim Pen (1st Generation) table has two rows, Surface Pro X and Surface Duo.
Pressure sensitivity differs by model, and Microsoft’s cells read either “Yes, with 4096 pressure points” or “Yes, with 1024 pressure points.” Tactile signals carry their own footnote: they “are available in select apps on devices running Windows 11.”
What about an iPad or an Android tablet?
Microsoft’s two pen pages do not name iPad, Apple, Android, Chromebook or Mac. The whole word search for each of those terms returns zero hits on both pages, so the only non Surface devices Microsoft’s pages describe are Windows PCs and other devices with MPP support.
If your tablet is an iPad, the pens that work with it are a different list, and we keep two pages for that: what pens work with an iPad and which iPads work with Apple Pencil. Apple Pencil owners asking the battery question can read how long an Apple Pencil battery lasts.
Where Microsoft’s pages stop
The “Use a Surface Pen with another Windows PC” page gives no pairing or setup steps for the other PC. The words Bluetooth, pair and pairing do not appear on it, and its two steps are the two checks above.
Microsoft also prints other pens on the compatibility page under their own headings: Microsoft Classroom Pen, Microsoft Classroom Pen 2 and Microsoft Business Pen, Surface Pro Pen and Surface Hub Pen. Each has its own table of Surface models, and the MPP table above does not list them.
Frequently asked questions
Does a Surface Pen work on a non Surface laptop?
It might, when the laptop supports Microsoft Pen Protocol and its MPP version matches your pen’s. Microsoft’s wording is that the pen “might be compatible with Windows 10/11 PCs and other devices that support Microsoft Pen Protocol (MPP)”, and that the MPP “should match with your Surface Pen.”
How do I find my Surface Pen’s MPP version?
Identify the pen by its shape and buttons, then read the version from Microsoft’s six row table: Slim Pen MPP v2.6, Slim Pen (1st generation) MPP v2.5, Hub 2 Pen MPP v2.5, the pen with no clip MPP v2.0, the pen with a single button on the flat edge MPP v1.5, and the pen with two side buttons MPP v1.2.
Will a Surface Pen work on an iPad?
Microsoft’s two Surface Pen pages do not name iPad or Apple anywhere, so they say nothing about writing on one. The pens Apple lists for iPad are on our iPad pens page.