My pencil suddenly stopped working out of nowhere. What do I do?

I’ve tried force restarting my iPad, turning my Bluetooth off and on but nothing seems to work.

iPad Pro (6th generation)

Posted on Aug 30, 2023 11:27 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 31, 2023 10:45 AM

Hi kairohcounty,


Thanks for posting in Apple Support Communities! Since your Apple Pencil is not connecting and working with your iPad, follow the guidance here:


  1. "Connect your Apple Pencil to your ipad:
    • With Apple Pencil (2nd generation): Center your Apple Pencil on the magnetic connector, which is on the side of your iPad with the volume buttons. 
    • With Apple Pencil (1st generation) and iPad (6th through 9th generations): Remove the cap and plug your Apple Pencil into the Lightning connector on your iPad. 
    • With Apple Pencil (1st generation) and iPad (10th generation): Remove the cap and plug your Apple Pencil and a USB-C cable into the USB-C to Apple Pencil Adapter. Plug the other end of the cable into your iPad.
  1. Restart your iPad, then try to pair again.
  2. Go to Settings > Bluetooth and make sure that Bluetooth is turned on.
  3. On the same screen, find your Apple Pencil under My Devices. If you find it, tap Information icon. Then tap Forget this Device.
  4. Connect your Apple Pencil into your iPad and tap the Pair button when it appears after a few seconds. 
  5. If the Pair button doesn't appear, wait for one minute while your Apple Pencil charges. Then try connecting your Apple Pencil again and wait until the Pair button appears.
  6. If the Pair button still doesn't appear, contact Apple Support."


These steps can be found in the article Pair Apple Pencil with your iPad.


Hope tha thelps!

1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 31, 2023 10:45 AM in response to kairohcounty

Hi kairohcounty,


Thanks for posting in Apple Support Communities! Since your Apple Pencil is not connecting and working with your iPad, follow the guidance here:


  1. "Connect your Apple Pencil to your ipad:
    • With Apple Pencil (2nd generation): Center your Apple Pencil on the magnetic connector, which is on the side of your iPad with the volume buttons. 
    • With Apple Pencil (1st generation) and iPad (6th through 9th generations): Remove the cap and plug your Apple Pencil into the Lightning connector on your iPad. 
    • With Apple Pencil (1st generation) and iPad (10th generation): Remove the cap and plug your Apple Pencil and a USB-C cable into the USB-C to Apple Pencil Adapter. Plug the other end of the cable into your iPad.
  1. Restart your iPad, then try to pair again.
  2. Go to Settings > Bluetooth and make sure that Bluetooth is turned on.
  3. On the same screen, find your Apple Pencil under My Devices. If you find it, tap Information icon. Then tap Forget this Device.
  4. Connect your Apple Pencil into your iPad and tap the Pair button when it appears after a few seconds. 
  5. If the Pair button doesn't appear, wait for one minute while your Apple Pencil charges. Then try connecting your Apple Pencil again and wait until the Pair button appears.
  6. If the Pair button still doesn't appear, contact Apple Support."


These steps can be found in the article Pair Apple Pencil with your iPad.


Hope tha thelps!

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My pencil suddenly stopped working out of nowhere. What do I do?

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