Microsoft Word Draw Pens Randomly Stop Working

Question

Microsoft Word Draw Pens Randomly Stop Working

Ben Shaines 0

Hi,

I'm having an issue with the built-in pens in Microsoft Word's Draw tab (not a physical stylus).

The drawing tools randomly stop working, usually after a few seconds.

Turning my computer screen off and back on temporarily fixes the issue, but it keeps happening.

Has anyone experienced this or found a permanent solution?

Video demonstrating the issue: [Moderator Note: Personal Info Removed]

Thanks! EDIT:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HvjyNgO2rKCfLMJNwnCLlZO3CVM-LvpX/view?usp=sharing

Now the video is good, there is a blockage of the video when I turned on\off the screen

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Answer 1

Clary-N 17,080 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Since this is a public forum, we will hide your personal identifiable information, and I have sent that link containing your personal identifiable information in a private message so we can work together to resolve the issue. Also, please check your private message in case you want to share another screenshot or file to avoid leaking your PII by click on the Message button as show below

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Hi Ben Shaines,

Thanks for explaining the issue and including a video. Unfortunately, I’m unable to access the Google Drive link from here, but the details you provided are still helpful. Since turning the screen off and back on temporarily restores the drawing tools, the problem may be related to Word losing mouse or display input rather than the pens themselves.

Could you confirm a few details to help narrow this down?

Which Word version and build are you using? You can find this under File > Account > About Word.
Are you drawing with a mouse, touchpad or touchscreen?
Does the same thing happen in a new blank document?
When drawing stops, does selecting the pen again restore it or does Word stop accepting drawing input completely?

Please also make sure the document is set to View > Print Layout, as Word needs to be in Print Layout to draw with ink.

You can then test Word in Safe Mode:

Press Windows key + R.
Enter winword /safe, then press Enter.
Open a blank document and test the drawing tools again.

If the pens work normally in Safe Mode, an add-in may be interfering. Open File > Options > Add-ins, select COM Add-ins beside Manage, choose Go and temporarily disable the enabled add-ins before testing Word normally again.

If the issue continues in Safe Mode, make sure Office and the graphics driver are fully updated. You can also try repairing Office through Settings > Apps > Apps & features by selecting your Microsoft 365 or Office installation and choosing Modify. Start with Quick Repair, then try Online Repair if needed.

Since Windows 10 has reached end of support, you may also consider upgrading to a supported version of Windows if your device is compatible and upgrading is possible.

I hope these checks help narrow down whether the problem is coming from Word, an add-in or the graphics/input side.

Ben Shaines 0 Reputation points

2026-10-14T08:55:33.3266667+00:00

Hi, I will try to find out where is that private message, new here :)

Regarding word: Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 (Version 2608, Build 16.0.20326.20072, 64-bit)

Regarding draw, with the mouse, I just use the draw built it in of word.

Regarding blank, yea, it happens on all files.

Regarding when drawing stops, I cant use the computer at all, it "stucks" and there is noise like "beep", like something is faulty. Only if I turn off screen and then on, it fixes and then I see the things I drew when there was that problem. (When the problem occurs, the draw stops and I can't see what I draw, when I fix it with screen, I see it then)

Regarding print layout - it is on that case :)

About test mode, I tried it actually, ChatGPT told me that too, that problem was still occurring sadly.

Regarding Repair, it was updated to 13\10\2026 (yesterday), did it today also, will update if will help me somehow.

Regarding windows 10, will check it :)

Will update soon.
Ben Shaines 0 Reputation points

2026-10-14T10:12:51.2633333+00:00

Sadly problem still persists after all tries (without windows 10 thingy, but probably will not help also).
Clary-N 17,080 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-15T08:17:01.6033333+00:00

Hi Ben Shaines,

Thanks for the detailed update. Since this still happens in Word Safe Mode and across different documents, and you’ve already repaired and updated Office, I don’t think there’s much value in repeating those steps.

The part that stands out is that the whole computer seems to freeze with a beep, but after turning the screen off and back on, Word displays the drawing you made while the screen appeared frozen. That makes me think it would be useful to focus on the display/graphics side next rather than the Word pens themselves.

Could you check the exact graphics adapter listed under Device Manager > Display adapters? I’d then suggest downloading the latest graphics driver directly from your PC or graphics manufacturer rather than relying only on Windows Update. If the issue started after a recent graphics-driver update, let me know that as well.

It would also be useful to test whether the same freeze happens while doing other graphics-related tasks outside Word. If it only occurs when using Word > Draw, that would help narrow it down further.

Let me know what graphics adapter you have and whether anything similar happens outside Word, and we can narrow this down further.
Ben Shaines 0 Reputation points

2026-10-15T08:33:10.2666667+00:00

Hi Clary,

I checked Device Manager, and here are my graphics details:

Graphics adapter: Intel Iris Xe Graphics

Driver version: 31.0.101.4032

Driver date: December 21, 2022

Device status: This device is working properly.

The freezing happens only on word (I don't use other Microsoft products, so I can't really tell)

I also noticed a yellow warning icon next to "ZenBook UEFI" under Firmware in Device Manager. Could this be related?

Which version should I install?

Regarding Driver update, I don't really think it happened after driver update, I do not remember when I updated my drivers actually.