Apple Pencil or ESR Pencil Not Working? How to Fix It

Most times, an Apple Pencil or ESR Pencil works the way it should. Now and then it develops a fault, from refusing to turn on to ignoring your strokes in certain apps or showing the wrong battery level. It doesn’t matter what is going wrong with yours, we’ve got you covered. Start with the quick checks, then go to the section for your pencil. If it won’t connect or pair, use the pairing guidance referenced below.

Start Here: Pick Your Pen, Then Your Symptom

Find what’s happening with your pencil and go to the matching section.

Quick Checks Before You Reset

Take note of the following checks. They sort out a lot of problems on their own, so work through them in order and test the pencil after each one.

Make Sure Your Pencil Works With Your iPad

Each pencil only works with certain iPads, so start by finding yours in the table below. Apple Pencil (USB-C) supports a wide range of iPads, so use Apple’s compatibility page for the full list. We last checked Apple’s details on November 6, 2026.

Charge It Before Anything Else

Charge the pencil and test it again. For an Apple Pencil, add the Batteries widget to Today View on your iPad, or look in Settings > Apple Pencil. ESR pencils show the battery level through their lights, which the ESR section below explains.

Check the Tip

A loose, worn or damaged tip is a common reason for a pencil that writes badly or not at all. Tighten it gently. If the tip looks worn down or damaged, replace it where your pencil allows that.

Update iPadOS and Restart

Install any pending iPadOS update and restart your iPad. If your pencil uses Bluetooth, switch Bluetooth off and on again too. That applies to Apple Pencil and the ESR Geo Digital Pencil. The ESR Digital Pencil doesn’t use Bluetooth.

Take Off the Case and Wipe the Screen

Remove a thick case or any magnetic accessory sitting where the pencil attaches, and wipe the screen. This matters most for pencils that charge or connect through the magnetic edge.

Test in Notes

Open the Notes app that came with your iPad and try writing. If it works there, the pencil is fine and the problem is in the other app, so go to the section on skipping lines and one-app problems. If Notes doesn’t respond either, carry on to the section for your pencil.

Apple Pencil Not Working

Apple Pencil problems often depend on the model, so we’ve pointed out where the models differ.

Apple Pencil Connected but Not Writing or Responding

If the pencil only fails in one app, skip to the one-app section further down.

If it fails in Notes as well, open Settings > Apple Pencil and look at the drawing and gesture options that appear for your version of iPadOS. Check the tip, and tighten or replace it if it’s loose or worn. Close and reopen the app, and restart the iPad if the pencil is still being ignored.

Also check which model you have. Apple Pencil (1st generation), Apple Pencil (2nd generation) and Apple Pencil Pro respond to pressure, but Apple Pencil (USB-C) doesn’t. If your lines stay the same thickness however hard you press, that comes down to the model.

Apple Pencil Not Charging

• The 1st generation needs the USB-C to Apple Pencil Adapter on the iPad 10th generation and iPad (A16).
• The 2nd generation and Pro charge on the magnetic connector. Take off the case and try again.
• Apple Pencil (USB-C) charges with a cable.
• After charging, wait for the Pair prompt. If it never appears, go to the reset section below.
• If it still fails, contact Apple through its service options.

Skipping Lines, One App Only, and Gesture Problems

If the pencil only fails in one app, such as GoodNotes, Procreate or OneNote, update the app and check its tool and pencil settings. If Notes works, the pencil itself is probably fine.

Lines that break up or skip usually come from a worn tip, a dirty screen, a low battery or a pending iPadOS update.

Gestures depend on the model:

• 1st generation: no double-tap and none of the Pro gestures.
• 2nd generation: double-tap switches tools.
• USB-C: no double-tap, pressure, squeeze, barrel roll or hover.
• Pro: double-tap, squeeze, barrel roll and haptic feedback.

Hover works on the 2nd generation only with certain iPad Pro models, and on the Pro with compatible newer iPads.

Can You Reset an Apple Pencil?

Apple Pencil does not have a factory-reset button. “Reset” instructions for Apple Pencil usually mean forgetting and re-pairing the device.

1. Check that your iPad is compatible, the pencil is charged and iPadOS is up to date. Then restart the iPad with the pencil still connected.
2. Go to Settings > Bluetooth and find Apple Pencil.
3. Tap the info icon and choose Forget This Device.
4. Reconnect the pencil and wait for the Pair prompt.
5. If you have a 2nd generation or Pro and it still fails, take off the case.
6. If there’s still no prompt, contact Apple.

How you reconnect depends on the model, and the pairing steps for each Apple Pencil differ by version.

ESR Pencil Not Working

We currently make two digital pencils for iPad, and they work differently, so work out which one you have before you follow any steps.

Which ESR Pencil Do You Have?

Neither pencil senses pressure, so lines won’t get thicker when you press harder. That’s how they’re built and doesn’t mean anything is wrong.

If you own an earlier ESR Digital Pencil Pro (6C004) or Geo pencil (6C005), follow the instructions supplied with that version or contact ESR Support.

ESR Pencil Not Turning On or Not Responding

Start with your iPad. We recommend forgetting a connected Apple Pencil before you test an ESR Pencil. Go to Settings > Bluetooth, tap the info icon next to Apple Pencil and choose Forget This Device.

For the Digital Pencil, double-tap the top quickly. A single tap or a slow double tap won’t wake it. Look at the three lights, and if they stay dark, charge it over USB-C for at least 30 minutes.

For the Geo, press and hold the top for about 2 seconds and watch for the blue light. If nothing happens, charge it for about 20 minutes. If the Geo only seems to have lost its connection after sitting idle, read the sleep section below before you reset it.

If the pencil still doesn’t respond, see the reset section below, or go to Still Not Working? at the end of this guide.

ESR Pencil Not Charging, and What the Lights Mean

The Digital Pencil has three lights in the same color, so there’s no color code to learn. While you write, the number of steady lights shows roughly how much battery is left. While it charges, the next light in line flashes.

The first light flashing on its own means two different things, depending on the cable. With the cable plugged in, it’s charging and the battery is between 5% and 29%. With no cable, the battery is below 5% and needs charging.

The Geo has a single blue light. Steady blue means it’s on. Flashing blue means the battery is below 10%, and a slow pulse means it’s charging. The two can look alike at a glance, so check whether a cable is plugged in. Once the Geo is fully charged, the light stays on for 30 seconds and then goes out.

Both pencils charge through the USB-C port. If a pencil won’t charge, try another USB-C cable and check the port for dust or damage. Then give it a full charge cycle before you test it again. A Geo that has lost its Bluetooth connection isn’t necessarily out of battery, so look at the light before you decide it isn’t charging.

How to Reset an ESR Pencil

The right method depends on the model.

The Digital Pencil doesn’t pair with your iPad, so it has no pairing data to clear and no button combination that resets it. If it stops responding, double-tap the top quickly, check the lights, charge it for at least 30 minutes and restart your iPad. If it still does nothing, contact ESR Support.

On the Geo, a reset clears its pairing data. It won’t repair a hardware fault. If the pencil is still connected, open Find My, tap Items, choose ESR Geo Digital Pencil and tap Remove Item. If it’s disconnected and you can’t remove it that way, hold the top for about 20 seconds and let go when you hear a beep. That clears the pairing data. Turn the pencil back on and reconnect it in Settings > Bluetooth.

These steps are for the current Geo only. The earlier 6C004 and 6C005 models use the instructions supplied with them.

ESR Geo Digital Pencil: Sleep, Bluetooth Drop and Find My

The Geo goes to sleep after five minutes without use and wakes up on its own when you start writing again. Bluetooth can drop for a moment while it’s asleep, so wake the pencil first by writing a few strokes on the screen.

If writing comes back but the shortcut, the live battery reading or Find My doesn’t, open Settings > Bluetooth and check whether the pencil shows as connected. If it doesn’t, turn the pencil off and on again. If that fails, tap Forget This Device and connect it again. The pairing steps are in the guide on how to connect an ESR Pencil to your iPad.

For Find My, make sure Bluetooth is on and the pencil appears under Items in the Find My app.

Treat it as a hardware fault only when the blue light, the charging and the reconnection all look wrong. In that case, go to Still Not Working? below.

Using Another Brand of Stylus?

Plenty of stylus pens are sold for iPad, and they don’t all work the same way. Active styluses have a battery. Basic capacitive pens don’t. First work out which kind you have. If it’s an active stylus, make sure it’s switched on and charged. If it writes but some features don’t work, check whether the app you’re using supports the pen’s extra features, such as tilt, pressure or shortcut buttons. Look at the tip and wipe the screen as well. For anything beyond that, the maker’s instructions and support team are the best source on whether the pen is compatible with your iPad.

Still Not Working? When to Get Help

If nothing above has worked, take note of what you’ve already tried, along with the pencil model, the iPad model and the iPadOS version, before you contact anyone.

It also helps to test the pencil somewhere else. Try it on another compatible iPad, or try a different pencil on yours. If your pencil fails on the other iPad, the pencil is the likely cause. If a different pencil fails on yours, look at the iPad.

Signs of a hardware fault include a pencil that stopped working after a drop or contact with liquid, one that shows no light or reaction even after a full charge, and one that still misbehaves after a tip change and a swap test.

For an Apple Pencil, contact Apple Support. For an ESR pencil, go back through the turning-on and charging sections for your model, and the sleep section if it’s a Geo, then contact ESR Support. Whether a repair or replacement is covered depends on the warranty terms that apply to you, so check those first.

Replacement and Accessory Options

If you’re deciding whether to repair or replace your digital pencil, start by picking the model that matches how you use it. For a basic pencil without Bluetooth, the ESR Digital Pencil keeps things simple. If you want Find My, shortcut controls and a live battery reading, look at the ESR Geo Digital Pencil. You can also compare ESR iPad styluses to see which one suits your iPad.

The current ESR Digital Pencil and Geo Digital Pencil do not offer pressure sensitivity. The Geo model adds Bluetooth shortcuts, a live battery display and Find My.

If you’d also like somewhere to keep the pencil when you’re not using it, ESR’s Flip and Shift cases have a built-in Pencil holder. The guide to iPad cases with a Pencil holder explains how they differ, or you can browse all ESR iPad cases.

Apple Pencil compatibility follows Apple Support. ESR specifications and status light behavior come from the manuals for the ESR Digital Pencil (6C001 / 6C001A) and ESR Geo Digital Pencil (6C006).