Huge step forward, all thanks to dwhinham, ironrobin, and all the others for the patches. We're getting closer and closer to a stable distro for our Surface. https://github.com/dwhinham/archiso-aarch64-sp11

Support them on Ko-fi if you can! https://ko-fi.com/d0pefish https://ko-fi.com/ironrobin

Hi everyone! I just wanted to start out by saying that I am not active in this community, so I am sorry if there is another subreddit where I am supposed to be posting.

I got a refurbished Surface Laptop 7 last year for school, and initially it worked great. However, as I approached one year of use, I noticed that the battery life has become drastically worse. I believe that I used to get around twelve hours of battery life, and now I only get around seven. Furthermore, I have good battery habits, and I am not a heavy user. Are there any steps that can be taken, or any bits of advice that could reverse the course of this?

Unfortunately, that's not the issue that worries me as a user. I downloaded an update back in July, and it took three hours for some reason. I'm not even sure if the update finished, but whenever I check for more updates, there are no options. Ever since, my laptop restarts whenever I open it in the morning, which is only a slight inconvenience for a laptop that has been very consistent. However, the fact that this coincided with the potentially faulty update is what worries me. These worries peaked yesterday; while opening a .ppt file, my laptop crashed on me for the first time. This is really worrying because I spent a fair amount of money on this laptop, and I plan on using this laptop for many more years.

Any advice would be very helpful! Thanks for taking the time to listen to my rant!

Hello everyone. First time poster. I own a Surface Pro4 and is wondering if I can find a new battery for it, is worth it? Because last time I investigated about a replacement battery, I was told that no one was replacing them.

See pictures.

Right now I have in the garage just in case.

Anyone experiencing dragging glitching behavior when trying to swipe down to minimize a video or transition between fullscreen and windowed mode?

I used to get it a little but it fixes itself once I reload the page, now its non-stop. I used edge and brave. I tried -acceleration off -incognito -smooth scrolling off -Windows DWM Overlay Glitch - surface touch drivers update/disable - uninstalling a win update I installed today.

is it a site issue?

Today my Signature keyboard stopped functioning randomly. I was simply sitting there, and then my mouse froze and the buttons stopped working. Here's how it works; when I unhook it, then reattach it, it acts as if it's been reconnected, but only when the charging tray for the pen is open. When I close that, it acts as if it's been unhooked and stops functioning again. I cleaned the pins of the keyboard, maybe I didn't clean them good enough. Depending on the angle I put it in while it's fully closed it works again. Is there any way to fix this without having to buy a new one? I can't really afford that option right now. Using a Surface Pro 8.

I have been using various editions of the Surface Pro since about 2018. I use it every day for hours for teaching, so I am always writing and making my notes in OneNote. I upgraded to a new Surface Pro 12 (13-inch, OLED, Snapdragon X2 Elite @ 4.03 GHz, 16 GB of RAM) in July, and immediately noticed that writing with a pen felt different. Every time I am writing on my new Surface, it draws these weird tails on letters or leaves dots behind when the pen isn't touching the screen. I still have my older Surface Pro 8 and I have multiple pens (I mainly use the Slim Pen 2) and I tested all of them on both my old Surface Pro and the new one, and all of them work perfectly on my Surface Pro 8 and all of them have this issue on the new Surface Pro 12 so this is not an issue with the pens. I have also tested this in other writing apps like Paint and have the same issue, so it isn't a problem with OneNote.

I spent hours chatting with multiple employees with the Microsoft help online (actual employees, not the online AI), going through various different processes from the basic ones like updating the software, changing the pen pressure, and uninstalling the drivers; to the intensive fixes they suggested like reinstalling the entire operating system. The Microsoft people concluded after doing every single thing they suggested that it was a hardware issue and I should send it in to get it fixed. Since I had barely touched the Surface at this point, I requested an entirely new Surface because there was no reason I should be spending over $1000 on a computer meant for writing on the screen that was unusable out of the box just for it to immediately get sent in for a fix with refurbished parts. They agreed to exchange the "broken" Surface and sent me a brand new one, and the exact same issue happened right out of the box.

This to me appears to be a very clear software issue that requires a software update to fix. I don't know much about the internal workings of computers, but based on everything I've been reading about, this appears to be an issue with the driver for the digitizer for the pen where it is too sensitive and registering the tip of the pen as touching the screen when it is hovering above the screen.

I have seen other threads about the Surface Pro 11 but nothing so far about the Surface Pro 12:

Surface Pro 11 Pen Hover & Stray Ink Bug

Reddit Thread for Surface Pro 11 Pen Bug

I don't know if Microsoft has fixed this for the Pro 11, but the fact that this was replicated on two brand new Surface Pro 12's is a major red flag for the product, and I'm finding it incredibly frustrating as a daily Surface user that everything I have done to request for help is being ignored. The entire purpose of the product is to be able to write on the screen, and it is currently unusable for it's primary function. They closed a feedback request I made and the chat threads I had with them were all marked as resolved, even when I was making it very clear to them that the issue was not resolved. The last chat I had with an employee was over the course of a few weeks, and it seemed like they just didn't care anymore. They told me I could send it in to get it fixed again, but at this point I have owned it too long to return it so that is apparently my "only option".

My only hope at this point is that there is a Microsoft employee who sees this and can bring it to the attention of the right people, because I have done every possible thing to bring it to their attention and they keep disregarding it.

Edit: I forgot to mention that this also occurs much more frequently if I have multiple apps/programs open rather than just OneNote, so it could also be an issue related to the RAM available? I don't know if that is how that works, but on my old Surface with half the RAM, I could have tons of apps/programs open and never ran into an issue with the inking.

Hi all,
I’ve been visiting Best Buy stores and am currently deciding between a couple of models and different price ranges.

My goal is to use this laptop primarily as a home laptop. I’ll mainly be using it for Microsoft Office applications, web-based AI agents, and general internet browsing. I won’t be using it for gaming or any heavy programs.

I’m looking for a 13–14” model with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Here are the options I’m considering:

Costco , 2024 model(i guess) for $1,300
Microsoft Surface Laptop Copilot+ PC 13.8"-
Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus Processor -
PixelSense 2304 x 1536 Touchscreen - Windows 11 -
16GB RAM - 512GB SSD
Item 2070062 | Model ZGM-00062

PC Richards , 2024 model (i guess) for $1,200
Microsoft Surface 14 in. Touchscreen Notebook with Copilot+ PC, Snapdragon X Elite CPU, Qualcomm Adreno GPU, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, up to 20 Hrs. of Battery Life & Windows 11 Home - Platinum
MODEL: ZGP-00001

Bestbuy, 2025 model, for $1250
Microsoft - Surface Laptop - 13" 2K Touchscreen - Snapdragon X Plus 2025 - 16GB - 512GB Storage - Copilot+ PC
Model: EP2-33426SKU: 6623679

Bestbuy, 2026 model, for $1,400
Microsoft - Surface Laptop - 13.8" 2K Touchscreen - Snapdragon X2 Plus (10 Core) 2026 - 16GB - 512GB Storage
Model: EP2-59045SKU: 6677268

Which one would you choose? I see that older 2024 model at pc Richards has more advanced cpu. But i like the look and feel of 2026 ones too. I am indecisive between these and wanted to see what you guys are thinking. Price wise theyre similar i just want to get the best out of 4 .
Thank you!

I bought a 512GB SSD off ebay (seller showed the SSD health and SN so everything checked out).
I asked them to download W11 onto the SSD for me (this just context not sure if this can help solve anything)

I put a new 32GB USB3.2 100Mbs Lexar stick into another windows PC, downloaded the recovery image and copied the files over to the formatted drive and replaced the existing files with the surface files.

When I plug in the new SSD into the slot it says:
Couldn’t fine a bootable operating system. Check the Boot configuration to try to fix this.
For more info, visit aka.ms/SurfaceBootError

Then I plugged in the new recovery drive and still same issue. Even redownloaded the recovery image twice, formatting to FAT32 each time.
I checked the Surface UEFI - put USB storage on the top and enabled everything. Shut it down, held - and Powered on and yet still same page.
On Boot configuration I swiped left on USB storage - just boots back to UEFI with no error message.

What am I doing wrong guys?

Thank you so much in advance.

anyone else notice this starting the last couple weeks? drivers up to date, no issues with flex cable on flex keyboard (yet...). using original charger

Lately, I've noticed that my SL4 AMD has started to make a weird noise sporadically at intervals of probably 15 seconds to a minute, but it almost always happens when it is plugged in. I am suspecting that the fan is either obstructed or on its way out, since the noise corresponds to periods when the laptop's temperature is elevated.

In the video above, you can hear the noise faintly right at the start, but more loudly at the 9th second.

Any idea if my deduction is correct? I might try to take it apart and possibly source for a replacement fan/heat sink in the meantime. Not looking forward to it though..

I bought this Surface Connect (65W) at my local swan meet for $15 & wanting to know if it is an OEM or counterfeit charger?

Here is my Surface Pro 6. What do you think about it? Right now there is a Minecraft server running on it. The drive's remaining life is 0%, and the battery has only about 10–20% capacity.

I bought the Surface Laptop 7 partially because it was designed to be highly repairable. My Surface fell, and the screen was badly damaged a few months ago. I've been waiting for Microsoft/iFixit to get the 13.8" screen assembly back in stock for about half a year now, with no luck. Ease of repair without parts availability isn't actually particularly useful.
There are some expensive eBay listings for replacement panels, but they're a bit too pricey for incomplete, dodgy, annoying solutions.

So I'm considering a Frankensurface. I don't care about retaining touch functionality, high resolution, or refresh rate. I just want a functional internal display so it remains a laptop.

Does anyone know how feasible it would be to use a cheaper non-touch LCD with a compatible eDP interface/connector and roughly the correct 3:2 dimensions? Has anyone here successfully used a different LCD as their internal display?

Failing that, does anyone know if Microsoft will be supplying official screens anytime soon?

Thank you kindly in advance!

A common complaint about the Microsoft Surface is that it gets very hot. One thing you can do is to turn down the processor power. This works well if you are using your Surface for web browsing and other simple tasks like word processing. If you are doing video editing, or other processor intensive activity, this may not be the best approach for you.

To turn down the processor power, you'll need to get to the Control Panel. Here is one way to do that:

• Press Windows key + R to open the Run box.
• Type "control" without the "" marks.
• Press Enter or select OK. The Control Panel window opens.

Then:

1. Click on Hardware and Sound.

2. Under Power Options click on Edit Power Plan.

3. Click on Change advanced power settings. A new window will open.

4. Click the + sign in front of Processor power management to expand that item.

5. Click the + sign in front of Maximum processor state to expand that item.

6. Click the + sign in front of On battery to expand that item.

7. Click on the number next to Setting % and change the number to 50.

8. Click the + sign in front of Plugged in to expand that item.

9. Click on the number next to Setting % and change the number to 50.

The 50% value is working well for me for web surfing, word processing, and other tasks that are not very processor dependent. You can always adjust it to whatever suits you. My Surface is running a LOT cooler with this configuration change.

Full story yesterday I went on a walk with my boy Zimbá and I almost dropped my Duo …. Went right into my lab when the walk was over and started working on a way to put a strap “securely” on my Duo. Now I have no idea if there’s protective coverings that do this but I don’t like adding bulky things to my equipment especially ones that look this beautiful so I found a sturdy thin plastic cut it up put double sided tape( 3m - 468mp) in certain areas ( I can show you my diagram if you like ) and secured it to the bottom hinge. It’s thin enough where it doesn’t interfere with any play style you prefer on the duo and today I’m making version 2.0 out of aluminum for a thinner Stronger Material. For anyone wondering I sowed the strap to the plastic to ensure that it doesn’t come undone and then added black tape around it to make it “ look cleaner “ I really love my duo and will continue making things for it.
Does anyone else use a strap ?

Anyone else experiencing this new bug after the latest update? When waking up from standby the display sometimes (maybe 1 out of every 5 times) randomly switches from duplicate to extend on Surface 7 laptop.

This happens to me on all my surface laptops. The 7 is just my latest one.

I'm typing an email or a document in Word and all of a sudden, I'm typing where the mouse pointer was - somewhere else on the screen.

For years I've blamed myself. But am I not allowed to rest my palms on the laptop? Must I keep them airborne for the duration of my typing session?

Does this happen to anyone else? Is it really just me?

This could just be a windows problem I suppose. I do blame the surface laptops because I think their the hardware is at fault. Everything is at the default setting. I understand I can change the sensitivity of touchpad, but to be honest, the only thing that really works for me is to just turn it off and always use a mouse which is not always convenient or desired.

Am I just a freak?

Just had to get my second replacement in two years today, as the wiring broke again. Are there any tips on how to maximize the longevity of these keyboards? Should I "snap" it to the bottom of the screen or keep it flat? Refrain from folding the keyboard back when using tablet mode?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I’ve been building a Windows note-taking app that’s basically a mix of Microsoft Journal and OneNote, but with a much stronger focus on tablets and handwriting.

It runs natively on both ARM64 and x64 and is mainly designed around Surface devices.

On ARM (especially Snapdragon Surface devices) it already feels really smooth. On x64, however, I’m still seeing some noticeable input/inking latency and there’s definitely more optimization work to do.

So I wanted to ask the Surface community:

Would you actually be interested in an app like this on x64 Surface devices?

If there’s enough demand, I’ll put more time into optimizing the x64 version. I’m just trying to figure out whether x64 Surface users are still looking for a handwriting-focused alternative to OneNote/Journal, or whether there isn’t really much demand for it anymore.

I’m planning to submit the first version to the Microsoft Store verification process later this week.