The Surface Dial is a peripheral for your Windows device. It offers a wide range of creative utility. For example, with simple turns, this accessory can bring up the most used shortcuts, adjust media controls to play your favorite music or skip tracks and scroll through documents in Microsoft Word.
You can pair the device to any Bluetooth-based PC. Normally, this process is straightforward, however, on a few occasions, you might experience hiccups. Here, we have suggested some troubleshooting steps that might help you solve the problem.
Surface Dial not working, connecting or pairing with Windows PC
Microsoft Dial mostly shows as a pair-able device. However, while attempting to pair, one of two things happen:
- The pairing process fails to start and breaks, displaying the following message: “That didn’t work, try again and make sure your input device is still discoverable.” Or,
- The pairing process begins (indicated by the progress bar, and then breaks midway giving “Driver Error“.
Here’s what you should try if your Surface Dial will not fail.
First, make sure you’ve followed the pairing steps. You can confirm this by turning on your PC, opening Start Windows logo, choosing Settings, moving to Devices and then selecting the Bluetooth option. Turn on the Bluetooth option.
Next, on your Surface Dial, pull the bottom to open the battery compartment. Make sure there are two AAA batteries inside.
Then, if the batteries are there, remove the battery tab from the underside of your Surface Dial.
Now, press and hold the button by the batteries until the Bluetooth pairing light flashes – it’s opposite the button on the other side of the batteries.
If you are stuck here and do not see the pairing light flashing, change/replace the batteries. If the pairing light blinks three times and then stops, it means that Surface Dial is paired to another device that’s in range. Go to that device and remove it as a Bluetooth device.
Thereafter, go back to your Windows PC, select Surface Dial from the list on the Bluetooth screen in Settings, and then select Pair.
Reattach the bottom of the Surface Dial, and remove the protective film if you haven’t already.
If you find your dial is paired with your device but not working correctly, try this solution.
Remove the batteries in Surface Dial to reset it. You do not need to re-pair it.
Next, remove Surface Dial from Bluetooth settings and then re-add it.
When done, restart (not shutdown) your PC, uninstall drivers and reinstall them. Now, simply restart (not shutdown) your PC.
Please note that Before trying any of the options below, pull the bottom of Surface Dial to open the battery compartment. Hold down the pairing button for few seconds and make sure the LED pairing light blinks three times and then stops permanently. If this doesn’t happen, or the light keeps blinking more often, then walk through the steps for pairing Surface Dial. Once the LED pairing light blinks three times, you can try the solution listed above.
How do I pair my Surface Dial?
To pair your Surface Dial with Windows 11 and Windows 10, you need to turn on the Bluetooth first. For that, you can open the Windows Settings to get the job done. Following that, you need to press the Bluetooth pair button on the Surface Dial until it appears on your computer. Once done, you can choose the device from your PC to be paired.
Can you use the Surface Dial on other computers?
Yes, you can connect and use Surface Dial on other computers. If your computer has Bluetooth connectivity, you can use Surface Dial with a PC without any problem. Whether you have Windows 11 or Windows 10, you can use the device with your PC easily.
