How to Fix OneNote Turning Off the Screen When Using a Stylus
Question details
The user needs to resolve an issue where their Windows device screen turns black or powers off entirely while drawing or writing with a stylus in OneNote.
- Product
- Microsoft OneNote
- Device & OS
- Windows
- Scenario
- Drawing or writing on the canvas in OneNote using a digital stylus.
- Observed behavior
- The device screen suddenly turns black or completely powers off when the stylus interacts with the OneNote application.
Before proceeding with troubleshooting, please verify that all your OneNote notebooks are fully synchronized to OneDrive to prevent any accidental data loss during application resets.
Repair or Reset OneNote for Windows 10
Use the built-in Windows Settings to repair or reset the OneNote application to clear out corrupted files causing the crash.
Windows provides a built-in troubleshooting tool for Universal Windows Platform apps. Repairing the app attempts to fix errors without deleting data, while resetting reinstall the app and reverts it to default settings.
Press the Windows key, select the 'Settings' gear icon, and navigate to 'Apps' followed by 'Apps & features'.
Scroll down to find 'OneNote for Windows 10' in your installed apps list, click on it, and select 'Advanced options'.
Click the 'Repair' button. Windows will attempt to fix the app without affecting your local data. Once finished, test the stylus in OneNote again.
If the screen still turns off after a repair, return to the same menu and click 'Reset'. Note that this will delete the app's data on your device, so ensure your notes were synced beforehand.
Perform a Windows Clean Boot
Start Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs to check if background software is conflicting with your stylus input.
Create a New Windows User Profile
Create a fresh user account to check if the black screen issue is caused by a corrupted Windows user profile.
Looking for a Stable Office Experience? Try WPS Office
If Microsoft Office applications like OneNote continue to experience performance issues, crashes, or screen blackouts on your device, consider switching to WPS Office. It is a lightweight, full-featured suite that provides a seamless, stable environment for all your document needs without the heavy resource drain.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS Office website and click the free download button for Windows.
- 2. Install the Software: Run the downloaded installer and follow the on-screen instructions to set up the suite on your device.
- 3. Start Creating: Open WPS Office to instantly view, edit, or annotate your existing Office documents with maximum stability.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my screen turn black when using a stylus on my HP Envy x360?
This is often caused by a conflict between the stylus digitizer drivers, the device's graphics driver, or a specific application bug within OneNote. Updating your graphics and pen drivers via HP Support Assistant or Windows Update can often resolve hardware-related blackouts.
Will resetting OneNote for Windows 10 delete all my notes?
Resetting the app removes its local app data, cached files, and sign-in details from your device. However, if your notebooks are fully synchronized to OneDrive in the cloud, you will not lose your notes—they will simply download again once you sign back into the application.
How do I know if a background program is causing OneNote to crash?
You can isolate software conflicts by performing a Windows clean boot. If the stylus works perfectly in OneNote during a clean boot, it indicates that a third-party background application, antivirus, or service running on your standard boot is causing the screen to turn off.
