How to Fix OneNote Lasso Tool Not Working with Lenovo Digital Pen
Question details
The user is unable to trigger the Lasso Tool in OneNote using the barrel button on their Lenovo Digital Pen.
- Product
- Microsoft OneNote
- Device & OS
- Windows
- Scenario
- Attempting to select text or drawings quickly using the Lenovo Digital Pen's barrel button shortcut in OneNote.
- Observed behavior
- The Lasso Tool activates correctly with a mouse or finger, but pressing the pen button causes the pen to write instead of selecting content.
Ensure your Lenovo Digital Pen has sufficient battery power and is properly paired with your Windows device via Bluetooth before altering software settings.
Update Lenovo Pen Drivers and OneNote
Outdated or corrupted pen drivers often cause button mapping failures across different OneNote versions.
Because this issue is known to happen across OneNote Online, OneNote for Windows 10, and OneNote 2016 simultaneously, it is highly likely that the system's pen drivers have become unsynced with the Office input protocols.
Open the 'Lenovo Vantage' or 'Lenovo Pen Settings' application on your device and check for any available firmware or driver updates for your pen.
Right-click the Windows Start button, select 'Device Manager', expand 'Human Interface Devices', right-click your pen driver, and select 'Update driver'.
Open the OneNote desktop application, navigate to File > Account > Update Options, and click 'Update Now'.
Restart your computer to apply the driver changes, then open OneNote and test the barrel button functionality.
Reconfigure Pen Button Settings
The barrel button might have lost its assignment to the Lasso Select tool after a recent system update.
Escalate to Microsoft 365 Support
If the issue persists across all platforms including OneNote for the Web, it may be a backend compatibility bug requiring Microsoft engineer investigation.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the Lasso tool work with a mouse but not my digital pen?
This usually happens when the pen's barrel button mapping is overridden by a recent Windows update, or when the pen driver loses sync with OneNote's input API, causing the software to default to the standard writing mode.
Does this Lenovo Digital Pen issue only affect the OneNote desktop app?
No, users consistently report that this specific button mapping failure affects OneNote 2016, OneNote for Windows 10, and even OneNote for the Web simultaneously.
Can I temporarily use the Lasso tool without the pen button?
Yes. You can manually select the Lasso Tool from the 'Draw' tab in the OneNote ribbon and use your pen tip, mouse, or finger to make the selection until the button issue is resolved.
