Ink editor pen missing in Word on Microsoft 365

Maya Johnston 0 Reputation points
2024-03-19T16:15:58.86+00:00

My ink editor pen disappears randomly in Word on Microsoft 365. I've attached a screenshot of what my draw tab looks like. It used to reappear on its own in the past, but it has been missing for several days now.

draw tab.png

Word
Word
A family of Microsoft word processing software products for creating web, email, and print documents.
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  1. Jiajing Hua-MFST 7,315 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor
    2024-03-20T02:56:10.03+00:00

    Hi @Maya Johnston

    If your device is touch-enabled, the Draw tab is turned on automatically. Otherwise, turn it on by selecting File > Options > Customize Ribbon > Draw.

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  2. Maya Johnston 0 Reputation points
    2024-04-11T17:57:45.1733333+00:00

    Hi again @Jiajing Hua-MFST
    I seem to have found a possible pattern. When I click on the language input options, I have three: WhatsApp Image 2024-04-11 at 13.54.55_a024ff54.jpg. The action pen option isn't available when it's set to either of the English options, but seems to become available again when I switch to Hebrew. This wasn't the case before. Is there any way to link the action pen to one of the English options? Now that it's linked to Hebrew, every time I want to switch between using the action pen and typing, I have to first switch the language - adding an unnecessary, clunky step to the process.

    Thanks.

  3. Maya Johnston 0 Reputation points
    2024-05-04T15:38:03.7333333+00:00

    Well, @Jiajing Hua-MFST I've solved the mystery. It turns out the old action pen is gone and has been replaced by the ink to text pen.

    This is so frustrating - first of all, the replacement is a far inferior tool for people who want to edit using a smart pen... The action pen was much much more intuitive and worked way better. I've already submitted feedback about that.

    But what's even more frustrating is that this isn't the first time I've reached out to Microsoft for help only to basically solve the problem myself ... (https://insider.microsoft365.com/en-us/blog/ink-to-text-pen-now-available-in-excel-for-windows - this talks specifically about Excel, but it's the same story for Word). What's the point of help if the staff isn't trained on what Microsoft is doing or on who to ask so they get receive accurate information?

    I miss the days when there was an alternative word processing program. If there were one, I'd never use Microsoft.

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