Surface Pro Won't Turn On? Force Restart and Charging Fixes

When a Surface Pro won’t turn on, the problem is often charging or a frozen state that looks like “off.” Surface devices have no power light on the tablet itself, so a Surface that’s stuck with the screen off looks exactly like one that’s dead. Microsoft’s own fixes, a proper charge and a long power-button hold, solve a lot of these. If they don’t, how you get your files back depends heavily on two things: BitLocker, which is usually on, and which Surface Pro generation you have.

Surface Pro won’t turn on: charge it properly

1. Connect the Surface power supply to a wall outlet you know works, not a power strip.
2. Check the light on the Surface Connect plug. It should glow when the charger is getting power and connected. If it’s off or blinking, try another outlet, unplug the charger from the wall for about 10 seconds, and reseat the magnetic connector.
3. Clean the connector. Lint and grime in the Surface Connect port or on the plug’s pins can stop charging. Use a dry, soft brush or a wooden toothpick, never metal, with the charger unplugged.
4. Try USB-C charging on models that support it, with a USB-C Power Delivery charger of adequate wattage.
5. Charge for at least 15 minutes before trying to turn it on. A fully drained battery may not respond right away.

If the Surface shows a thermometer icon, it’s too hot or too cold to start; let it reach room temperature. A battery icon means it needs more charge.

Force a restart

A Surface can freeze with the screen off. A force restart clears it:

• Surface Pro 5th gen (2017) and later, including Surface Pro X: press and hold the power button for about 20 seconds, until the Windows logo screen appears, then release.
• Surface Pro 4 and earlier: Microsoft has used a two-button shutdown on these models. Hold the power button for about 30 seconds and release, then hold volume up and power together for about 15 seconds, release, wait about 10 seconds, and press power normally. Check Microsoft’s support page for your model before relying on the exact timings.

Rule out a black screen

The Surface may be running with nothing on the display:

• Detach and reattach the keyboard (Type Cover), then try waking it.
• Press Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B. This keyboard shortcut restarts the graphics driver; you may hear a beep and see the screen flicker back on.
• Connect an external display. If a picture appears there, the Surface works and the internal screen is the problem; see laptop screen broken: how to get your files.

Check Surface UEFI

If the Surface responds at all, try the firmware settings:

1. Shut it down fully.
2. Press and hold volume up, then press and release the power button.
3. Keep holding volume up until the Surface logo or the UEFI screen appears.

If UEFI opens, the hardware is largely working. Look at the device information to see whether the SSD is listed. If it is, the problem is Windows rather than the hardware; if it isn’t, the storage may have failed.

If Windows starts sometimes, Microsoft’s Surface Diagnostic Toolkit and the Surface app can test the battery and other hardware.

Your data: BitLocker is almost always on

This is the key point for any Surface. Surface devices typically ship with BitLocker or device encryption turned on, tied to the Microsoft account or the work or school account used to set them up. Whatever happens to the hardware, your files can’t be read without either that Surface’s own security chip or the 48-digit BitLocker recovery key.

• Personal Surfaces: the key is usually saved in the Microsoft account at account.microsoft.com, under your devices. See where to find your BitLocker recovery key.
• Work or school Surfaces: your IT department can usually retrieve the key.

Find the key now, before anything else. Without it, even a perfectly healthy SSD is unreadable.

Removable SSD or not depends on the generation

• Surface Pro 8 and later (including Pro 9, 10, and 11), Surface Pro 7+, and Surface Pro X have an SSD under a small door behind the kickstand. Microsoft says it’s meant to be removed by authorized technicians, and it’s a short M.2 2230 drive. With the recovery key, a healthy drive can be read from another computer; see how to get files off a dead laptop.
• Surface Pro 7 and earlier have storage that’s soldered to the board or not realistically reachable without removing a glued-in screen. If one of these won’t turn on, the board usually has to be brought back to life to get the data off.

Either way, don’t reset the Surface from recovery options or reinstall Windows until your files are copied. If it was dropped or got wet, stop trying to power it on; see water-damaged device recovery.

For general steps that apply to all laptops, see laptop won’t turn on, or read about Microsoft Surface data recovery.

The bottom line

When a Surface Pro won’t turn on, charge it for 15 minutes with a clean connector and watch the light on the plug, then hold the power button for 20 seconds (or use the two-button shutdown on Surface Pro 4 and earlier). Rule out a black screen with Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B. Most importantly, find your BitLocker recovery key: on a Surface, it decides whether the data can be recovered at all.

If the Surface is dead, damaged, or has soldered storage, our laptop data recovery service recovers data from Surface devices for one flat $1,200 price for a single device. Shipping is free and prepaid, and you pay nothing unless the recovery succeeds.