Detach the display for four different modes

Surface Book is a versatile laptop, a powerful tablet, and a portable studio that adapts to the ways you work and create.

How to detach the display

Press and hold the Detach key until the light on the key turns green and you see the Ready to Detach message on the screen. Then pull the display off of the keyboard.

Now you can put Surface Book in any mode, depending on what you want to do.

Use Surface Book as a tablet

Surface Book is a tablet that you can take anywhere. Just press and hold the Detach key on the keyboard, remove the display, and you’re ready to go.

Tip: If you’re traveling and don’t need the keyboard, just bring the display and your power cord. There’s a power charging port on the bottom center of the display. Just be sure to protect the screen with a padded case or some other sort of protection if you’re not bringing the keyboard along.

Watch movies and share photos in View Mode

View Mode is perfect for when you want to:

• Binge watch your favorite show.
• Share photos at a family gathering.
• Present ideas to a few colleagues or classmates.
• Follow a recipe you found online.
• Play Xbox games with an Xbox wireless controller (learn more about playing games on Surface).

To put Surface Book into View Mode, first press and hold the Detach key on the keyboard to remove the display. Flip the screen around, line up the tabs on the keyboard to the slots on the display, and press the display down. It’ll lock into place and you’ll see an Attached message on the screen.

The keyboard is now a stable stand for the display for hands-free watching.

Sketch, write, and create naturally in Studio Mode

With Surface Book in View Mode, fold the display down so you have a horizontal surface to write on. Use touch or Surface Pen to draw or take notes, just like on paper. And if you want a truly immersive creative experience, add Surface Dial.

Get more info on how to use your Surface Pen

Use Surface Book as a laptop

Of course, Surface Book 2 is a powerful laptop—it runs professional-grade software with high-speed Intel processors, blazing NVIDIA graphics, lighting-fast storage, and delivers up to 17 hours of battery life, so you can get things done.

Write and draw naturally with Surface Pen

Surface Pen is the perfect accessory for Surface Book. Take notes in meetings or class, draw, and edit Word documents. Make a mistake? Flip it over and use the eraser. Surface Pen attaches magnetically to the side of your screen, so it’s ready whenever you are.

Sketch and draw

With precision ink, tilt for shading, and virtually no lag, Surface Pen is perfect for anyone, from graphic designers to avid doodlers. To try it out, click the top button on Surface Pen once to open Windows Ink Workspace, then select Sketchpad and start drawing. Surface Pen also works with professional graphics software too.

Edit Word documents

Use Surface Pen to edit and add comments to Word documents.

Here’s how:

• Select text
  Select Draw > Ink Editor, then use Surface Pen to circle a word, phrase, or paragraph, then cut, copy, or paste.
• Delete text
  Select Draw > Ink Editor, then use Surface Pen to draw a diagonal line through words, phrases, or paragraphs.
• Highlight text
  Select Draw > Highlighter, then use Surface Pen to select the text for perfect highlighting.
• Replay pen strokes
  Select Draw > Ink Replay to see a replay of all of the markups people have made in the document.

Remember with a Sticky Note

Click and hold the top button on Surface Pen to open Sticky Notes, then jot down reminders, to-do lists, phone numbers, or anything else you want to remember.

Take a screenshot, then draw on it

Click the top button twice to take a screenshot and it’ll open automatically in Screen sketch, where you can draw on the picture or add notes – perfect when you want to share something you find online or doodle on a friend’s profile picture.

Erase just like a pencil

Flip Surface Pen over and use the top button to erase.

Customize the Surface Pen top button

Select Start > Settings > Devices > Pen & Windows Ink. Under Pen shortcuts, choose the app you want to open when you click or double click the top button.

Connect all of your devices with USB-C

Surface Book 2 has USB-C for charging devices, transferring files, and displaying your video on external monitors.

The USB-C to HDMI and USB-C to VGA adapters are perfect for when you want to share pictures or videos on a larger screen.

USB-C to HDMI adapter

USB-C to VGA adapter

Surface accessories help

Transform into a desktop workstation with Surface Dock

Plug in the Surface Dock to charge your Surface Book and use two external 4K monitors, a keyboard, mouse, printer, and more.

More info about Surface Dock

Want more tips?

You can open Tips, which is on your Surface. Select Start, then select Tips from the list of apps. More info about Tips