Surface Pro 9 won't enter tablet mode after disconnecting the type cover

I am having the same issue on a SP9 I bought 2 days ago, has this been resolved?

This is not a solution.

Microsoft needs to accept this is a bug and remediate it to provide us the functionality we all expect. Saying to turn the power off and back on is at best a workaround and not the performance we should accept from a >$2000 device.

I purchased mine months ago, returned it once over their poor direction it was a hardware issue and have had to live with this bug ever since. @Marrion - you're quite active on this thread, is there not a resource that can be escalated to within Microsoft to identify the root cause and actually release a software update to resolve this issue? Given the tablet mode functionality works briefly as expected from a clean Windows 11 install until the latest updates are applied, it is 100% a software bug.

Update!

After many hours with Microsoft technical support, the current answer is dumb.

To enter tablet mode:

1. Tap the power button.
2. Remove keyboard.
3. Tap power button and log in.
4. Boom baby, tablet mode.

To exit, just attach the keyboard.

It seems like either there is a programming glitch to not allow tablet mode directly or MS wants to prevent users from accidently messing up open windows when touching the screen to remove the keyboard. Either one makes sense...but say so Microsoft!

Marrion,

I received my Surface 9 Pro YESTERDAY.

I have this issue right out of the box TODAY.

I have the extended warranty from Microsoft.

Using the Surface App, my device does recognize removal of the keyboard yet still will not go into tablet mode. I followed your instructions, and nothing changed. This should be a high priority for Microsoft since selling a TABLET that is NOT A TABLET is fraud. This is extremely frustrating due to the fact I have very bad carpal tunnel and purchased this device as an accessibility solution for going to school as a disabled veteran. I need the tablet function to succeed.

Hi Wayne Strydom,

Thank you for reaching Microsoft Community and apologies for the inconvenience this has caused you.

Just to make sure: this happens every time you detach the typecover, right? or there are times also that when you detach the typecover, the device is able to detect it and automatically goes to tablet mode? or if you do a re-attach and detach several times, would the device eventually detect it and goes to tablet mode or not at all and you would need to restart the device without the typecover attached for it to go to tablet mode?

Tablet mode in Windows 11 no longer exists as a specific mode. The device should automatically go to tablet mode whenever the typecover is detached. See: Frequently Asked Questions: Windows 11 - Microsoft Community for more details. Considering that a reinstall of Windows were tried already and still issue persists, this seems to be a hardware issue already on the connectors of the device where it is unable to detect that the typecover is being detach and thus, it does not go to tablet mode, but can you please try these steps below first then let me know how it goes:

Detach the typecover (device stays in Desktop mode due to the issue)

Open Device Manager

Click on Action

Select Scan for hardware changes

Check if the device detects that the typecover is detached and goes to tablet mode

Kind regards,
Marrion

I am typing this on my original Surface Pro 3, I even had the RT, and a couple more Surfaces between the family members that I bought, advocated and even converted two Mac users.

My Surface Pro 3 is still chugging along just fine after 8 years of heavy use.

I barely even started working on the Surface Pro 8 for a month ( I bought it to retire the SP3 and make it a media server for my hifi. I also thought it is cute to commemorate 8 years of the SP3, with the 8th device, and SP8 has essentially more value adding new features and innovations than previous Surface Pro iterations)

Microsoft forgot what it takes to build the SP3 and show the world they're still relevant and innovating

This SP8 has immediately thrown out 8 years of my trust, affinity and confidence in the Surface brand.

You would have thought buying an in house device for their own OS would have limited these kind of disruptive issues....but their own updates bricked their own device.....

I guess they will never be able to best Apple Macintoshes