HP pen scribbling on its own

[dzonixo]

Hello everyone.

My pen is scribbling when writing. It continues following my movement even though there is no pressure on the screen. I have HP Spectre x360 14. It gets very difficult to read my own handwriting. Best way to show this is through a video but I can not upload it here. These moments occur totally randomly. I had this problem for over a year and I even bought another pen(not HP) so every time I would see this problem I would switch. The thing is I really like how HP pen writes when these moments are not happening. I have read some other article where someone had the exact same problem I have. The solution stated that to fix this problem, drivers should be updated(which when I did, caused my keyboard to completely stop working so I had to Roll back drivers). Pen battery doesn't affect this problem as it happens even when fully charged. My question is, is it possible to fix this without buying a new pen? Is this very common thing with HP products? It's just I have already replaced touch pad, have problem with pen, currently have the sound distortion. Like is this just (un)luck or I made a mistake buying these (expensive) products?

[Max3Aj]

Hi @dzonixo,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

It sounds like you're experiencing some frustrating issues with your HP Spectre x360 14 and the HP pen. The random scribbling problem is typically caused by one of the following.

Interference or Calibration Issues

• Go to Settings > Devices > Pen & Windows Ink and ensure "Ignore touch input when using a pen" is enabled.
• Try recalibrating the touchscreen: Control Panel > Tablet PC Settings > Calibrate.

Driver Issues (But Without Breaking Your Keyboard!)

• Instead of updating all drivers, focus only on the pen/digitizer drivers.
• In Device Manager, under Human Interface Devices, find "HID-compliant touch screen" and "HID-compliant pen". Try uninstalling and restarting, letting Windows reinstall them.
• If the issue persists, manually download drivers from HP’s website instead of letting Windows install them.

Touchscreen Ghost Input

• Use HP PC Hardware Diagnostics UEFI (press F2 when booting) to check the touchscreen for issues.
• Open Device Manager and temporarily disable the "HID-compliant touch screen" to see if the issue disappears (to rule out ghost touch problems).

Check for Environmental Factors

• If you're using a matte screen protector, it could be affecting the digitizer's performance.
• Electromagnetic interference (from chargers, nearby devices, or metal surfaces) can cause erratic pen behavior.

Firmware Updates

• HP sometimes releases firmware updates for the digitizer/touchscreen—check the HP Support website for updates specific to your Spectre x360.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Max3Aj

HP Support 

[dzonixo]

There is no option of "calibrate". I uninstalled drivers, restarted laptop and it was working fine for a while. Now the problem reoccurred.

[zoey7886]

@dzonixo, I'm really sorry to hear that the scribbling issue with your HP pen has come back — that does sound incredibly frustrating, especially after trying different solutions. I appreciate you taking the time to troubleshoot and share all those details — it really helps narrow down the possible causes. Let’s try to take a fresh approach and see if we can get this sorted out once and for all.

Since you mentioned that the "calibrate" option isn’t showing up and the problem returned after reinstalling the drivers, here are a few additional steps we can try:

🖊️ Fine-tuning Pen and Touch Settings

1. Go to Settings > Devices > Pen & Windows Ink and make sure "Ignore touch input when using a pen" is turned ON.
2. Try adjusting the pen pressure settings under Pen & Windows Ink — sometimes tweaking the sensitivity can help reduce unwanted inputs.

🔧 Driver and Firmware Check

• Even though reinstalling the drivers worked temporarily, the issue coming back could mean the driver isn’t fully stable.
  • Try downloading the pen and touch drivers directly from the HP Support website specific to your Spectre x360 model — sometimes Windows’ automatic updates install generic drivers that may not work perfectly with HP hardware.
  • Also, check for any available firmware updates for the pen or touchscreen — these updates can sometimes fix underlying compatibility issues.

Let me know how it goes!

Please mark this post as “Accepted Solution” if the issue is resolved and if you feel this reply was helpful click “Yes”. 

[dzonixo]

Can you walk me through installing the drivers? Last time when I tried to do it from website my keyboard stopped working. Also, when trying to find drivers, there isn't my version of Windows(version 24H2)

[zoey7886]

@dzonixo, Since updating the drivers caused your keyboard to stop working last time, let's take a more cautious approach this time. I'll walk you through the process step-by-step to avoid any unintended issues:

🖊️Find the Right Drivers

1. Go to the HP Support website.
2. Enter "HP Spectre x360 14" in the search bar.
3. If your exact Windows version (24H2) isn’t listed, try selecting the closest available version (for example, 23H2). Drivers for nearby versions are often compatible.

🔽 Download the Correct Drivers

1. Look for drivers under categories like "Input Devices," "Touch," or "Pen."
2. Download only the specific driver for the pen or touchscreen — avoid updating unrelated drivers to prevent other issues.

💾 Install the Driver

1. After downloading, right-click the installer and select "Run as Administrator."
2. Follow the on-screen instructions to install.
3. Restart your laptop once the installation is complete.

🔧 Test and Fine-Tune

1. After restarting, go to Settings > Devices > Pen & Windows Ink and:
   • Turn on "Ignore touch input when using a pen."
   • Adjust the pen sensitivity settings to see if that reduces unwanted scribbling.
2. If the problem persists, try disabling the "HID-compliant touch screen" in Device Manager temporarily to rule out ghost touch issues.

Let me know how it goes! If the problem continues or you face any trouble during the process, just reply here — I'll be happy to help further.

Let me know how it goes!

Please mark this post as “Accepted Solution” if the issue is resolved and if you feel this reply was helpful click “Yes”.