Brand: Dell
Category: Other
Document Type: Manual
Language: EN
Available Languages: EN , ES
Manual for PN556W
Uploaded: Sept. 12, 2025, 4:28 a.m.
Manual Publish Date: 2018-11-01
Warranty Information
Dell products include a limited one-year warranty; system warranty may apply if purchased with a Dell system.
The Dell Active Pen PN556W is a stylus for touch-enabled devices. It features a tip for cursor control and input, a bottom barrel button for erasing or custom functions, a top barrel button for context menus or right-clicks, a Bluetooth pairing light, and a top button with multiple functions like OneNote access, screenshot capture, and device wake-up. The pen uses one AAAA battery and two coin-cell batteries. It can be paired with compatible Dell devices via Bluetooth. An optional Control Panel allows for customization of button functions and pen sensitivity.
Troubleshooting and error codes
| Problems | Possible causes | Possible solutions |
|---|---|---|
| Pen does not work. | Batteries are installed incorrectly. | Ensure the batteries are correctly installed. See Installing batteries. |
| Batteries are out of charge. | Replace the batteries. See Installing batteries. | |
| Pen does not write and the barrel buttons do not work. | AAAA battery is either incorrectly installed or out of charge. | Replace the AAAA battery. See Installing the AAAA battery. |
| Default functions for the barrel buttons do not work. | Functions not supported by application. | Test the barrel buttons in OneNote or another application that supports these features. |
| Pressing the top button for 0.5 second does not open OneNote. | OneNote is not installed. | Ensure OneNote is installed on your device. |
| Pen is not paired with your device. | Ensure the pen is paired with your device. See Pairing with a Bluetooth device. | |
| Coin-cell batteries may be out of charge. | Change the coin-cell batteries. See Installing coin-cell batteries. | |
| Coin-cell batteries were replaced and the pen was not paired again with your device. | Remove the pen from the list of Bluetooth devices and re-pair it with your device. See Pairing with a Bluetooth device. | |
| Pressing the top button in succession does not capture screenshot. | Windows update KB2968599 is not installed on your device. | Install the Windows update KB2968599 from the Microsoft website. |
| Unable to pair the pen with your device. | Unsupported device. | Dell Active Pen works only with Dell devices. |
| Bluetooth driver on your device is outdated. | Install the latest Bluetooth driver for your device. | |
| Pen shows as Not Connected under Bluetooth devices list. | Pen is not paired correctly with your device. | Install the latest Bluetooth driver for your device. Remove the pen from your Bluetooth list and pair it again. See Pairing with a Bluetooth device. |
| Bluetooth-pairing light does not turn on. | Coin-cell batteries may be out of charge. | Change the coin-cell batteries. See Installing coin-cell batteries. |
| Pressing and holding the top button for 0.5 second or pressing the button twice in succession does not wake up the computer or tablet from connected standby. | Your computer or tablet may not support the connected standby feature. | Ensure to use this feature on computers and tablets that support the connected standby feature. Search PN556W on Dell website for a list of supported devices. |