If you have a touchscreen device like a tablet or a laptop with a touchscreen, Windows 11 lets you type with an on-screen keyboard.

Besides the regular keyboard, you can also use the touch keyboard to write words by hand using your finger or a pen. This is called the Handwriting panel.

Many apps will open the touch keyboard automatically when you tap where you want to type. But if you want to use the handwriting feature, here’s a simple step-by-step guide on how to open it in Windows 11.

Steps to Open the Handwriting Panel

Follow these easy steps to get the handwriting panel ready on your device:

1. Turn on the Touch Keyboard button on the taskbar:
   
   Start > Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > System tray icons
   
   Then, find and turn on Touch keyboard.
   
2. Set when the touch keyboard shows up:
   Click on the dropdown menu and choose either When no keyboard attached or Always. This means the keyboard will appear when you want to type or always be available.
   

Now, click the touch keyboard icon on your taskbar (it looks like a small keyboard). This will open the on-screen keyboard.

Next, click the Settings (gear icon) on the keyboard window, then select Handwriting from the menu.

You can now write in the panel, and Windows will change your handwriting into typed text.

Summary

• The handwriting panel lets you write text using your finger or a pen on touchscreen devices.
• You access it through the touch keyboard’s settings on Windows 11.
• Just enable the touch keyboard button on the taskbar and select handwriting mode to start writing by hand.

If you want to learn more about using the touch keyboard or other Windows 11 features, check out these helpful guides:

• How to Open and Use Touch Keyboard in Windows 11
• How to Turn On or Off On-screen Touchpad in Windows 11