How to Enable or Disable Display Additional Keys Pressed when using Pen in Windows 11
You can enable or disable the display of additional keys pressed when using a pen in Windows 11 through the Pen & Windows Ink settings.
This feature shows modifier keys—like Shift, Ctrl, Alt, and Win—directly on your screen when you press them with your digital pen. It’s a helpful visual cue, especially when performing complex pen-and-keyboard actions.
Imagine you’re annotating a document or drawing and need to hold down the Shift key to draw a perfect circle. This setting makes that key press instantly visible near your pen cursor.
Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Pen & Windows Ink. Expand Additional pen settings and check or uncheck the box for “Display additional keys pressed when using my pen” to enable or disable it.
Option 1Use Settings
You can easily turn on or off the display of additional pen keys in Windows 11 using the Settings app.- Open Settings by pressing ⊞ Win+I on your keyboard.
- Click or tap Bluetooth & devices on the left side. Then click or tap Pen & Windows Ink on the right side. Open Pen & Windows Ink settings
- Click or tap Additional pen settings to expand it.
- Check the box to enable or uncheck the box to disable Display additional keys pressed when using my pen. By default, this is unchecked (disabled).
- You can now close Settings.
Option 2Use Registry
Open the Windows Terminal app and run the commands below.
Enable Display Additional Keys Pressed when using Pen
reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\Pen" /v PenKeySuppress /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
Disable Display Additional Keys Pressed when using Pen
This is the default setting.
reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\Pen" /v PenKeySuppress /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
Summary
This guide shows you how to control whether Windows 11 displays extra pen keys, like Shift or Ctrl, right on your screen when you use your pen.
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About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard, a writer for Geek Rewind, is a tech enthusiast who loves breaking down complex IT topics into simple, easy-to-understand ideas. With years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, he’s developed a knack for offering practical tips and solutions. Richard aims to make technology more accessible and actionable. He's deeply committed to the Geek Rewind community, always ready to answer questions and engage in discussions.
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