There has been many reports from users complaining about accidentally hitting the Surface home button with the palm when grabbing the tablet in landscape mode or when using the Surface Pen. Now this is a big deal for many users and even Microsoft tried to fix it. Though pressing the button by accident still happening.
At this point the best solution is to disable the button, which is something easy to do. Just follow the steps below:
Instructions
1. Press and hold the Start button to bring the Power User menu and tap Device Manager
2. Scroll down and expand System devices
3. Double tap Surface Home Button
4. Navigate to the Driver’s tab
5. Finally tap Disable button and tap OK.
That’s all the steps you need to follow, no restart necessary, now you can use Charms to go back to the Start screen and keep using Windows 8.1. If you want to re-enable the Surface home button, simple follow the instructions above again, but this time tap the Enable button.
I’ve been debating for quite some time whether to include these instructions, because there is a really drawback. By disabling the Windows button of Surface Pro 3, it will also disable the power and volume rocket buttons, which are extremely useful. Another way to wake the tablet is by using attaching the Type Cover or connecting the power cable. Also it’s likely that Windows 9 will drop the Charms bar, so it will be a lot harder to navigate the operating system, but it’s a quick and dirty way to fix this problem for some, until Microsoft delivers a more convenient solution.
Update: Microsoft has released an update for its Surface Hub app that allows users to disable the Windows button on Surface Pro 3. I’ll recommend you to use this new option instead.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].