How to Detach Your Surface Book

Last Updated: November 15, 2022

The Surface Book series detaches from its keyboard to be used as a tablet. It can then be reattached for better performance in the opposite direction. Normally, though, the Surface Book is held internally with two locking clips and latches. This wikiHow will show you how to detach your Surface Book.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Detaching Using the Taskbar

1
Click on the Surface Detach button. This button is located in the system tray on the taskbar. This will initiate the detachment process.
2
Close any apps if prompted. If any apps are using the dedicated GPU, these apps will need to be closed, otherwise, they could crash or 'bluescreen' Windows. Once all apps using the dedicated GPU are closed, the Surface Book will immediately detach.

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3
Select Detach anyway to force quit the apps in question. This will close all apps that are using the dedicated GPU without saving any work. This option is not available if a process is running as an administrator.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Detaching Using the Keyboard

While Logged In

1
Press the detach key. The light will illuminate red if there is a problem with the detachment or blink green if the Surface Book is ready to detach. Once the light illuminates solid green, the clips holding the Surface Book to the keyboard will be open.
2
Close any apps if prompted. If any apps are using the dedicated GPU, these apps will need to be closed, otherwise, they could crash or 'bluescreen' Windows. Once all apps using the dedicated GPU are closed, the Surface Book will immediately detach.
3
Select Detach anyway to force quit the apps in question. This will close all apps that are using the dedicated GPU without saving any work. This option is not available if a process is running as an administrator.

While Powered Down

1
Press the detach key. The light will blink green for a few moments. Once the light illuminates solid green, the clips holding the Surface Book to the keyboard will be open.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Manually Detaching

1
Do not force the Surface Book apart from the keyboard. The Surface Book docks firmly to the keyboard base. Forcing the Surface Book apart from the keyboard risks damaging the clips, the connector, and/or the base.
2
Shut down your Surface Book. To do so, hold the power button down until the prompt "Slide to shut down your PC" appears. Then drag the screen down to power off.
3
Insert a paper clip into the sixth vent on each side of the Surface Book screen. Push the paper clip all the way in at an upward angle. This will physically open the spring-loaded latch.
4
Move the Surface Book out. This will physically disconnect the connectors from the Surface Book. You can then reattach the Surface Book after cleaning the connectors.