Simple Ways to Find a Lost Apple Pencil with Your iPad

Last Updated: January 14, 2023

Did you lose your Apple Pencil? While Apple's Find My tool can locate your iPad or iPhone, it won't help you find the location of that missing stylus. But don't worry, there are a few simple ways you can find your Apple Pencil if it's still connected to your iPad. This wikiHow article will show you how to find a lost Apple Pencil (1st and 2nd gen) using Bluetooth on your iPad. We'll also give you helpful tips for losing your Apple Pencil again in the future.

Things You Should Know

While you can't use Find My, you can instead use Bluetooth or purchase an app to help you find your Pencil.
If you purchase Bluetooth Finder, you'll be able to locate your Pencil within 2 feet.
There are a few things you can do to not lose your Pencil in the future like keeping it charged or attached to your iPad.

Section 1 of 5:

Can I use Find My?

Unfortunately, Apple does not support a Find My Pencil feature yet, so you'll have to try a few other tricks to find a lost Apple Pencil. If your Apple Pencil is attached to your iPad (2nd Gen only), then you can use Find My to track your iPad and recover both it and your Pencil!

Section 2 of 5:

Using Bluetooth on Your iPad

1
Open Settings on your iPad. Tap the app icon that looks like a pair of gears on a light grey background.
- For this method to work, you cannot turn Bluetooth off to prevent the Pencil from going into power-saving mode and disconnecting.
2
Tap Bluetooth. This should be in the first grouping of menu options under your name in Settings.
3
Find your Apple Pencil in "My Devices." If your Pencil is listed as "Connected," then you must be within 30 ft of it since that is the Bluetooth range.
- This range is reduced if there are certain materials around, such as thick walls between you and your Pencil.

Section 3 of 5:

Using the Bluetooth Finder App

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This app costs some money, but it might be worth it to buy the app to find your expensive Apple Pencil. You can find the Bluetooth Finder app on the App Store.
- Bluetooth Finder can only find your Pencil if it's charged and awake.
- Buying this app could be worth it if you're consistently losing your Apple Pencil.
2
Open the app and select your Pencil. It will show you a radar image and the estimated distance you are from the Pencil, within 2 feet.^{[1]
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Section 4 of 5:

Look Around

Aside from using Bluetooth and buying Bluetooth Finder, you'll need to do some looking around to find your Apple Pencil. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you find your Pencil:
- Retrace your steps. You should go back to where you've used the Apple Pencil so you can check the locations where you might've lost it.
- Look under and behind things. It could have rolled under the couch or fallen behind the cushions. Your Pencil may not be in your immediate sight, so check under and inside things, like under your pillow or inside your bag. If there's a Lost and Found, you should check that as well.

Section 5 of 5:

Tips to Avoid Losing Your Apple Pencil

1
Keep your Pencil charged. Most of the methods for finding your Apple Pencil depend on it being charged, so make sure it always has a full charge before you use it. Charging your Pencil is as easy as plugging it in (1st gen) or putting it on the iPad (2nd gen).
2
Personalize it. Apple offers free engravings on Apple Pencil (2nd gen), so that's an easy and free method of making the Pencil unmistakably yours. If you don't want to engrave it, or you already have your Pencil, there are stickers, wrappers, covers, and protective cases that you can get to personalize it.
- This is especially useful to have if you work in a place with other people who also have their own Apple Pencils that they bring to work or if others you live with also have Apple Pencils.^{[2]
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3
Attach a GPS tracker. Many modern trackers are created in the form of stickers or keychains, so they don't interfere with using the Pencil to write or draw. Your GPS tracker will work even if your Pencil's battery is dead or if it's sleeping.
4
Leave the Apple Pencil 2 attached to your iPad. Since the 2nd Generation of Apple Pencil is magnetic, it's really easy to simply put it back on your iPad. Since the Pencil charges when it's connected to your iPad, you're also keeping it fully charged and preventing yourself from misplacing it and losing it!
5
Give your Pencil a permanent place. It's harder to lose something when you have a place where something is always kept. If you don't have the magnetic 2nd-gen Apple Pencil, you can buy a pencil stand where you always keep your Apple Pencil at your workstation when you're not using it. Always putting your Pencil in that pencil stand will prevent you from losing it in the future!