Why can't I write in white with my stylus on drawing?

Dear @Bennett Rory,

It sounds like the app is automatically adjusting ink colors for Dark Mode, or you are placing white ink on an actually white page. The stylus is probably working correctly, but the white stroke has no contrast, so it appears to disappear. Kindly try these steps:

1> Try this first in OneNote

Open the page and select View.

Choose Switch Background so the canvas is visibly dark.

Go to Draw, select a regular Pen, and choose white.

Make a new test stroke.

OneNote’s Dark Mode can change how ink and page colors are displayed without changing their underlying properties. Consequently, colors may look reversed when you switch between light and dark backgrounds. Turn Dark Mode on or off in OneNote | Microsoft Support

2> Set a real page background

Go to View > Page Color and select a dark color, then try the white pen again. OneNote pages normally start with a white background, and Microsoft supports changing the page color from this menu. Change the background color of a page in OneNote | Microsoft Support

3> Confirm that a pen is selected

Under Draw, select Pen, not: Eraser, Lasso Select, A transparent Highlighter

Open the pen’s color menu, select white again, and increase its thickness for testing. OneNote supports changing both the ink color and thickness from the Draw toolbar. Change the color and thickness of ink strokes in OneNote for Windows 10 | Microsoft Support

4> Check for a Windows color-display setting

If all colors look interchanged, not only inside the notes app:

Open Settings > Accessibility > Color filters.

Make sure Color filters is turned Off.

Press Windows + Ctrl + C once, since that shortcut can toggle the filter when enabled.

Also turn off High contrast/Contrast themes temporarily and retest.

Note: If you need the notes to remain white when exported or viewed by someone else, use a real dark Page Color rather than only Switch Background. Switch Background is primarily a viewing mode, so another viewer or an exported page may use the original light background and make white ink difficult to see.

Most likely resolution: View > Page Color > choose a dark background, then select Draw > Pen > White.

I hope the information shared helps point you in the right direction. Please try the steps above and let me know if they work. If not, we can continue working together to narrow this down.

The first response may not always resolve the issue right away, but with your help and more details, we can work toward a solution.

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