Pair an Apple Pencil with your iPad Pro

At the iPad Pro’s launch, the Apple Pencil is in short supply. Actually, you likely can’t find one in stores right now, and shipping estimates currently forecast their arrival around Christmas.

If you’re lucky enough to have an Apple Pencil, or have waited long enough to finally get your hands on one, you’ll need to pair the small device with your iPad Pro before you can begin sketching and writing notes with it.

The Pencil uses Bluetooth to work in tandem with the iPad Pro’s screen when in use. Sweet! But how do you pair the two? The Apple Pencil lacks any physical buttons to activate a pairing mode, and Apple doesn’t have a dedicated app for Pencil as other stylus’ makers do to help you complete the pairing process.

To pair your Apple Pencil with an iPad Pro, take the Pencil’s end cap off to reveal its Lighting connector. The Lightning connector plugs directly into the bottom of your iPad Pro when in need of a quick charge, but it also initiates the pairing process the first time you plug it into your iPad Pro.

Once plugged in, a prompt on the iPad Pro’s screen will let you know the Apple Pencil is attempting to pair with your giant tablet. Tap on Pair and the process is complete. Simple.

You can now use your Apple Pencil with the iPad Pro without having to take any further action. Launch the Notes app and begin sketching to test it out.