Microsoft releases new repair kit for Surface Laptops

If your Surface Laptop is misbehaving, you can now download a free repair tool from the Windows Store to identify and fix common problems automatically.

The Surface Diagnostic Toolkit looks up system specifications, checks battery health, repairs common software issues, and validates your device's hardware. It typically takes about 15 minutes to run, but Microsoft advises that the whole process can take up to an hour if your machine needs some TLC.

Laptop limitations

The Surface Laptop runs Windows 10 S – a version of the operating system that prevents users installing software from outside the Windows Store. It's designed with education in mind, and the idea is to prevent kids accidentally downloading viruses, ransomware and other nasties to the school network.

Unfortunately, that means users are unable to use the original Surface Diagnostic Tool, which is only available to download from Microsoft.com. The newly released app is available to all Surface owners, regardless of which operating system their machine uses.

Cat Ellis

Cat is the editor of TechRadar's sister site Advnture. She’s a UK Athletics qualified run leader, and in her spare time enjoys nothing more than lacing up her shoes and hitting the roads and trails (the muddier, the better)