A torque limiter for a surgical screwdriver that includes an outer sleeve (1); a snap sleeve (3), which is arranged in and rotates with the outer sleeve; a rolling element cage (6), which is arranged in the snap sleeve; an inner sleeve (10), which is arranged in the rolling element cage; and a force-transmitting shaft (11), which is received in and rotates with the inner sleeve. The inner wall of the outer sleeve is provided with recesses (8) that extend parallel to a rotational axis of the force-transmitting shaft. The rolling element cage is provided with a plurality of rolling element receiving areas (5), each of which holds a rolling element (4), and with a number of noses (7), which engage into the recesses. The inner sleeve is provided with a plurality of notches (9), which extend in a V-shape parallel to the axis and which receive the rolling elements.