Fortunately, that is not always the case.

Pressure sensitivity depends on several parts of the digital drawing workflow working together: the pen, tablet hardware, driver, operating system, and the creative application. A tablet can still move the cursor normally while pressure input has stopped working inside Photoshop or another drawing program.

That makes pressure problems slightly different from a complete hardware failure.

The good news is that you can usually narrow down the cause with a few simple tests before replacing anything.

This guide walks through a practical troubleshooting process and explains what to check when your drawing tablet has no pressure sensitivity.

First, Find Out Where the Pressure Input Stops Working

The most useful first step is also the easiest:

Test the pen inside the tablet driver's pressure test area.

If the driver can detect changes in pressure, the pen and tablet are at least communicating pressure data correctly at the hardware/driver level.

If the driver cannot detect pressure either, the problem is more likely to involve the pen, tablet hardware, or driver installation.

This gives you an important starting point:

Pressure works in the driver, but not in your drawing application

The hardware may be working correctly.

Look at:

• Application pressure settings
• Pen input protocols
• Brush settings
• Software compatibility
• Driver configuration

Pressure does not work in the driver either

The problem may be related to:

• Driver installation
• Pen hardware
• Tablet hardware
• Connection problems

This simple test can prevent you from spending time changing settings that have nothing to do with the actual problem.

1. Check Whether the Driver Detects Pressure

Open your tablet's driver and find the pressure test area.

Draw a few strokes with different amounts of pressure.

You should see the test respond differently when you press lightly and more firmly.

If pressure is visible in the driver, that is a useful clue: the tablet is detecting the pen input, so the next step is to investigate the software side.

For DIGIDRAW users, the driver provides a pressure testing area that can be used to check whether the pen is generating pressure input before troubleshooting a specific creative application. This kind of driver-level test is useful because it separates a device-level problem from an application-level problem.

2. Check Whether the Problem Happens in Every Application

Next, open another application and test pressure there.

This is particularly important if the problem first appeared in Photoshop, SAI, Krita, or another specific program.

For example:

Pressure works in the driver → works in another app → does not work in Photoshop

That points toward an application-specific configuration issue rather than an immediate hardware failure.

Your troubleshooting materials document similar differences across Photoshop, SAI, Krita, GIMP, Clip Studio Paint, Illustrator, and ZBrush, where pressure behavior can depend on the application's input settings or communication method.

3. Check the Brush Settings in Your Drawing Software

Sometimes the tablet is sending pressure correctly, but the selected brush is not using it.

In Photoshop, for example, pressure can be associated with brush settings such as size or opacity.

If the driver detects pressure but your brush behaves exactly the same regardless of how hard you press, check whether the selected brush is configured to respond to pen pressure.

Your internal troubleshooting documentation specifically notes checking pressure-related brush settings in Photoshop before treating the issue as a hardware problem.

The same principle applies in other software:

Pressure input has to be supported by both the hardware/driver and the active brush or tool.

A working pen does not automatically mean every brush will react to pressure.

4. Check WinTab, Windows Ink, or Other Pen Input Settings

One of the more confusing parts of digital drawing is that different applications may use different pen input systems.

On Windows, two names appear frequently in tablet troubleshooting:

WinTab

Windows Ink

Other applications may use TabletPC-related input systems.

If pressure works in one application but not another, the difference may be related to which input method the application expects.

Your troubleshooting documentation includes several examples of this.

For Photoshop, the recommended configuration in the supplied support material involves enabling WinTab in the driver and disabling Windows Ink for the relevant setup.

For Krita, the documentation describes situations where Windows Ink and WinTab produce different combinations of pressure and pen-button behavior.

Clip Studio Paint also has its own tablet input settings, including Wintab and TabletPC options.

The important lesson is:

Do not assume that a pressure problem has the same solution in every application.

Before changing anything, identify which application is affected and which input system it is using.

5. Restart the Drawing Application After Changing Tablet Settings

This sounds trivial, but it is an easy step to miss.

Some creative applications only recognize changes to tablet input settings after the application has been restarted.

For example, the troubleshooting material for Clip Studio Paint specifically notes that the application should be restarted after changing its tablet input configuration.

A practical sequence is:

Change tablet setting → close the application → reopen the application → test pressure again

Do this before making several additional changes at once.

Otherwise, it becomes difficult to know which change actually fixed the problem.

6. Reinstall the Driver if Pressure Is Missing at the Driver Level

If pressure does not work inside the driver's own test area, the next step is to check the driver installation.

A damaged or incomplete driver installation can interfere with pressure input.

The support documentation recommends uninstalling the existing driver and reinstalling the appropriate version when pressure is missing at the driver level.

There is an important detail here:

Do not simply install the new driver over an old tablet driver.

The support guide recommends removing previous tablet drivers first, restarting the computer, and then installing the correct driver. It also warns that other tablet drivers can create conflicts.

This can be particularly important if you have previously used another drawing tablet brand on the same computer.

7. If You Have Used Another Tablet Brand, Check for Driver Conflicts

It is common for artists to try different drawing hardware over time.

You may have previously installed software from another tablet manufacturer, or you may be switching from one device to another.

In that situation, old drivers can interfere with the new installation.

A clean installation is often a better troubleshooting step than repeatedly installing newer software on top of an existing configuration.

The support material specifically advises uninstalling previous tablet drivers and restarting the computer before installing the current driver.

This is one reason a "no pressure" issue can sometimes appear immediately after changing hardware even though the new pen itself is functioning normally.

8. Test the Tablet Without the Driver

If you are still unsure whether the problem is caused by software or hardware, remove another variable:

Test the device without the dedicated driver.

This does not reproduce every pressure-sensitive feature, but it can help determine whether basic pen communication is working.

Your support documentation recommends testing without the driver, and if necessary testing the tablet on another computer, as part of the process for distinguishing system, driver, and hardware issues.

The logic is straightforward:

• Works without the driver → investigate driver/software configuration
• Fails consistently across systems → hardware becomes more likely

This is much more useful than immediately assuming the tablet needs to be replaced.

9. What If Pressure Works in Photoshop but Not in SAI, Krita, or Another App?

This is one of the most common sources of confusion.

A drawing tablet is not directly communicating with every creative application in exactly the same way.

Different programs can use different input APIs, settings, or compatibility modes.

That means you can have a situation where:

Photoshop works perfectly.

Krita has pressure but pen buttons behave differently.

SAI has no pressure.

Another program works normally.

That does not necessarily mean the hardware is inconsistent.

It may simply mean the applications are configured differently.

For this reason, application-specific troubleshooting is often more productive than repeatedly reinstalling the entire tablet.

10. When Should You Suspect a Hardware Problem?

Hardware should become a stronger possibility when:

• Pressure does not work in the driver's own test area
• Reinstalling the correct driver makes no difference
• The problem remains after changing computers
• The same behavior appears across multiple applications
• Other troubleshooting steps do not change the result

Your internal support workflow also recommends testing another computer when possible before concluding that the device itself is faulty.

A hardware diagnosis becomes much more convincing when the problem follows the physical device rather than the computer or software environment.

A Simple Pressure Troubleshooting Checklist

When your drawing tablet has no pressure sensitivity, work through the problem in this order:

Step 1

Test pressure in the tablet driver.

Step 2

Check whether the problem happens in every application or only one.

Step 3

Check the active brush or tool's pressure settings.

Step 4

Check WinTab, Windows Ink, TabletPC, or the application's own tablet settings.

Step 5

Restart the creative application.

Step 6

Uninstall old tablet drivers and reinstall the correct driver if necessary.

Step 7

Test without the dedicated driver.

Step 8

Try another computer if the problem remains.

Step 9

Contact technical support or arrange service if the issue follows the hardware.

This order matters because it starts with the simplest and least disruptive checks before moving toward more invasive troubleshooting.

DIGIDRAW's Approach to Pressure Troubleshooting

For DIGIDRAW users, the driver serves as more than a way to configure the tablet.

It also provides a useful diagnostic point for pressure input.

By checking pressure in the driver before changing application settings, users can determine whether the problem starts at the device/driver level or further downstream in the creative software.

DIGIDRAW's support materials also cover application-specific settings across common creative software, as well as driver installation and compatibility considerations.

That reflects an important reality of digital drawing hardware:

A good drawing experience depends on the entire chain working together.

The pen is only one part.

The tablet, driver, operating system, and creative application all have to communicate correctly.

Final Thoughts

A loss of pressure sensitivity can be frustrating, especially when it happens in the middle of a creative session.

But "no pressure" does not automatically mean "broken tablet."

The most effective approach is to find where the pressure signal stops working.

Start with the driver.

Then test the application.

Check the brush.

Check the input protocol.

Reinstall the driver if necessary.

Only after those steps should you start assuming there is a hardware problem.

Once you understand that distinction, troubleshooting becomes much less mysterious.

And that is perhaps the most useful thing to remember:

Before replacing the hardware, find out whether the hardware is actually the problem.