How To Fix a Drawing Tablet That Won’t Detect a Pen

It is always fascinating to see how drawing tablets and pens work together to help artists create amazing things. However, an issue that can disrupt this is if the pen is not recognized by your tablet. In this situation, what can be done?

In most cases, a drawing tablet not recognizing your pen can be the result of improper charging, bad wired connections, cleaning the pen and tablet screen, and downloading new updates. In this case, you can either resolve the problem or contact customer support.

Do you want to know more about why drawing tablets can sometimes struggle to detect pens? If that is the case, in this article, we are discussing this topic and looking at how you can resolve this problem and get your tablet and pen back in working order.

What To Do When Your Drawing Tablet Can’t Detect Your Pen

Surprisingly, it is not that uncommon for artists and designers to run into an issue with their drawing tablet being unable to detect their pen. If that is the case for you, here are some things to check if your drawing tablet can’t detect a pen:

If Necessary, Charge The Pen

Some drawing tablets use pens that need to be charged separately in order to be detected by the tablet. If that is the case for your tablet, ensure the pen is fully charged or the battery isn’t dead. If it is, charge it up and try again. If this does not take care of the problem, you can try the next suggestion in this list of troubleshooting steps.

Clean The Pen Properly

Another way your tablet and pen may have trouble working with each other is if one is dirty. Clean both ends of the pen tip with rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab to ensure there’s no dirt or other buildup on it or the screen of your drawing tablet. Here is a video showcasing how to clean a drawing tablet safely: 

Plug The Pen, If Necessary

In some cases, the pen with your drawing tablet will need to be plugged into the tablet to work. In this situation, you should always check that the pen cable is securely plugged into both ends and that there are no loose connections along its length. 

If the plugs are damaged, you will have to get them repaired or replaced.

Download Any New Updates

Sometimes, issues can come up because of outdated software. Upgrade your tablet’s driver software to the latest version if you haven’t already done so, as this can sometimes help fix problems like this that may have occurred after a recent update.

Contact Customer Support

If all else fails, consider contacting customer support for help with your drawing tablet or checking out a new model in case it’s just time to upgrade.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are a number of helpful things you can do to fix a drawing tablet that won’t detect a pen. A few troubleshooting tips may be all it takes to get your device up and running again, so try them out and see if they work for you!