Here’s How To Get Your Photoshop Pen Pressure Working!

If you’re experiencing that your stylus or pen doesn’t have any pressure sensitivity while working on Photoshop or Illustrator, then you’re not the only one. The dreaded ‘exclamation point’ warning you that something is wrong with your pressure settings is certainly not unheard of, and we’ll be covering how to get your Photoshop pen pressure working again!

We’ve compiled the top 5 ways to fix your Photoshop pen pressure, so read on to resolve your issue!

5 Ways To Fix Photoshop Pen Pressure

Thankfully there are several ways to resolve the issue of a Photoshop pen pressure not working, so even if one or two don’t work for you don’t give up. Make sure to try these for your tablet device if you’re planning to use them to draw or for ABC Mouse.

Let’s dive right into it!

Replace the PSUserConfig.txt file

One of the easiest ways you can refresh the activation of your drawing tablet if its pressure sensitivity isn’t working anymore is to replace the PSUSerConfig.txt. file. We know that this may sound complicated, but it’s quite simple to replace. Follow our step-by-step guide on how:

1. Firstly, make sure to exit Photoshop while you do this. You won’t be able to change any of the files while the application is still running.
2. Head over to your ‘My Computer’ files and then Select Local Disk (C).
3. The file we’re looking for won’t show up by itself, so you’ll need to find the “View” option at the top of the file and enable Hidden Items.
4. Once that’s done, select Users and then choose the name of your PC. Then choose App Data.
5. Go to AppData Roaming Adobe, and select the newest version of Adobe Photoshop that you own.
6. Once you’re within the file, right-click on an empty spot and create a new txt file. Rename it to PSUserConfig.txt and paste the following text: # Use WinTab UseSystemStylus 0 WarnRunningScripts 0
7. If you’ve followed all our steps correctly, your pen pressure problem will be sorted and you can get back to your drawing or 3D modeling.

There are a lot of steps to follow here, and we understand it may be difficult to follow if you’re more used to browsing series on Netflix than messing with config files. But if you follow our steps one by one, you can fix the pen pressure of your Photoshop.

Re-Enable Windows Ink

A common issue for individuals with a Wacom tablet can be attributed to “Windows Ink”. Windows Ink provides you with support for drawing with a stylus or pen and it can be the cause of misaligned pressure sensitivity. If you want to turn off “Windows Ink” or re-enable it, read below for how.

1. Exit once more out of Photoshop, and open up the Search bar of your Taskbar.
2. If you have a Wacom Tablet, type “Wacom Tablet Properties” within the bar. If you have a Huion, then type “PenDisplay” instead. This will take you to the settings of those apps.
3. Find Photoshop underneath the Applications within the settings.
4. In the Photoshop Menu, see if the “Windows Ink” option is on. If it isn’t, turn it on. If it is, then turn it off and then wait a few seconds to enable it.

There you go! Now check if the pen pressure sensitivity has been fixed. This issue has been reported by quite a few Wacom users, so if you notice that your pen pressure issue persists, use Windows Ink as a quick fix. It’s quick and easy to do, you don’t need an engineering degree to do it.

Re-Insert Your Pen Nib

When it comes to ensuring your pressure-sensitive pen is working correctly, pulling the nib out and placing it back in is like turning a device off and on again. If you consistently receive a warning message about Pen Pressure.

This hotfix is as quick and easy as it sounds, all you need to do is pull out the nib, place it back in firmly with a little extra pressure, and see if the warning message has gone away.

It’s fairly easy to loosen a pen nib, and if you use your stylus for your internet browsing or reading comics, it’s likely to happen at some point or another.

Re-Install Your Drivers

If the above solutions haven’t fixed your pen pressure problems, then you’ll want to reinstall the drivers for your Wacom, Hion, or XP-Pen tablet. Here’s how you go about re-installing a Wacom driver to fix your pressure sensitivity, regardless of your operating system:

Windows Users

1. Disconnect the travel tablet you’re having issues with from the computer.
2. Open up your PC’s Control Panel.
3. Find the Programs & Features within the Control Panel.
4. Now find the Wacom drivers, or whichever tablet you’re using, and click “Uninstall”.
5. Following that, restart your PC.

Mac OS Users

1. Remove & disconnect the travel tablet from your PC.
2. Head over to your Finer, and then to Applications.
3. Navigate to your device’s drivers – Wacom, Huion, or XP-Pen. Head over to the Utility portion and click “Uninstall”.

Once the drivers have been uninstalled, you should find the latest version of the drivers you’ve uninstalled and install it. This will recover and allow you to reuse the pen pressure when you receive the latest drivers, so your problem will be fixed – if you need help then you can always ask a teenager to do it.

Re-Install Adobe Photoshop

The last thing you can do to provide a solution to your pen pressure is to uninstall and re-install Adobe Photoshop. If you’ve installed Photoshop before, then this will be easy enough to do – here’s how you can re-install it:

1. Find Adobe Photoshop within your Creative Cloud application.
2. Once you’ve found it, click on the three dots and choose “Uninstall”.
3. Restart your PC and install Adobe Photoshop once more. This will reset your pressure settings when you next open Photoshop.

These are the most prominent ways to fix your pressure sensitivity, no matter which tablet you have at your disposal. If you have a tablet with an external keyboard attached to it, then you can complete this process quite quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Want to know more about why your pen pressure is no longer working or had another question on your mind? We’ve listed some of the most common questions that pertain to fixing the pressure sensitivity for Photoshop and more!

Otherwise, feel free to take a look at some of our other articles like the top Windows tablets with USB ports, the best tablets for artists, or the top tablets for playing Roblox.

Why is my pen pressure not working?

There are a few reasons why your pen or stylus is not creating any pressure on your tablet device. Either your stylus is not connected or broken, there may be interference from another device or stylus, or a specific software or plug-in is causing you to have trouble with your pen.

Once you vet these out, you’ll come across the reason why your pen pressure isn’t working and you can go back to drawing or streaming.

How do I turn on the pen pressure sensitivity?

You’ll need to navigate to your Photoshop settings to turn on pen pressure sensitivity. Here’s how you do it:

Within the Menu bar of Photoshop, select Window, and open the Brush settings. Enter the “Shape Dynamics” category and select Pen Pressure underneath Size Jitter (B). From there, your pen pressure should be activated and you’ll be able to design to your heart’s content and then make it a reality using Cricut Explore Air 2 – the perfect gift for your grandparents.

What are 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity?

This is how your tablet and Photoshop determine the level of thickness your lines should be. The 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity refer to the fact there are about a thousand levels of thickness that you can use when you draw using a stylus or pen.

You’ll generally find that certain tablets offer more levels of pressure sensitivity, with some budget tablets not offering any at all – but there are still great tablet options.

Parting Shot/Conclusion

Ensuring that your stylus is pressure sensitive is of the utmost importance when drawing and designing in Photoshop. We hope that this guide has given you enough to work with to resolve any issues that you may find.

Like our articles? Check out our content about the top tablets for 7 – 10-year-olds, 8-year-olds, and the top tablets you can use while traveling.