Pen Pressure or Tilt Not Working? Test Your Pen in a Browser
Pen pressure or tilt not working in your drawing app? Before changing app settings, check what your computer actually receives from VirtualTablet: Bluetooth. Our free online pen tester shows every pen feature live, so you can tell in a minute whether the problem is in the tablet setup or in the drawing app.
Test Your Pen on Your Computer
- Connect your tablet to your computer with VirtualTablet: Bluetooth, and make sure Graphic Tablet Mode is selected
- On your computer, open Chrome or Edge and go to sunnysidesoft.com/pen-test
- Hover the pen over the dial without touching the screen. Input should read Pen, and the needle should follow the way the pen leans
- Select Open drawing canvas and draw a few strokes from very light to very heavy with the Pressure brush
- Try the Tilt and Twist brushes, then press the side button and, if your pen has one, use the eraser end
- Check Reported this session in the side panel. Every feature that reached your computer shows as Detected
What the Results Mean
Everything Shows as Detected, but Your Drawing App Ignores It
The tablet and the Bluetooth connection are working. The drawing app is either not set up to read pen input or doesn’t support that feature. For example, Photoshop on Windows needs Windows Ink, and some apps read pressure but ignore tilt and twist.
See Supported Graphics Applications for app-specific setup guides.
Input Reads Mouse Instead of Pen
Your computer is receiving mouse input, so pressure and tilt can’t come through. Open the settings menu in the app and check the Input Mode:
- Mouse Mode sends relative mouse movement, with no pressure
- Graphic Tablet Mode with Passive Stylus is meant for fingers and capacitive styluses, with no pressure
Switch to Graphic Tablet Mode to send full pen input. See Input Modes for details.
Input Reads Pen, but Pressure or Tilt Is Missing
Your tablet or stylus may not report that feature. Capacitive pens with round rubber tips have no pressure, and not every active stylus supports tilt, twist or an eraser end. Check Supported Devices for your hardware.
Hover Shows as Not Yet on an iPad
Apple Pencil hover only works on supported iPads, and only while it is turned on in iPadOS settings. See Apple Pencil Hover Not Working on iPad.
Check Your Report Rate
The tester also shows a Browser rate, the number of pen samples per second that reach the page. Browsers cap this at your display’s refresh rate, so on a 60 Hz monitor it never goes above about 60 even when the app sends more.
If strokes look jagged or the rate jumps around a lot, see Performance Issues for how to choose a report rate that suits your Bluetooth connection.