As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Tips & Lessons

Wacom Tablet:- How to disable Windows Ink & Keep Pressure Sensitivity in Adobe Photoshop.

Posted on by SweetMonia / 178 Comments

Sometimes You Really Want To Disable Windows Ink In Your Wacom Graphics Tablet.

This is an issue I ran into a while ago & it took me few hours before finding the solution. Which was simple, but very hard for me to come up with on my own.

As many of Wacom graphics tablets users, Windows produce these annoying bubbles you see whenever you press any modifier key like CTRL, Shift or Alt. One common solution is to disable these bubbles in the Group Policy in Windows. This solution has worked very well for me in Windows 7, but totally didn’t work in Windows 10.

After some research, I discovered that disabling Windows Ink from the Wacom Properties dialog solve this problem, but I completely lose pressure sensitivity.

A little solution I found in Adobe forum completely solved this issue with me. So I don’t take credit for it. I am just spreading the word here, which is part of what I do in this blog.

Quickly go to:-

How To Disable Windows Ink For Your Wacom Tablet & Keep Pressure Sensitivity In Adobe Photoshop.

Kindly follow the following advice to solve this problem:-

Disable Windows Ink From Wacom Tablet Properties if you haven’t already.

You can access this dialog from the start menu.

Disable-Windows-Ink-Wacom-Properties-Dialog

Open Notepad, or any text editor of your choice

As long as it can save files with the TXT extension.

Type the following lines in the file:-

# Use WinTab

UseSystemStylus 0

The first line is not really necessary, as it’s a comment. And it just tells Photoshop to use Wintab on its own.

Save the file with the name PSUserConfig.txt

Place this file Into Photoshop settings folder.

C:\Users\[User Name]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\<Photoshop Version>\<Photoshop version> Settings\

The exact path is different based on the version of Photoshop version you have installed, as well as the username you are logged in with. In my case, the path was like this on the computer I am typing this with:-

C:\Users\Erica\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CC 2015\Adobe Photoshop CC 2015 Settings

Note:- The AppData folder is hidden by default. You need to unhide it first before proceeding, or to just paste the folder name in Windows Explorer. Click here for the instructions on how to unhide folders in different versions of Windows.

Restart Photoshop if it’s running & you are set to go.

And Finally

I hope this solution has helped you with this problem that made me pull my hair for some time. This solution may not be suitable to those who use other application than Photoshop, but at least it’s useful for some of us.

Kindly check the available graphics tablets in the following Amazon links:-

#CommissionsEarned

Available in all Kindle Stores:-US–UK–DE–FR–ES–IT–NL–JP–BR–CA–MX–AU–IN

See Also:-

SweetMonia
I am an anime artist, and huge fan of digital art. I love drawing with pencils too. But I rarely do that anymore nowadays. Since some aspects of digital art can be tricky, I try my best to explain the concepts as easily as possible.

178 Comments

    4. This thing has been driving me nuts for months. Even at Wacom they couldn’t give me a solution. Thank you so much!

      Reply

      1. You’re always welcome! I had some troubles with Windows 10 myself, so I am glad I was able to help many it its users ^^

        Reply

  3. YOU ARE A SAVIOR! I WAS GOING NUTS. I cannot imagine how all the people using wacom and windows are living not knowing this!

    Reply

    1. Ahaha~ I am glad this worked for you ^^

      Yes, that’s why I made this post, to tell people about this solution~

      Reply

  4. Hello!

    I’m having this problem too, do you know when you press Alt + pen button and you drag to increase-reduce brush size in Photoshop? Well, even trying your solution doesn’t solve the problem, it just selects the eyedropper. Of course, disabling Windows Ink solves the problem, but say good bye to the pen pressure, you know.

    Did you have this problem as well?

    Thank you very much!!

    Reply

  6. YES! THANK YOU!!! This has been bugging me for a long time. The bug appeared after I tried Photoshop CC 2018 (and 2017), but doesn’t appear in CS6. There is a small brush lag at the beginning of each stroke. Slow, sticky movement of the brush. There was a proposed solution – to disable “flicks” from the control panel -> pen and touch. However, the bug persisted. The other solution was to disable Windows Ink, and that turned off the pressure, but fixed the lag issue. This combination of cures is what finally works!

    Reply

  7. Godsend.

    YOU ARE A GODSEND.

    I’d like to say as much for Adobe, Wacom & Microsoft (the Devil’s trifecta), but I can’t.

    Reply

  8. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

    This has fixed my issue with stuttering brush lag, which was killing my workflow. OF COURSE it’s a Windows Ink issue. It’s also frustrating that Adobe doesn’t include an option to turn it off in program. The number of issues people have dealt with between Windows, Photoshop, and Wacom over the years is absurd. It’s almost feels like they don’t want people using their products.

    Reply

    1. I am flattered to hear that. It’s my pleasure to have my blog help artists like me ^^

      You’re always welcome!

      Reply

  13. Thank the stars for your help and Google search engines that found your blog. You are awesome! Thank you SO much! I was being driven mad by this.

    Reply

    1. The pleasure is mine! I made the post because many people (including me) suffered from this issue. Please share it around so people benefit from it :>

      Reply

  14. I’ve been dealing with weird Wacom hiccups and Windows Ink issues for YEARS, on so many computers.
    Thank you SO MUCH for this simple fix!!! Awesome!

    Reply

  16. Very important!

    Make sure you let your hidden folders be visible, or else you won’t be able to find your AppData folder. Go into your Control Panel > Appearance & Personalization > File Explorer Options > check “Show hidden files, folders, and drives”.

    Then you can resume this GODSEND of a tutorial from there.

    Reply

    1. Thank you for the tip, I probably missed that for some reason.

      I will update the tutorial to indicate that too, so people could follow it without any issue ^^

      Reply

    2. Thank you both. I was getting so upset that I still couldn’t get it to work until I saw this comment about hidden folders, and then it worked. Great fix!

      Reply

  17. OH MY GOD THANK FUCK
    PHOTOSHOP WAS ALL MESSED UP SUDDENLY AND I DID ALL THE TROUBLESHOOTING AND NOTHING WORKED UNTIL I FOUND THIS

    i love u
    thank you so much <3<3

    Reply

  18. Hi Monia,
    Thanks a lot for the post. I may be the one person who is still stymied by this. I don’t have the ‘AppData’ folder under C:\users\Marco
    Have you heard of that issue anywhere else before?

    Thanks again

    Reply

  21. This also solved two other issues I was trying to solve for an hour. You are a genius and should have your own altar in the church of Adobe worshippers! :*

    Reply

    1. Awww, that’s nice of you! I only take the credit of passing this method to other artists. I am glad this method helped you, which seems to have helped many artists so far :3

      Reply

  23. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
    i was working on photoshop and whenever i use brush tool with my intuos it just jump scroll like crazy. it realy frustated me since i have a deadline near.

    this help me solved it! thank you again!

    Reply

    1. You’re welcome! And yes, a lot of people suffered from that problem in the last 2-3 days. I am glad I was able to help you & many others solve the problem ^^

      And good luck with your deadline~ :>

      Reply

  25. Idk what I’m missing but I still can’t find my appdata folder after checking the show hidden folders thing and I’m having an aneurysm rn

    Reply

    1. Hi sikadeer! Go to the folder “C:\Users\[User Name]\”, then try typing the “AppData” in Windows Explorer address bar, it could work.

      Reply

  27. You’re a LIFE SAVER!! Literally!
    I draw for living and after my wacom update windows ink made it impossible for me to use any of my graphic program and I was about to bring my mobile studio to a shop even though I had a meeting in two days.
    This just solved everything.

    THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

    Reply

    1. You’re always welcome! It’s nice to see the solution has helped many professionals out there ^^

      Reply

  28. Hi this isn’t working for me, when I go into my Wacom Tablet settings it’s looks completely different than yours, it doesn’t give me the option to turn off windows ink, I tried searching “Windows ink” in my search bar and turning off everything in settings but it still didn’t work. I’m using a wacom intuos comic small

    Reply

      1. I am glad you found the option, and yes, the dialog is a bit different with each Wacom tablets & versions~

        Reply

  32. thank you!

    i’ve been going nutzo…totally forgot about the “# Use WinTab — UseSystemStylus 0” work around…heck, i haven’t had to worry about that stoopit thing since CC2014!
    thank good stuff that there’s smart people like you to remember the lore that we mere mortals forgot!

    (=´∀｀)人(´∀｀=)♪♪

    Reply

  33. THANK YOU. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! I was going mad trying to figure this out, this fixed it. *bows*

    Reply

  37. Thank you so much, this worked like a charm! I thought my tablet was done for until I found this solution. It didn’t even occur to me that it had to do with a Windows Update!

    Reply

  38. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!.

    Windows Ink was causing my window menus to scroll uncontrollably without using the side bar (to scroll up and down the document windows). Even the canvas in photoshop would scroll from side to side while in brush or any other modes.

    NOW WINDOWS INK is OFF and PEN PRESSURE is ON!

    THANKS TO YOU and your source.

    Reply

    1. Hi there! I don’t know what probably went wrong, but please check the filename. Also, make sure you restart Photoshop after you do the steps…

      Reply

  43. I am so sorry for stupid question, but what do I do when there’s no “Adobe Photoshop settings” folder?

    Reply

    1. Hi there,

      Just in case, the name of the folder is different based on the version you have, so it could be “Adobe Photoshop 2014 settings” for you. The version name doesn’t matter

      I never encountered an issue where the folder doesn’t exist. so I don’t know if creating it manually would work.

      Reply

  44. Thank you, Thank you.
    I should have done a search earlier on this problem.
    Your explanation was easy to accomplish in a few minutes and all works well now.
    Would have saved so much time and effort and I broke my pen thinking it was mechanical at he same time.
    Your site looks like a treasure trove of information and have booked marked it for future reference.
    Thanks again,
    Kevin

    Reply

    1. You’re always welcome! It’s my pleasure that the solution here has worked for you! I hope you like the rest of my blog too ^^

      Reply

  45. I rarelly post comments anywhere. “I never comment anywhere” would be more accurate. BUT YOU DID MADE MY PS WORK THE WAY I LIKE AGAIN.
    You deserve all the kisses.
    -L.

    Reply

  47. i appreciate the help, however after following all the steps it doesn’t seem to be working for me. After placing the text file into the folder and restarting ps i cant draw anything with the pen, the canvas stays blank, however with the mouse i can still draw stuff. When i remove the file from the folder i can draw again but the problems are still there =( maybe its because im using a Huion Kamvas instead of wacom

    Reply

    1. Hi there,

      I don’t know what could be wrong here. But have you disabled Windows Ink in your Huion driver options? There’s a similar option to the one in Wacom as far as I remember. Since the mouse work for you, there’s most likely something wrong with Windows 10 or the driver.

      I hope you get to solve this issue soon~

      Reply

      1. yeah i tried that, and reinstalled drivers, but to no avail. Checked to see if i had the wintab file in the system32 folder and it was there which confused me even more, and the tablet works fine in Mischief which is a drawing software, but thanks anyways =)

        Reply

      2. Thought id let you know that i fixed it. Just reinstalled PS and tried the exact same steps and this time it worked for some reason lol, i hate computers sometimes.

        Reply

        1. I am glad you were able to solve it. I agree that computers can be stupid at times ;.;

          Microsoft released a new Windows 10 update that solves this problem too by the way~

          Reply

  54. OH MY GOD IT FUCKING WORKED. I have had this issue for so long and i WANTED TO die! I had no idea how to fix it without loosing pressure sensitivity. I never trust these kind of posts, because i never believe they actually work, its just spam but MISS. YOU HAVE MADE MY WEEK! thankyou, really well explained, ( even the whole hidden folder thing) . you are a star, triple brownie points for you!

    Reply

    1. Yes, sometimes websites offer generic solutions or complicated ones that changes the registry & other things. I am glad you gave my solution a chance.

      Also, if you like, there’s a Windows 10 update that Wacom support says it solves the problem~

      Reply

      1. OMG Super thank you, I stopped drawing digitally for almost a month because of this problem and now you solved it OMG , because of you I will be able to start again, I LOVE YOU *HUGGGG* !!!!

        Reply

        1. I am sorry you had to stop drawing all that time, technology can sure be a headache at times. At the same time, I am glad I was the reason you can do it again ^^

          I love you too Sumin!
          *Hugs Back*

          Reply

  58. Thank you for sharing – this has been one of those bugs that the folks at Wacom just don’t seem to care or even know about. It’s an enourmous issue for us professionals!

    Works a treat :)

    Reply

    1. You’re welcome! I am happy I was able to help my fellow artists. ^^

      Good luck with your work~

      Reply

  59. This doesn’t work with Adobe Photoshop Elements and I still haven’t found a fix because Elements 14 doesn’t have an actual Settings folder. I’ve tried to add the PSUserConfig.txt into some various places that google searches have told me are the PSE’s equivalent of the “Settings” folder (yeah that’s as dumb as it sounds), but still doesn’t work.
    I’ve checked the Adobe Forums and there are multiple people with the SAME issue but no response other than one and it being “revert your Windows updates” which, to be honest, isn’t that reasonable and that seems like only a last ditch effort thing to do.
    Anyone actually know a solution that’s compatible with Elements? Because I haven’t been able to draw for months, and I don’t have means to get a subscription for the larger more professional versions of Adobe Photoshop. There MUST be a solution somewhere. Anyone?

    Reply

    1. Hello Trio,

      Unfortunately, I am not very familiar with Photoshop Elements much myself, but from what I know, Microsoft released another update the fixes the problem. So you may not have to use the solution in the post above at all. Have you tried updating your Windows?

      Reply

    1. oh found the fix myself, in your description it reads like the filename has to include “.txt”, deleting that part again so the name is only “PSUserConfig” works! Thanks so much though!

      Reply

  70. Hi,
    I did exactly the same thing as you said but it didn’t work…???
    I’m using a wacom bamboo tablet, win 10 and photoshop 2017

    Reply

  74. Thank you so much! It wasn’t just the annoying Windows Ink bubbles, but after the latest Adobe or Windows patches, those bubbles started to cause Photoshop to lag and freeze every few taps with the Wacom pen… It was excrutiating to work. Almost impossible. This solution fixed the lag and the bubbles. Thank you very much for spreading the word!!

    Reply

    1. You’re always welcome! I am glad I was able to help many artists with my post. I had the bubble problem with windows 10 as you did, it was so annoying >.<

      Reply

  75. Thank you for your help!

    Tip: you can access directly AppData folder by typing %appdata% in location bar of explorer.

    :)

    Reply

  77. Thank you! This was an extremely helpful post.
    I had this issue with a combination of a brand new laptop and two separate Wacoms (an old and a new one) used with Photoshop Elements. I hadn’t crossed my mind to update Windows – it took a few hours, but afterwards … problem solved :-)

    Reply

  78. Im confused, this helpped me in one Pc but didn’t work at all in the second one, made the same steps :s

    Reply

  80. I’ve had this problem for 3-4 years, and now its gone! It feels so… unreal.. I can finally rest my brush on one spot without getting a popup menu :’) Its a whole new world, thanks!

    Reply

  81. Unfortunately, this solution doesn’t work anymore. This REALLY sucks as I need to get back to work. Argh. Goddamit Windows.

    Reply

  82. Wow, a huge, massive thank you. I was at my wits end after trying so many things, uninstalling and reinstalling drivers and photoshop. I tried this not really expecting it to work for me because nothing else has, but you’ve fixed my issue entirely and I can draw again after days. Bless you for taking the time to write this

    Reply

    1. You’re always welcome! Dear Laura, I am glad my post was able to help you ^^

      Have fun drawing :3

      Reply

  83. Doesn’t work for me unfortunately. I used a wacom intuos 5 with PS 2019 on windows 10, latest drivers installed. Actually when I drag in the file as described the pen pressure doesn’t work anymore at all, windows ink on or off. I’m having the same issue on another machine, only difference is that I’m using an intuos 4.. same problem. Stopped painting in the end because this shit just became too frustrating. :-/

    Reply

  84. Wow, THANK YOU SO MUCH!
    My system updated today and my tablet was acting real weird with pen pressure. I couldn’t find away to deactivate Windows Ink without also losing my pen pressure in photoshop with it. Your post SAVED my butt!!!
    I couldn’t find the photoshop setting folder, but thanks to your post I was able to show hidden folders and fix this! I owe you my carreer :D Thank you so much!!

    Reply

  85. Hey SweetMonia,

    Thank you for posting this! I had some problems with Photoshop freezing every minute or so, and your post was the first Google result that seemed to show some promise. I was initially worried because even after restarting Photoshop, the program was still locking up pretty often.

    However, I tried it again this morning (after a full shutdown), and no more issues! Thank you again : )

    Reply

  86. Wow, i was having severe photoshop performance issues with my Mobile Studio Pro 16 and using this trick cured it all. Thank you a ton!!!!!!

    Reply

  87. Sweet mother of potatoes!! Thank you for this. Windows Ink was driving me nuts so I turned it off after 5 mins, but haven’t figured out how to get pen pressure until I stumbled on this site now. Thank you! You’re a true hero.

    Reply

  89. Oh my god, i love you wholehearted.
    This did not only solve all my problems with menus popping up and other weird stuff,
    but also allowed me to use tilt in Photoshop finally with my XP-Pen.
    Thank you a thousand times!

    Reply

  90. I love you so much.
    I was literally CRYING because I was SO frustrated trying to get commission work done when my whole Ink space fiasco happened D:
    THANK YOU sososoooo much!!! <3

    Reply

  91. This used to work but now when i try this PS has significant lags with the Wacom tablet. Has anyone else noticed this? So i just have to keep it to use windows ink and then in the wacom properties i uncheck the use windows ink for everything else.

    Reply

    1. It’s still working for me. I could be wrong, but maybe the lag is due to a bug in the driver version you’re using.

      Reply

  92. Thanks a lot…this worked wonderfully.

    I’m using XP-Pen and I’m just starting out with a tablet. I tried everything I could to resolve this issue. Every time I had this lag, i had to do Alt-Tab or take the pen beyond the range of the tablet to make it work again. It was a total pain in the a$$. I even thought of changing the tablet or buying a wacom.

    Thanks a lot. You saved me a lot of money and energy. I just love you.

    Reply

  93. After spending like an hour looking for a solution thanks to you I solve the problem in minutes! Thank you very much! Also wanna point out that this works in Windows 10 and Photoshop CC 2019

    Reply

  94. Hi! I got a Huion 1060 plus (8192) and i got this problem a few days ago, TODAY IS SOLVED. My tablet is working fine in photoshop, but some features are laggy, like ctrl+z or ctrl+T for transforming objects. I started to search the problem, and i came to the conclussion that it was Windows Ink fault. With Windows Ink enabled i got that laggy features, but when i turned off “Enable Windows Ink” in the Huion program, i lost the pen pressure.
    I tried your solution with Photoshop CC 2019, found the folder and created the txt. At first, it didn´t work, as i still had windows ink disabled. Then i thought something silly. In Windows 10 you don´t need to put the “.txt” in the file name, as windows already knows it´s a txt file, so i deleted that. The name of the file is PSUserConfig without the .txt at the end.
    Then I restarted photoshop and… HELL YEAAH!! Pressure is working and windows ink is disabled, so I can use my tablet better in other programms or the desk (i have the scroll button assigned to one of the pen buttons, and it wasn´t working correctly on chrome, now it´s fine)

    To summarize, if you have a Huion tablet, try this exact same solution for wacom but naming the file “PSUserConfig” instead of “PSUserConfig.txt”, as it seems to affect the detection of the file by Photoshop CC 2019.

    Huge thanks to you!

    Reply

  95. OMG! I love you!, I have a Huion Kamvas Pro 13 and and this was driving me crazy, thank you so much! (I also disable the “game mode”).

    Reply

  96. Unfortunately, this didn’t work for me :( I have a XP Pen Pro E 22 and it had been working fine until today. So annoying that Windows can’t have a single update that doesn’t mess something up.

    If anyone else is still struggling despite putting this in the right folder, etc – pls lemme know! <3

    Reply

  98. Basically, another reason to have Windows Ink disabled is that when it is enabled, Photoshop starts having Pen tool lag when moving anchor points.

    Reply

  102. First off:
    Imagine Adobe not having this as default knowing full well that people have so many issues with Windows Ink interacting with their programs poorly.

    Secondly:
    I legit have this page bookmarked because anytime Photoshop updates or I have to start work on a new computer I come back here. This is a godsend and you as well as the people that first figured this out don’t get enough out of life for something this amazing. Lol

    Lastly:
    Something I learned from my Minecraft Modding days when I used to make mods for it (back before Microsoft owned it and ModLoader/CCPatcher was the go-to, well, mod loader instead of Forge) – you can easily get to the hidden AppData/Roaming folder by simply typing “%AppData%” into the address bar in your File Explorer (without the quotation marks).

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *





Available in all Kindle Stores:- US - UK - DE - FR - ES - IT - NL - JP - BR - CA - MX - AU - IN