Once upon a time, Wacom ruled the land of graphics tablets, but that was before young start-ups like XP Pen and Huion started causing problems to its legacy. And if you’re a proud owner of an XP Pen device, you’ll be happy to hear that the company can easily be considered on par with Wacom when it comes to device quality and customer service.
But you’re probably here because you found your XP Pen not working and want to figure out how to fix it. We’re here for you! We will walk you through the various reasons that can cause your XP Pen to stop working (and you should know these if you wish to use your tablet for many happy years), and we will also help you address these issues.
XP Pen Not Working: Quick Fixes
If your XP Pen stops working, first ensure that the pen/tablet is fully charged. Also, make sure your cables are secure and put in correctly; tablets can stop working due to an improper connection. Another hack for Windows users is to turn off sleep mode and disable Windows Ink Workspace.
For more details, keep reading.
Why is my XP Pen Not Working?
So XP Pen has a variety of models in its catalog, and we’ve tried to cover as many of these models as possible in this guide. So regardless of which graphic tablet you have, be it the Artist, Artist Pro, Star, Innovator, Deco, or Deco Pro series, you should be able to find solutions in this article.
Let’s start by looking at the top reasons why you can’t get your XP Pen to work correctly.
Check the charge on your stylus
This issue, of course, does not affect the majority of XP Pen styluses (like the XP-Pen PA2) that do not need charging. However, if you own a chargeable stylus that works with a tablet like the Artist 22 or Artist Pro 16, you should check if it is sufficiently charged. Chances are this is the most likely reason why the XP Pen has stopped working!
Driver issues
Ah, another notoriously common reason your XP Pen is not working. It’s not just the state of New York; graphics tablets have a reputation for bad drivers causing trouble, too. This is why you must be extra careful when configuring your tablet to work with your computer. Ensure that you install the latest drivers at the time of installation.
It’s also possible that the driver is clashing with another software, app, or service running on your computer. We will look into figuring out the offending app further down in our article.
Issues in your app or OS
While initially setting up your tablet with your computer can be a bit tricky; it should run fine once complete. Configuration issues rarely pop up between your XP Pen software after setup, but it’s something you should not dismiss.
Apps like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Clip Studio EX save user-preference files that are customized to your usage. If these files are corrupted, or you accidentally deleted them on your app, it can cause your XP Pen to stop working completely.
While we’re on the subject, check out our guide on the best drawing apps for your tablet!
Additionally, if the settings on the XP Pen app on your computer have been tampered with, it can cause the graphics tablet to stop functioning. There are also system settings that can clash with the normal functioning of the XP Pen software. For example, did you recently add a new hardware device to your PC, like a printer or a tablet from a different manufacturer?
Also, is your computer’s operating system up to date?
Sleep Mode
This one applies especially to users with computers using the Windows operating system. Multiple users have experienced this issue, so there are plenty of documented cases online. Whenever a Windows machine wakes up from Sleep Mode, the connected XP Pen tablet becomes unresponsive or turns sluggish.
Windows Ink Workspace
Here’s another possible cause for an XP Pen not working correctly, exclusively for Windows users. Windows Ink Workspace is Microsoft’s attempt at making the operating system more stylus-friendly and includes features like Sketchpad, Sticky Notes, and Screen Sketch. It’s helpful as it puts all your commonly used tools in a box.
While it’s useful in its own way, it seems to cause writing and drawing issues for the XP Pen, and sometimes it makes the tablet completely unresponsive. Unfortunately, you can’t just turn off the Windows Ink Workspace — but we’ve explained how to disable it in the troubleshooting section below, so be patient!
Damaged cables
This one’s fairly obvious. A damaged cable will cause communication issues between your tablet and your computer. And it’s very common for tablet cables to become damaged because of how often artists and users move them around — wear and tear happens. Another point of failure is the connector, as the frequent movements make them loose.
Hardware troubles
A faulty stylus could also be the reason that your XP Pen tablet is not responding to input. People often underestimate how delicate these styluses are, so if you have a habit of tossing them on your desk when you’re done, that’s a good way to damage the stylus.
If you have a model with Express Keys, test a couple of them out. It will help you figure out whether the stylus is unresponsive or the tablet itself.
Been thinking about switching to Huion? Read our XP Pen vs Huion comparison to help you decide.
How to Fix Your XP Pen When it’s Not Working
Finally, the section you’ve been waiting for! Take a deep breath, and let’s dive into this and get your XP Pen working again.
Check for driver updates
As we mentioned above, corrupted or low-quality drivers can be a real headache. There’s a reason companies release new drivers for their products periodically. So step 1 would be to search for new driver rollouts for your XP Pen tablet. You can do that by visiting this link: XP Pen Drivers download page.
Install the driver (it’s pretty simple, just follow the steps on the installation wizard), disconnect your tablet, and reboot your computer. Once it powers back on, connect your tablet and test to see if it’s working properly.
Driver installations have a magical way of fixing these issues, so let’s hope for the best!
Reboot your computer
Sometimes, all it takes is a restart to fix issues with your computer, especially if it’s a Windows computer. If you’ve already rebooted your machine in the previous step, you can skip this, but if not, we recommend you power cycle your computer. Be sure to disconnect your tablet before you do so, and wait until the computer is on the desktop before attempting to reconnect it.
Fix software configurations
And now, things begin to get complicated, but not too complicated, so don’t worry!
Typically, software code clashing is what causes devices to act up or simply die. Thankfully, once you reconfigure a few things and make changes to your system, these problems should go away.
There are a few different steps that you need to try, so we’ve broken them up into subsections below.
Turn off Sleep Mode on Windows
So Sleep Mode can cause issues for your XP Pen tablet — but what’s the solution? We recommend putting your computer on ‘Hibernate’ instead of Sleep Mode.
Or you can turn it off altogether; here are the steps to do that.
- On your Windows computer, look for the Power & Sleep settings. If you have an older version of Windows, this might be named Power Options. It can be found in your Control Panel, or you can use the search bar on your desktop to look for it.
- Now go to Additional power settings under Related settings in the right pane.
- You should now see the current configuration for power management on your computer.
- Click on Change plan settings.
- You will now see drop-down boxes next to ‘Put the computer to sleep.’ Set them both to Never.
- Click Save Changes at the bottom, and you’re all done! Good job!
Disable Windows Ink Workspace
With one pesky cause out of the way, let’s look at the next one. Remember when we said there was no straightforward way to disable Windows Ink Workspace? We weren’t kidding — you’re gonna have to go into the registry for this one.
If you feel like John McClane going into the vent shaft right now, relax. We’ve got your back!
- First, back up your registry. Just in case you mess up (you won’t, we trust you), you can use the backup to quickly reset your registry to its original form.
- To do this, you have to first open the registry — to do that, press Windows + R simultaneously to open the Run box, and in that, type in ‘Regedit.’ Or you can type it in your desktop search box.
- When the Registry Editor pops up, click on ‘Computer.’ Then click on File > Export.
- Save it somewhere convenient, like your desktop.
- Next, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft.
- Here, right-click on the Microsoft icon and then choose New > Key.
- Name this new key WindowsInkWorkspace.
- Right-click it.
- Then click New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name this as AllowWindowsInkWorkspace.
- Double-click this, and change the value to ‘0’ (zero).
Configure your drawing app
Software issues with your app of choice (MediBang Paint, Clip Studio) may be the reason your XP Pen is not working. Here are some steps to try.
- Review the preferences and settings for your tablet on the software. Has anything changed? If possible, reset the app to default settings and test your tablet again. Different apps have different methods to reset preferences/customize settings, so use Google to find the correct method for your app.
- Did you recently install any new plugins? Poorly coded plugins can cause hardware issues for your tablet; uninstall any recent add-ons to your drawing app.
- Test your tablet with different software. If it works fine everywhere else, you may need to uninstall and reinstall your drawing software.
Check XP Pen software
XP Pen offers software for both Mac and PC that help you configure and fine-tune how your tablet functions. To find the app, search for ‘XP Pen’ or ‘PenTabletSetting’ on your Mac/PC.
We recommend you reset your settings on this app to see if it makes your tablet work again. You can export your saved settings first by clicking ‘Export configuration file‘ at the bottom. To reset the defaults, simply click on the Default button.
Update your computer
In an ever-changing world with software conflicts and security threats, you can no longer afford to ignore OS updates. It’s critical that you keep your computer up to date so that both the system and various software run correctly.
On a Mac, update your computer by clicking the Apple logo in the top-left corner and then clicking About This Mac. You should see a ‘Software Update’ button on the window that pops up.
If you’re on a Windows computer, the process adds a couple more steps. Click Start and then navigate to Settings > Updates & Security > Windows Update. Here, select ‘Check for updates.‘
Change power settings on the USB port
So this is a strange one and is specifically for Windows users (what is it with Windows and XP Pen?). The system sometimes cuts power to the USB port after a period of time, effectively disabling your XP Pen tablet. And this might be the reason your tablet is dead when you resume work after a break.
It can be easily fixed by unplugging and replugging the USB cable into your computer, but there’s a permanent fix for this too.
To fix this, first, open up your Windows settings. Here, click on System and go to Power & sleep. Under Relating settings, click on Additional power settings. If this sounds familiar, it’s because you came here to disable Sleep Mode earlier!
Next, click Change plan settings, regardless of which power management plan is selected. Click on Change advanced power settings. This will open up the Power Options window.
On this window, click on USB Settings > USB selective suspend setting. Change ‘Enabled’ to ‘Disabled’ by clicking it.
Here’s a video guide that walks you through the entire process:
Test your stylus and tablet
It may be your stylus that’s malfunctioning or your tablet, or in a worst-case scenario, both. We recommend you check your XP Pen stylus for signs of damage, change the nib, and if you have a chargeable stylus, charge it for a while and test it again.
As for the tablet, try connecting it to a different computer with a new connector cable. These steps will help isolate the issue and help you reach a conclusion faster about what’s wrong with your setup.
At this point, if you’re annoyed enough with your tablet and wish to replace it, don’t do so before reading our list of the best drawing tablets!
And if you find your XP Pen stylus is at fault, we found a YouTube video that addresses the glitching issues. It’s a bit technical and involves some soldering, but if you feel up for it, check it out:
Contact Customer Care
The last step in our guide is to reach out to XP Pen’s customer care department. The good news is that these guys are very responsive, and the community, in general, thinks pretty highly of the company’s after-sales service. We recommend you connect with them, and hopefully, you’ll be working on your tablet pretty soon!
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I charge my XP stylus pen?
Most XP Pen styluses do not need charging, but if you have one that has a battery, an indicator on the pen will light up when the pen is low on juice. To charge it, plug the bundled USB cable into the stylus and the other end into a charging brick or your computer’s USB port.
Do I need to charge my XP-Pen pen?
That depends on the model of the XP Pen stylus you own. If you see an LED indicator on your stylus, it will need charging. Most XP Pen styluses work on the principle of electromagnetic resonance, with a tiny coil inside the stylus causing the tablet to pick up electrical signals nearby.
Conclusion
If you came here wondering why is my XP Pen not working, we hope that our guide helped you get it functioning properly again. As you can see, there are numerous reasons why your tablet can act up, but luckily, the fixes are pretty simple! And if one of our fixes worked for you, we’d love to hear some feedback in the comments!
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