UPDATE: Windows 10 fixes now also provided
If you draw or paint with a wacom tablet on Windows 7, you may have suffered through one of Microsoft's more puzzling punishments: those horrible little circles that hound your cursor and hamper your ability to draw smoothly. From what I gather, they're actually designed for touch-screen monitors, so it's frustrating that Microsoft forces them onto wacom users where they don't belong.
I found it surprisingly hard to find the solution to this issue online. Part of the problem is that there are two separate circles, each with a separate solution. Another part is that one of the solutions I frequently came across doesn't work on Windows 7 Home Premium Edition. The below solutions do.
If you draw or paint with a wacom tablet on Windows 7, you may have suffered through one of Microsoft's more puzzling punishments: those horrible little circles that hound your cursor and hamper your ability to draw smoothly. From what I gather, they're actually designed for touch-screen monitors, so it's frustrating that Microsoft forces them onto wacom users where they don't belong.
I found it surprisingly hard to find the solution to this issue online. Part of the problem is that there are two separate circles, each with a separate solution. Another part is that one of the solutions I frequently came across doesn't work on Windows 7 Home Premium Edition. The below solutions do.
Circle 1
This is the really annoying circle that appears not when you click but when you hold or drag your pen (it momentarily pauses your cursor, making smooth brushstrokes all but impossible). This is the circle that quickly forms itself in a clockwise motion as you hold the pen down, and sometimes goes bright blue when you release it. To get rid of it:
This fix should work on both Windows 7 and Windows 10
This fix should work on both Windows 7 and Windows 10
- Press the windows key
- type "pen and touch" and press enter
- In the window that appears, left-click the entry "Press and hold" and click "settings".
- Uncheck "Enable press and hold for right-clicking".
- Click OK on both windows to close them
Circle 2
This is the little ripple-like circle that appears whenever you click your pen. It doesn't hinder your drawing/painting as severely as the other circle does, but it's still distracting. To get rid of it:
Windows 7 solution:
Windows 10 solution:
Windows 7 solution:
- If you don't have a mouse plugged in, you might want to do the final step first
- Press the windows key
- type "computer management" and press enter
- In the window that opens, Double click "Services and Applications" in the centre column
- Double click "Services" in the centre column
- Scroll down and double click "Tablet PC Input Service"
- Find the "Startup type:" dropdown box and change it to "Disabled".
- Click OK, then close the Computer Management window
- Restart your PC
- After your PC loads up again, one of two things should happen: either your tablet works happily and circle-free, or it doesn't work at all. If it doesn't work at all, you now need to download and install the proper driver for it (to replace the Microsoft one that you just disabled). If you use a wacom, you can find the driver for your tablet here.
Windows 10 solution:
- press windows key
- type "settings" and hit enter
- click on "devices"
- Select "Pen" from the left column (if it's not there, first install the wacom driver for your tablet)
- Turn "Show Visual Effects" off
- Close the settings dialog
Different version of Windows 7?
These methods work for most users, though a few still seem to have problems. Also, it's possible that you'll get rid of the circles in Photoshop but still see them in the Windows desktop.
An alternate method to try, especially if you don't have the Home Edition of Windows 7, is this:
An alternate method to try, especially if you don't have the Home Edition of Windows 7, is this:
- Press the windows key
- type gpedit.msc and press enter
- Click through User Configuration....Administrative Templates....Windows Components....Tablet PC....Cursors.
- Double click Turn off pen feedback and select Enabled to enable the filter that turns off the rippled circle.
The alternative "Windows Ink" method
Notmare in the comments has pointed out another method, which is to uncheck "use Windows ink" in the Wacom Control Panel. This option was made by Wacom specifically to circumvent these annoying Windows issues. This is certainly worth trying, since it's such a simple solution.
However, please note that some users have reported pen-pressure problems when this option is combined with Photoshop CC. Leaving "use Windows ink" turned on allows Photoshop to use the native Windows API, which Adobe claim 'gives better stroke results and improves the out of the box experience'.
However, please note that some users have reported pen-pressure problems when this option is combined with Photoshop CC. Leaving "use Windows ink" turned on allows Photoshop to use the native Windows API, which Adobe claim 'gives better stroke results and improves the out of the box experience'.
Feeling grateful?
That's great! If you're feeling all fuzzy and grateful, please consider supporting my game Spryke (I create the graphics using my wacom, of course!)
Spryke is the story of a deep sea cyberfish who discovers the joys of dry land!
Please help me out and support Spryke's Kickstarter campaign by pledging and/or telling your friends about it :)
Dave Bleja
Dave is a graphics professional and longtime PC power-user. He spends more on his gaming rig than a reasonable person should. He founded the indie game studio Volnaiskra, and is the creative force behind Spryke, an intricately crafted platform game for PC. It's awesome, and you should totally go and check it out.
Dave is a graphics professional and longtime PC power-user. He spends more on his gaming rig than a reasonable person should. He founded the indie game studio Volnaiskra, and is the creative force behind Spryke, an intricately crafted platform game for PC. It's awesome, and you should totally go and check it out.
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