Huion Pen not Working [Fixes]
Huion Pen fails to work on your computer primarily because of problems incompatibility, drivers, and other conflicts with the Windows operating system. The pen either stops responding entirely, doesn’t work on specific parts of the screen, or would die down after a short while when it was started. This is an ongoing issue and has been happening since quite some time.
Huion is a popular company which provides graphics tablets and pens to the users. These products are of various categories including beginner level products to professional-grade equipment used in the graphics industry. It is considered to be a competitor of Wacom and its line of graphics tablets and pens. In this article, we will go through all the different reasons as to why this issue occurs and what the possible workarounds are to fix the problem.
What causes Huion Pen not to Work?
After checking numerous reports and combining our investigation with the results of the user community, we diagnosed several actors because of which Huion Pen didn’t work as expected. Here are some of the most common reasons:
- Batteries: Even though this one seems obvious, we came across numerous instances where because of weak or incomplete batteries, Huion pen didn’t work as expected. Replacing the batteries or making sure they are inserted correctly might solve the problem.
- PC in error state: This is a very common scenario. Computers tend to go into error states where because of a few corrupt configuration files, they refuse to detect external devices connected. Here, we will power cycle your computer and check if the issue is resolved.
- Windows Ink: Windows Ink is a nifty feature developed by Microsoft itself to cater to external pen or graphics devices connected to the computer. It allows quick access to notes and enhanced compatibility. This feature is meant to facilitate the pens/graphics tablets but is known to cause several problems.
- Driver issue: This is perhaps the most common reason why Huion pen doesn’t work with your computer. Incorrect or corrupt drivers installed might prevent the pen from interacting with the system; hence causing it not to work properly.
- Tablet PC: If you own a hybrid laptop which includes a touchscreen as well and you are trying to use Huion with it, there are chances that it won’t work if the specific option isn’t selected. Here, we can navigate to Huion settings and change the compatibility options from there.
- Sleep settings: If you are coming across an issue where after a while of being inactive the pen stops working, chances are that Huion is being sent into sleep mode by the system and when you attempt to wake it, it doesn’t initialize. Disabling sleep settings help here.
- Pen compatibility with tablet: Every tablet of Huion has specific pens which can work with it. If you are attempting to make a different pen work with a tablet which isn’t supported, you will not be able to sync the two.
- USB ports: Last but not least, the USB ports on your computer might also be the culprit of the situation you are facing. The tablet and pen are usually connected with a USB port on your computer and if the USB port is faulty, you will experience connectivity issues.
Note: Not all of these causes might be applicable in your case as each computer configuration and use case is different.
Before we move on, make sure that you are logged in as an administrator on your computer. Furthermore, you should also have an active internet connection as we will be downloading drivers in the solutions. Start from the first solution and work your way down as we list each solution according to its complexity.
Pre-requisite: Checking Pen/Tablet for Damage
Before we jump into the solutions, you need to make sure that your Huion pen/tablet is not damaged physically in any way. If your pen or graphics tablet is damaged physically, this tutorial will not work for you as expected.
You can easily check for physical damage by inspecting the nib of the pen and also the tablet for any bumps in its surface. You should also see if the tablet indeed turns on when it is connected with the computer (you should see a little indicator light). Once you are sure there is no hardware problem, you can continue with the solutions listed below.
Note: Also make sure that you have genuine Huion products. If you are using a counterfeit, the solutions down below will not be work with your hardware.
Solution 1: Checking for Compatibility
The first step in our troubleshooting process will be checking the compatibility of the pen with the graphics tablet you are using. Huion pens are usually programmed to only run with Huion tablets. If you are trying to run the pens on other graphics tablets, you will not be able to use it.
Furthermore, not all the Huion pens are supported by all Huion graphics tablets. If you are using a pen which came with your tablet, you are good to go. If not, you should open Huion’s official website and check there.
Solution 2: Checking Huion Pen Batteries
This is perhaps the most basic and important step which we should carry out in our troubleshooting process. If the batteries in your pen are somehow not inserted properly, they will not be able to provide the energy. Open your pen (by twisting it) and then check whether the terminals of the battery are properly connected.
Furthermore, you should also check whether the batteries are of full level. If the batteries are somehow drained or empty in your pens, they will not transmit information properly and hence cause trouble. Replace the batteries if need be and check again. Only if you are absolutely sure that the batteries are okay should you proceed.
Solution 3: Power cycling the Computer
Another thing to try before starting other solutions will be power cycling your computer completely. As we mentioned before in the causes, there are instances where your computer goes into error states because of which it doesn’t read all the configuration properly. Either this or the computer fails to interact with the tablets properly. Here in this article we will completely restart your computer and remove all the power so all the temporary configurations get erased and get set as the default values.
- Turn off your computer completely by shutting it down and disconnect the power cable and also all the external peripherals connected to it.
- Now, take out the battery of your laptop by sliding the levers or pressing them depending on your model.
- Press and hold the power button for around 5-8 seconds. All the power will be drained from your computer. Let the laptop sit for around 4-5 minutes.
- Now, plug everything back in and start your computer. Check if the issue is resolved and Huion Pen is working properly.
Solution 4: Enabling Support TabletPC
As mentioned earlier, there might be compatibility issues with your Huion tablet with the computer you are using. To cater to this scenario, Huion has released an option of “Support TabletPC” which enables the support of tablet PCs with your Huion device. You can always revert the changes if this doesn’t suit you.
- Look at the taskbar present at the bottom-right side of the screen and you will see a tablet icon (make sure that Huion is connected to your computer). Launch it.
- Now, a small window will come forward. Check the option of Support TabletPC and saver changes.
Enabling Support TabletPC – Huion - Restart your computer and then check if the issue is resolved for good.
Solution 5: Disabling Windows Ink
Windows Ink is a nifty feature included in the latest iterations of Windows 10 which allows users support to use their third-party pen devices with Windows itself. There are numerous other applications which are bundled with Windows Ink which include Sketchpad, Sticky notes etc. In addition to these, Windows Ink also allows users to have access to other features which include the following:
- Digital Ink: Usage of enhanced digital mark-up and inking tools found on the Review tab in applicable applications.
- Windows Input Panel: Use handwriting or an on-screen keyboard to directly enter text with Wacom pen.
- Handwriting recognition: Convert your handwriting directly to the text.
Even though Windows Ink is tested to work with all third-party pens including Huion, there are instances where they don’t work as expected. This might be because of the incorrect configurations of the pen or compatibility issues between the two. We will try to disable Windows Ink and see if this does the trick for us.
- Navigate to the Settings of Huion and open ‘Huion Properties’.
- Select the tab ‘Mapping’ and make sure the option “Use Windows Ink” is unchecked. Save changes and exit.
Solution 6: Updating the Drivers
As a last resort, we will try updating Huion’s drivers and see if this does the trick. Drivers are the main components which convey information between the computer’s software and the hardware components (such as the tablet/pen). If the drivers are somehow not working, you will not be able to use the pen properly.
There are numerous cases why drivers might not work in your case. If the drivers are somehow corrupt or outdated, they may not be in-sync with the current Windows update. On the other hand, newer drivers are known to cause problems as well. In this solution, we will navigate to Huion’s official website and download the drivers from there. If these drivers work, well and good. If the latest drivers don’t work, we will download an older driver and see if that does the trick.
- Navigate to the Huion’s support website.
- Now, locate your tablet and after selecting Windows, download the driver to an accessible location.
- Unzip the folder and extract the contents. Make sure that your Tablet is connected with your computer.
- Now, right-click on the executable and select Run as administrator.
- Once the executable installs the drivers, restart your computer properly and then check if the issue is resolved.
Note: If newer drivers don’t work, consider installing older ones. You can also check our article on How to Uninstall Drivers on Wacom. The methods are somewhat similar.
Solution 7: Testing on Other USB Slots
The USB slot into which you are plugging the Huion Tablet might not work as expected. It is not out of the blue if some USB ports don’t support the tablet while some of them do. Test the receiver on other USB slots. If you own a PC, try plugging the receiver to the slots present at the backside of the PC. In case of a laptop, try plugging in all USB slots present on both sides of the computer.
You should also take into account the 2.0 or 3.0 USB slots. If you are using any third-party USB hub, try connecting the tablet with a proper USB port present inside the computer.
Consider restarting your tablet and check if the problem at hand got solved.