Stylus input stops working after hover – MacBook Pro M1 Pro + Photoshop & Illustrator

[Bruno Mella]

Hello Adobe Support Team,

I’m experiencing a recurring issue when using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator with my Wacom tablet on macOS, and I’d like your help in investigating the root cause.

System details:

• Computer: MacBook Pro M1 Pro

• Operating System: macOS Sequoia 15.5

• Adobe Apps affected:

  • Photoshop (version 26.8.0)

  • Illustrator (version 29.6)

• Adobe Apps NOT affected:

  • Adobe XD

  • Adobe Acrobat

• Tablet: One by Wacom - CTL472

• Wacom Driver: 6.4.10-3

Problem description:

When using Photoshop or Illustrator, the stylus stops responding as soon as I lift it slightly above the tablet surface (out of hover range). Once this happens, the only way to get the pen working again is by switching between apps (e.g., using Command + Tab) or by clicking with the trackpad.

This issue does not occur in Adobe XD, Acrobat, Safari, or Finder — which suggests the problem is related to how stylus input is being handled specifically in Illustrator and Photoshop.

Troubleshooting already performed:

• Reinstalled the Wacom driver (clean install);

• Verified permissions in macOS System Settings > Privacy & Security (Accessibility and Input Monitoring);

• Disabled “Use System Stylus” in Photoshop;

• Disabled GPU acceleration in both Photoshop and Illustrator for testing;

• Created a new macOS user profile — issue still occurs;

• Tested other apps — no issue in XD or Acrobat.

Observation:

This feels like an input focus bug — as if the stylus is no longer recognized once it leaves hover range in these Adobe apps, and only re-engages after an external system event like app switching.

If this is a known issue with macOS + M1 compatibility or if you have any potential solutions, workarounds, or beta builds to test, I’d be happy to try them.

Thanks in advance for your support.

Best regards,
Bruno

[Kevin Stohlmeyer]

@Bruno Mella Unfortunately this is a Wacom driver/permissions issue. We've seen this multiple times with our designers (we have ~50 Wacom one touch tablets) and have filed a ticket with Wacom in the past about this. Driver updates seemed to have resolved this as we haven't had any recent complaints from the team. 

The reason XD and Acrobat works is the stylus input for those applications reads as a mouse (no pen pressure input, hover, etc). So the hover disconnect doesn't happen. 

I would reach out to Wacom support and see if there is a new driver available to address the issue. 

[Bruno Mella]

Kevin, thank you so much for your detailed reply!

That explains a lot — especially the part about XD and Acrobat treating the stylus as a basic input device. It definitely clarifies why the issue only happens in Photoshop and Illustrator.

I’ll follow your suggestion and get in touch with Wacom support directly. I’m already using the latest driver available for my tablet, but I’ll confirm with them if there are any known issues or beta versions that address this behavior.

Thanks again for taking the time to share your experience — it really helps to know others have faced (and solved) this with updated drivers.

All the best,

Bruno

[kglad]

in the future, to find the best place to post your message, use the list here, https://community.adobe.com/

p.s. i don't think the adobe website, and forums in particular, are easy to navigate, so don't spend a lot of time searching that forum list. do your best and we'll move the post (like this one has already been moved) if it helps you get responses.

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