I bought an Ugee drawing tablet that works perfectly on Windows, but I haven't been able to get its Linux features working despite trying various guides, searches, and AI suggestions. The tablet is detected on Ubuntu, but only as a basic mouse, so features such as pressure sensitivity aren't available. Ugee lists Linux drivers for some models, and I also tried OpenTabletDriver without success. I've only used Ubuntu before—would switching distributions improve my chances, and if so, which one would be worth testing?
3 Answers
Before installing another distribution, test one from a live USB. Tools such as Ventoy make it easy to boot several ISO images without changing your existing Ubuntu installation. You can check whether the tablet, pressure sensitivity, and other features work before committing to a reinstall.
First, double-check that your exact Ugee model is supported by the manufacturer’s Linux driver. Support can vary significantly between models, even within the same product line. If the model is supported, the issue may be the driver setup rather than Ubuntu itself.
That’s possible. I thought my model was supported, but after a frustrating night of troubleshooting I’m no longer completely sure. I’ll verify it again.
A KDE-based OpenSUSE installation may be worth testing because OpenTabletDriver can be available or configured more easily there. Some drawing displays work immediately after setup, but you should still confirm that your particular Ugee model has Linux support before switching distributions.
That’s a great idea. I hadn’t thought of testing distributions from a USB first, so I’ll try that before changing my installation.