Pressure sensitivity in Procreate is on by default once a supported pressure-sensitive stylus, such as an Apple Pencil, is connected to your iPad, so there is no master switch to flip. Pair the Pencil (Control Center > Bluetooth on, then attach a 2nd Gen or Pro to the iPad), then open Actions (wrench icon) > Prefs > Pressure and Smoothing to check or adjust the pressure curve. If lines still ignore pressure, tap Reset all in that menu, then confirm the brush itself responds to Apple Pencil input in its settings.

Before you change anything: confirm your hardware supports pressure

Most "pressure isn't working" problems are hardware problems, not settings problems. Procreate reads pressure only from a connected smart stylus that it supports. A finger, a generic rubber-tip capacitive stylus, or a cheap disc stylus will draw lines, but they send no pressure data, so no setting will make them respond.

Check these points first:

• Which Pencil you have. Apple Pencil 2nd Gen and Pro pair by attaching to the iPad. Apple's USB-C Pencil does not report pressure, so strokes stay uniform even when everything is configured correctly. Confirm your model's spec if you're unsure.
• Bluetooth. Swipe down from the top right to open Control Center and make sure Bluetooth is on. Attach the Pencil and wait for the dialogue that shows it's connected and its battery level.
• iPad compatibility. The Pencil must be a model your iPad supports. A mismatch means no pairing and no pressure.

Once the Pencil is connected, it should work in Procreate immediately. If you can draw with it, pairing is fine, and the next step is checking how Procreate interprets its pressure.

How to check and enable pressure sensitivity in Procreate

You need an open canvas to reach these settings. They apply globally, so it doesn't matter which canvas you use.

1. Tap the Actions (wrench) icon at the top left.
2. Tap Prefs.
3. Tap Pressure and Smoothing.
4. Look at the pressure graph. The horizontal axis is how hard you press, from none at the left to heavy at the right. The vertical axis is how strongly that pressure affects your brushes, from none at the bottom to maximum at the top.
5. A healthy default is a roughly diagonal line from bottom left to top right. This means harder pressure produces a proportionally stronger effect.

If the line sits vertically at the left, pressure has effectively been disabled, because every touch registers as maximum pressure. Dragging the top node back to the right restores the diagonal. The quickest fix is to scroll to the bottom of the menu, tap Reset all, and confirm with Reset. This restores the default curve and also resets the smoothing values in that screen, so note any stabilisation settings you want to keep.

Reshape the curve instead of resetting it

If pressure works but feels wrong, tune the curve rather than resetting it:

• Brush reaches full opacity or size too slowly: tap the middle of the graph to add a node and raise it slightly. The same pressure now produces a stronger effect.
• Strokes feel too heavy and ramp up too fast: lower the curve's middle or move the lower node to the right a little at a time.
• You want it to feel closer to a Wacom tablet: many artists nudge the bottom node rightward in small steps and test with a few strokes after each change.

Procreate's own guidance is to avoid changing the global curve unless you need to, because the stock brushes are tuned for the default. Make small changes and test them on a scratch layer.

Check the brush, not just the global curve

The global curve is only half of the system. Each brush decides what pressure actually controls. If you've confirmed the global curve is healthy but one brush ignores pressure, open that brush's settings (tap the brush in the library) and look at the Apple Pencil section in Brush Studio.

There you'll find pressure-related controls, such as how much pressure affects size, opacity, and flow, along with tilt settings. If those sliders are at zero, the brush will draw uniform lines no matter how hard you press. Raise them and test.

This also explains a common frustration: some artists build brushes with pressure and tilt sliders at zero on purpose, to get uniform lines for technical or hard-edged work. If a downloaded brush set feels dead, that's likely why. Duplicate the brush before editing it so you keep the original. Default brushes can change or reset on major updates, while your own custom brushes stay as you set them.

Troubleshooting common pressure problems

Lines get thicker with pressure but won't thin out again

A frequently reported issue is that size grows as you press harder but doesn't shrink when you ease off mid-stroke. Before blaming the Pencil, check two things:

• Size taper and softness settings. In the brush's Apple Pencil and stabilisation sections, disable or reduce size taper and softness, then retest. These can override how the stroke responds to a changing pressure.
• The pressure curve. A curve that isn't set up well for how you draw can cause this. Adjust it slightly and test again.

Fast strokes are also a factor. iPad input can feel different from a desktop graphics tablet on quick flicks, so test slow and fast strokes separately before changing the curve.

Pressure works in some brushes but not others

Look at the brush-level Apple Pencil settings described above. This is almost always a brush configuration issue, not a device fault.

Pressure does nothing in any brush

1. Confirm the stylus is a supported smart stylus with pressure support.
2. Check the Bluetooth connection and reattach the Pencil.
3. Open Pressure and Smoothing and tap Reset all.
4. Try a default brush such as one from the Painting set before testing custom ones.

You want pressure off, not on

Procreate has no single on/off toggle for pressure. To disable it globally, drag the top node in the pressure graph to the left so the curve goes vertical, so every touch registers as full pressure. For selective control, make a few brushes with the pressure and tilt sliders set to zero and switch to those when you need constant-width lines. To return to normal, tap Reset all or drag the node back to the right.

Tuning pressure for motion design work

Some motion designers working in After Effects, Cinema 4D, and Nuke use Procreate for the first stage of a project: storyboards, style frames, hand-drawn textures, matte paintings, and character or prop sketches. A few practical habits help here:

• Use a consistent curve across a project. If several artists or sessions produce frames for the same piece, mismatched pressure curves lead to inconsistent line weight. Settle on a curve early and leave it alone.
• Keep a pressure-off brush for hard-edged shapes. Clean outlines for mattes, masks, and graphic elements often need uniform strokes.
• Draw at the final resolution. Pressure-driven size changes look different when a canvas is scaled later. Set canvas dimensions to match your comp or a clean multiple of it.
• Separate line, color, and texture layers. Export layered files so you can rebuild them in After Effects with full control over each element.

Quick reference

FAQ

Is there a toggle to turn pressure sensitivity on in Procreate? No. It is active whenever a supported pressure-sensitive stylus is connected. You control how strongly it applies through the pressure curve and each brush's settings.

Why doesn't my cheap stylus show pressure? Generic capacitive styluses don't send pressure data. Procreate needs a supported smart stylus.

Will Reset all delete my brushes? Reset all in Pressure and Smoothing resets the settings on that screen, such as the curve and smoothing values. It is not a brush library reset, but note any custom stabilisation values before using it.

Should I change the global curve for every problem? No. Start with hardware, then brush settings, then make small curve adjustments only if the default doesn't suit your hand.

Pressure sensitivity in Procreate is on by default once a supported pressure-sensitive stylus, such as an Apple Pencil, is connected to your iPad, so there is no master switch to flip. Pair the Pencil (Control Center > Bluetooth on, then attach a 2nd Gen or Pro to the iPad), then open Actions (wrench icon) > Prefs > Pressure and Smoothing to check or adjust the pressure curve. If lines still ignore pressure, tap Reset all in that menu, then confirm the brush itself responds to Apple Pencil input in its settings.

Before you change anything: confirm your hardware supports pressure

Most "pressure isn't working" problems are hardware problems, not settings problems. Procreate reads pressure only from a connected smart stylus that it supports. A finger, a generic rubber-tip capacitive stylus, or a cheap disc stylus will draw lines, but they send no pressure data, so no setting will make them respond.

Check these points first:

• Which Pencil you have. Apple Pencil 2nd Gen and Pro pair by attaching to the iPad. Apple's USB-C Pencil does not report pressure, so strokes stay uniform even when everything is configured correctly. Confirm your model's spec if you're unsure.
• Bluetooth. Swipe down from the top right to open Control Center and make sure Bluetooth is on. Attach the Pencil and wait for the dialogue that shows it's connected and its battery level.
• iPad compatibility. The Pencil must be a model your iPad supports. A mismatch means no pairing and no pressure.

Once the Pencil is connected, it should work in Procreate immediately. If you can draw with it, pairing is fine, and the next step is checking how Procreate interprets its pressure.

How to check and enable pressure sensitivity in Procreate

You need an open canvas to reach these settings. They apply globally, so it doesn't matter which canvas you use.

1. Tap the Actions (wrench) icon at the top left.
2. Tap Prefs.
3. Tap Pressure and Smoothing.
4. Look at the pressure graph. The horizontal axis is how hard you press, from none at the left to heavy at the right. The vertical axis is how strongly that pressure affects your brushes, from none at the bottom to maximum at the top.
5. A healthy default is a roughly diagonal line from bottom left to top right. This means harder pressure produces a proportionally stronger effect.

If the line sits vertically at the left, pressure has effectively been disabled, because every touch registers as maximum pressure. Dragging the top node back to the right restores the diagonal. The quickest fix is to scroll to the bottom of the menu, tap Reset all, and confirm with Reset. This restores the default curve and also resets the smoothing values in that screen, so note any stabilisation settings you want to keep.

Reshape the curve instead of resetting it

If pressure works but feels wrong, tune the curve rather than resetting it:

• Brush reaches full opacity or size too slowly: tap the middle of the graph to add a node and raise it slightly. The same pressure now produces a stronger effect.
• Strokes feel too heavy and ramp up too fast: lower the curve's middle or move the lower node to the right a little at a time.
• You want it to feel closer to a Wacom tablet: many artists nudge the bottom node rightward in small steps and test with a few strokes after each change.

Procreate's own guidance is to avoid changing the global curve unless you need to, because the stock brushes are tuned for the default. Make small changes and test them on a scratch layer.

Check the brush, not just the global curve

The global curve is only half of the system. Each brush decides what pressure actually controls. If you've confirmed the global curve is healthy but one brush ignores pressure, open that brush's settings (tap the brush in the library) and look at the Apple Pencil section in Brush Studio.

There you'll find pressure-related controls, such as how much pressure affects size, opacity, and flow, along with tilt settings. If those sliders are at zero, the brush will draw uniform lines no matter how hard you press. Raise them and test.

This also explains a common frustration: some artists build brushes with pressure and tilt sliders at zero on purpose, to get uniform lines for technical or hard-edged work. If a downloaded brush set feels dead, that's likely why. Duplicate the brush before editing it so you keep the original. Default brushes can change or reset on major updates, while your own custom brushes stay as you set them.

Troubleshooting common pressure problems

Lines get thicker with pressure but won't thin out again

A frequently reported issue is that size grows as you press harder but doesn't shrink when you ease off mid-stroke. Before blaming the Pencil, check two things:

• Size taper and softness settings. In the brush's Apple Pencil and stabilisation sections, disable or reduce size taper and softness, then retest. These can override how the stroke responds to a changing pressure.
• The pressure curve. A curve that isn't set up well for how you draw can cause this. Adjust it slightly and test again.

Fast strokes are also a factor. iPad input can feel different from a desktop graphics tablet on quick flicks, so test slow and fast strokes separately before changing the curve.

Pressure works in some brushes but not others

Look at the brush-level Apple Pencil settings described above. This is almost always a brush configuration issue, not a device fault.

Pressure does nothing in any brush

1. Confirm the stylus is a supported smart stylus with pressure support.
2. Check the Bluetooth connection and reattach the Pencil.
3. Open Pressure and Smoothing and tap Reset all.
4. Try a default brush such as one from the Painting set before testing custom ones.

You want pressure off, not on

Procreate has no single on/off toggle for pressure. To disable it globally, drag the top node in the pressure graph to the left so the curve goes vertical, so every touch registers as full pressure. For selective control, make a few brushes with the pressure and tilt sliders set to zero and switch to those when you need constant-width lines. To return to normal, tap Reset all or drag the node back to the right.

Tuning pressure for motion design work

Some motion designers working in After Effects, Cinema 4D, and Nuke use Procreate for the first stage of a project: storyboards, style frames, hand-drawn textures, matte paintings, and character or prop sketches. A few practical habits help here:

• Use a consistent curve across a project. If several artists or sessions produce frames for the same piece, mismatched pressure curves lead to inconsistent line weight. Settle on a curve early and leave it alone.
• Keep a pressure-off brush for hard-edged shapes. Clean outlines for mattes, masks, and graphic elements often need uniform strokes.
• Draw at the final resolution. Pressure-driven size changes look different when a canvas is scaled later. Set canvas dimensions to match your comp or a clean multiple of it.
• Separate line, color, and texture layers. Export layered files so you can rebuild them in After Effects with full control over each element.

Quick reference

FAQ

Is there a toggle to turn pressure sensitivity on in Procreate? No. It is active whenever a supported pressure-sensitive stylus is connected. You control how strongly it applies through the pressure curve and each brush's settings.

Why doesn't my cheap stylus show pressure? Generic capacitive styluses don't send pressure data. Procreate needs a supported smart stylus.

Will Reset all delete my brushes? Reset all in Pressure and Smoothing resets the settings on that screen, such as the curve and smoothing values. It is not a brush library reset, but note any custom stabilisation values before using it.

Should I change the global curve for every problem? No. Start with hardware, then brush settings, then make small curve adjustments only if the default doesn't suit your hand.