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I have a tablet laptop running Windows 10, which supports touch and stylus input.

I'd like to use this like a drawing pad (e.g. Wacom tablet or similar) for my desktop PC.

Would this be possible, and if so, how?

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  • No; Its a tablet. Wacom Tablets are actually touchscreen monitors. Your tablet screen is connected to itself, no other device, could recieve inputs from it. – Ramhound Sep 8 '16 at 1:22
  • Why not just draw on the computer itself? You can draw natively in Windows. – Ian M Sep 8 '16 at 5:53
  • @IanM I'd like to use my tablet, which is quite weak, with more powerful software on my desktop. – kiri Sep 9 '16 at 11:31
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There's an app called VirtualTablet that I believe does what you're asking. You install it on your tablet/laptop and on your desktop, and it lets you use the tablet as an input for the desktop. It won't have all of the features of a drawing tablet, and there might be some lag depending on the quality of your connection, but from my brief experience it gets the job done!

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  • @PimpJuiceIT It emulates a tablet, yes, but the virtual (emulated) tablet is being controlled by the other computer's touchscreen inputs. – wizzwizz4 Feb 7 '18 at 19:47
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In Windows 10 in the Anniversary Update, there are three special apps that work with a digital pen and is meant for touchscreen laptops or tablets. The built-in apps feature post-it notes, a sketch pad, and a screen capture and annotation tool. You can use the feature to find more apps built to work with Windows Ink.

To make things work:

  • Connect your tablet to your laptop/PC and open the Settings app. Go to the Devices group of settings and select the Connected devices tab. Your device should be under ‘Other devices’. Let it finish connecting.

Tip: if successfully connected, the device will be identified by name instead of its model number.

  • Install drivers for your pen and tablet. Even if the devices is correctly detected, official manufacturer drivers are always a safer bet.

  • With the device connected and driver updated, right-click on the Taskbar and select the ‘Show Windows Ink Workspace button’ option from the context menu. The button will then appear in the system tray. Click it to open the Windows Ink Workspace panel.

  • Select which program you want to use. Sticky Notes can be used without the pen (it's actually designed for a slightly different purpose). The Sketch Pad and Screen Sketch programs are both best used with a pen and tablet.

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    I take the author's question that he has a device like a Surface, and wants to connect it to his desktop, which is the reason I say that isn't possible. The tablet and desktop must have a way to communicate. Those applications are primarly designed for those devices with touchscreens and/or devices like the Surface Pro 4 – Ramhound Sep 8 '16 at 15:38
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    This doesn't... really answer the question. – wizzwizz4 Feb 7 '18 at 20:08
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So it turns out TeamViewer can do the job. TeamViewer is very similar to VNC, but it allows more functions for their free version. It is possible to run a connection over the local network (which increases speed). In the end, you can simply TeamViewer from the tablet into the desktop work like that.

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