How to use an Android tablet as a drawing tablet for a PC or Mac

What you need before you begin

An Android tablet can be a useful drawing surface for the desktop software you already own. The important distinction is input: a basic screen-mirroring app may show your computer, but a drawing-tablet setup must also return proper pen information to the computer. Pressure-sensitive brushes need pressure data, not just a mouse position.

For the Pad route, gather the following:

• An Android tablet or phone running Android 9 or later. An active stylus such as an S Pen is strongly recommended for art and natural handwriting.
• A supported computer: PadMac runs on Apple-silicon Macs with macOS 15 or later; PadWin is a beta for Windows 11.
• PadDroid, the free Android client, and the matching free host for your computer.
• A local connection between the two devices. A reliable home network is the simplest starting point.
• A desktop program that accepts tablet or pen input, such as Krita, Photoshop, Clip Studio Paint, a notes app, a whiteboard, or a PDF editor.

PadDroid is live on Google Play now. PadMac is also live, while PadWin should be treated as beta software. The Pad product page has the current downloads and exact requirements, and the Pad setup guide covers host permissions and Windows prerequisites.

Set up the computer and Android device

Pad has two parts. The host captures the desktop content you choose and receives pen input. PadDroid shows that content on the Android device and sends stylus or touch samples back. The document and desktop app remain on the computer.

1. Install the host

On a Mac, install PadMac, open its menu-bar icon, and grant Screen Recording and Accessibility access. Screen Recording lets PadMac capture the selected display, window, or region. Accessibility lets it turn incoming strokes into tablet input. Quit and reopen PadMac after granting both permissions.

On Windows 11, extract the PadWin beta and complete the prerequisites listed in the setup guide. Windows may ask whether the host can communicate on private networks. Allowing private-network access is necessary for discovery on a typical home network; there is normally no reason to allow a public network.

2. Install PadDroid

Install PadDroid from Google Play, open it, and approve local-network access if Android asks. Keep the Android device and computer on the same local network for the first connection. Guest, school, hotel, and corporate Wi-Fi often isolate devices from one another, even when both show the same network name.

3. Connect and choose what to show

Open the host before PadDroid. Select the computer when it appears, then choose the display, application, window, or region you want to work with. A smaller, focused capture is often more comfortable than squeezing an entire high-resolution desktop onto a modest tablet.

A pairing code is optional. It can be enabled in the host when you want approval before a new device connects; it is not an account or a required sign-in. Pad uses a direct local connection between your devices, with no Codonic account and no cloud relay carrying the screen or strokes.

Make the tablet feel like a drawing surface

Start with a simple pressure-sensitive brush and draw several slow lines, moving from a light touch to firmer pressure. Look for a gradual change in width or opacity. If every mark looks identical, do not immediately adjust the brush: first confirm that the Android device and stylus actually report pressure, and that the desktop app is receiving tablet rather than mouse input.

Then tune the working area:

• Put the canvas on the streamed display or capture only the canvas region.
• Match the orientation of the tablet to the captured area.
• Keep tool palettes on the computer display if you want more drawing room.
• Set a comfortable pressure curve rather than pressing harder than feels natural.
• Add smoothing sparingly. It can clean up linework, but too much can make the stroke feel detached from the pen.

For a focused application walkthrough, see using a tablet as a drawing tablet for Krita. The same test-first principle applies in other creative programs: verify raw pen input, then tune the individual brush.

It is also useful for study and documents

A drawing tablet is not only an illustrator’s tool. A student can keep a lecture PDF, equation editor, mind map, or shared whiteboard open on the computer while handwriting from the Android tablet. A teacher can annotate the computer’s presentation without turning every page into a transferred image.

For a quick signature, open the document on the Mac or PC, select its pen or signature tool, and write on the connected phone or tablet. The file never needs to be sent to the touch device and copied back. Even a small Android phone can work for a short signature or check mark using touch, although touch does not create pressure data that the hardware does not provide. The handwriting, annotation, and signing guide has practical layouts for those tasks.

Improve responsiveness without chasing magic settings

Connection quality matters more than a long list of tweaks. Begin close to the router on an uncongested local network. Pause large downloads, cloud backups, or game updates while testing. If the full desktop feels unnecessarily heavy, stream one window or a compact region. Keep the host computer connected to power and avoid a battery-saving mode that limits performance.

Change one variable at a time and make the same short test stroke after each change. That tells you whether the capture size, network, brush smoothing, or pressure curve actually helped. It is much more reliable than changing five settings and guessing which one mattered.

Troubleshooting checklist

The host does not appear

• Confirm that PadMac or PadWin is open before launching PadDroid.
• Check that both devices are on the same ordinary local network.
• Leave a guest network or network with client isolation and try a trusted home network.
• On Windows, confirm that PadWin is allowed through the firewall on private networks.
• Restart both halves after changing network or permission settings.

There is a picture, but strokes do nothing

On macOS, Accessibility permission is the first thing to inspect. Remove a stale PadMac entry, add the current app again if needed, and relaunch it. On Windows, remember that PadWin is a beta; verify its required runtime and capture component before testing the pen again.

Strokes work, but pressure does not

Use the active stylus rather than a finger or passive rubber-tipped stylus. Choose a desktop brush preset that is explicitly controlled by pressure. Check the application’s tablet-input setting, especially on Windows, and restart the application after changing its input API. Test in a second tablet-aware app to separate an application setting from a connection problem.

The pointer and canvas do not line up

Return to a single display or window capture, verify orientation, and retest. Multi-display arrangements and a captured area with a different aspect ratio can make diagnosis harder. Add the second display back only after the simple case maps correctly.

A sensible first-session checklist

1. Install the correct host and grant only the permissions it requests.
2. Connect PadDroid on a trusted local network.
3. Capture one desktop window or canvas.
4. Test position, then pressure, then tilt or eraser support.
5. Adjust the pressure curve and shortcuts only after basic input works.
6. Save a small test file in the desktop app to confirm the complete workflow.

Pad is free to use. Its working traffic stays on the direct connection to your computer rather than passing through a Codonic cloud service. Preferences are stored locally; iCloud settings sync is not currently active. If you later want the same idea with Apple Pencil, read the prelaunch iPad drawing-tablet guide, which clearly separates what can be prepared today from what becomes available when PadPad launches.