A driver for older Wacom tablets.

MockTab is a native macOS driver for Wacom drawing tablets (pressure-sensitive input devices used in digital art and illustration) that no longer have official support on modern macOS releases. Free and open source.

MockTab's testing has covered only a limited set of hardware configurations so far. Open an issue with observations and diagnostics to help broaden coverage.

Download for macOS See supported tablets

Purpose

Wacom hardware tends to outlast its driver support, with functional tablets losing compatibility with newer macOS releases. MockTab is a small, focused driver that targets USB and Bluetooth Wacom tablets from the early 2000s through roughly 2020, on macOS 13 and newer.

Tablet area

Defines the portion of the tablet surface that maps to the target display, with a visual crop editor and raw numeric fields. Proportional mode matches the display's aspect ratio so round shapes stay round regardless of the tablet's dimensions.

Pen feel

Controls pressure response (a two-point Bézier curve editor with Linear, Soft, and Firm presets), stroke smoothing, double-click distance, rotation handling, and relative cursor movement. Tested with Photoshop, Affinity, Krita, Procreate Dreams, Rebelle, and Clip Studio.

Pressure curve editor showing a two-point Bézier curve and Linear, Soft, Firm presets

Pressure curve editor showing a two-point Bézier curve and Linear, Soft, Firm presets (dark theme)

Button mapping

Assigns actions to barrel buttons, express keys, and touch ring. Actions include key combinations (recorded live), mouse clicks, eraser toggle, display cycling, and touch ring mode switching.

Button mapping panel for barrel buttons, touch ring, and express keys (dark theme)

Per-app overrides

Override settings on a per-application basis: tablet area, pressure curve, button mapping, and display routing. MockTab switches to the active override automatically when that application becomes frontmost.

Adding a per-app override by drag and drop or drop-down menu

Adding a per-app override by drag and drop or drop-down menu (dark theme)

Profiles

Capture the full device configuration with named profiles. Profiles export and import as JSON; the Profiles pane supports drag-to-Finder export and merge-on-import so existing profiles are not overwritten.

Display mapping

Routes the tablet to a specific display or spans it across all connected displays. A toggle mode cycles through a configurable set of monitors via a button press.

Display mapping panel routing the tablet to a chosen monitor (dark theme)

Scratchpad

A canvas for testing pen input without launching a drawing application. Visualizes pressure, tilt, rotation, and button response in real time.

Live scratchpad showing pressure and tilt visualization (dark theme)

Features

Pressure, tilt, and pen rotation (where the hardware supports it)
Per-app overrides for area, pressure, buttons, and display routing
Multiple tablet generations connected simultaneously, with automatic switching when you pick one up
Wireless via USB dongle and Bluetooth
Touch ring (multi-slot modes) and touch strip
Capacitive touch support on some models (two-finger scroll, tap-to-click, adjustable touch area)
Profile import / export as JSON, drag-to-Finder
Undo / redo across every settings pane (⌘Z)
In-app help (⌘?) and a menu-bar mode that hides the Dock icon
Native AppKit app, signed and notarized, no kernel extensions

Unsupported

Huion, XP-Pen, Xencelabs, and other non-Wacom vendors
Post-2020 Wacom devices
Linux, Windows, iPad, and Haiku (macOS only)

Get it

Download latest release

Requires macOS 13 or later.

First launch

macOS restricts some applications behind two privacy prompts: Accessibility and Input Monitoring. See Configuration for the walkthrough with screenshots.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Wacom says my tablet is no longer supported. What now?

Wacom periodically drops older hardware from its driver, usually alongside a macOS update. Check the Hardware page to see if your model appears. If it does, uninstall the Wacom driver first, then install MockTab.

What is MockTab?

MockTab is native macOS driver for Wacom drawing tablets that no longer have official support on modern macOS releases.

How is MockTab different from Wacom's driver or OpenTabletDriver?

Wacom's software is closed-source and drops older hardware with each macOS release. OpenTabletDriver is a capable open-source project with broad hardware and platform coverage. MockTab takes a narrower approach: one platform, one vendor, native Swift, no background daemons, no kernel extensions. The smaller scope means a simpler configuration surface and no background services.

My tablet works with Wacom's driver or OpenTabletDriver. Why would I need this?

If your device already works, then you have no need to change. MockTab exists for hardware the official driver dropped, and for people who prefer a small native Mac app over a broader system service.

What tablets does MockTab support?

A handful are confirmed on real hardware. The rest rely on Linux kernel and OpenTabletDriver references and may need further testing. The Hardware page lists every registered model with its confirmation status. MockTab does not cover tablets from other vendors, nor post-2020 Wacom hardware.

Can I use an iPad as a drawing tablet?

Yes, but not with MockTab. Astropad Slate and Apple's built-in Sidecar handle the iPad-as-tablet case directly.

What are the system requirements?

macOS 13 (Ventura) or later, on Apple Silicon or Intel. A supported Wacom tablet over USB or Bluetooth. Around 30 MB on disk.

Is there a Linux, Windows, or Haiku version?

No. macOS only. For Linux and Windows, use OpenTabletDriver.

How do I install it?

Download the latest disk image (.dmg) from Releases, drag MockTab.app into Applications, and launch. The First launch section above walks through the privacy prompts.

Is this spyware? The privacy prompts sound suspicious.

No. MockTab makes no network calls, ships no telemetry, and declares zero data collection in its privacy manifest. MockTab ships under GPL-3; with its source available from GitHub . macOS forces both prompts on every third-party tablet driver: Accessibility lets MockTab inject pen pressure into other apps, and Input Monitoring lets it read raw HID reports from your tablet.

Can MockTab run alongside Wacom's driver or OpenTabletDriver?

No. Two drivers reading the same HID device compete for control and produce erratic input. MockTab warns of potential conflicts with a note about how to resolve them. However, utilities like App Tamer or LaunchControl can halt competing processes without uninstalling them.

How do I remove MockTab?

Quit it from the menu bar, drag MockTab.app to the Trash, and optionally delete ~/Library/Preferences/com.cyzor.mocktab.plist and revoke its Accessibility and Input Monitoring grants in Privacy & Security. MockTab installs no system extensions, daemons, or login items, so nothing else needs cleanup.

What does the name mean?

The project takes its name from the Mock Turtle in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, who laments no longer being what he once was.

Who developed this?

MockTab is an independent project from Jay Petronis, developed with a set of aging but reliable Wacom drawing tablets.

How can I get help?

Press ⌘? in any settings pane for in-app help. The Info pane has a Copy Diagnostics button that bundles your driver state into a paste-ready text block for bug reports. Then open an issue at GitHub.