I swapped my mouse with a drawing tablet for a week — here's what happened

A Wacom Intuos Small drawing tablet on a desk
(Image credit: Future)

I’ve always been fascinated by gadgets and I enjoy finding new ways to use them, which is why I recently picked up a drawing tablet. I’m no artist by any means but for years now, I’ve wondered what it would be like to use one as a replacement for my mouse.

As someone who works on a computer all day, I’ve tried a number of different gadgets to make the experience a bit easier on my hands. From mechanical keyboards that are split in half to be more ergonomic to trackball mice that require less wrist movement, I’m constantly looking for new ways to alleviate hand cramping and the stress that comes from repeated movements. 

To this end, I decided to try using a Wacom Intuos Small drawing tablet as a mouse for the past week. Transitioning from a mouse to using a pen and tablet was harder than I thought it would be — but not for the reasons you might think.

Relearning how to scroll

Since I wanted a bit more flexibility and to avoid having another wire running across my desk, I opted for the Bluetooth version of the Intuos Small ($53, Amazon) over the wired one. The fact that it is currently half off its normal price of $99 and even cheaper than the wired version also helped.

After a quick charge and getting the device paired with my PC, I was ready to see what using a drawing tablet was all about. However, my enthusiasm quickly waned when I realized I could no longer scroll the way I do with a mouse. While scrolling down using the scroll wheel on a mouse brings a page down when using Windows, scrolling works differently with Wacom’s drawing tablets.  

Just like on a smartphone, swiping down scrolls up and swiping up scrolls down. If you use one of the best MacBooks, you’re likely familiar with scrolling this way and Apple even has its own name for it – Natural Scrolling. Meanwhile, Microsoft still uses Reverse Scrolling.

Wacom’s software easily allowed me to switch from pen to mouse mode and I could hover over the tablet to control the mouse cursor. Tapping on the tablet with the pen serves as a left click; to scroll, you hold the pen tip to the tablet while moving up and down. However, there’s no easy way to change the scroll direction from within the software. As such, I tried – albeit unsuccessfully – to edit the Registry in Windows so that I could scroll the same way I do with a mouse.

A picture of the Wacom Pen 4K which ships with the Wacom Intuos

(Image credit: Future)

The Intuos Small comes with the Wacom Pen 4K and unlike the Apple Pencil or the Surface Pen, it never needs to be charged. It also has two customizable buttons right near the pen tip. Out of the box, the bottom button is set to scroll while the upper button is set to right click. Since scrolling was my biggest hang-up so far with using a drawing tablet as a mouse, I decided to reprogram the bottom button to scroll down and the top one to scroll up. This worked well enough but when I needed to be more precise, I used the scroll bar on the right side of my browser instead. My scrolling problem may have been solved but now I had another issue: I no longer had a way to right-click.

ExpressKeys to the rescue

Wacom Intuos ExpressKeys

(Image credit: Future)

Digital artists typically tend to rely on keyboard shortcuts to perform a number of complex tasks while working, which is why Wacom’s drawing tablets have ExpressKeys. Just like with a macropad, these keys are completely customizable and can be programmed any way you like.

While the Intuos Pro has either six or eight ExpressKeys depending on its size, the Intuos Small has four with two on either side of the power button. While deciding how to program the buttons on my drawing tablet and the pen, I had a realization – I rarely use right click since I tend to prefer keyboard shortcuts instead. 

Wacom Intuos software

(Image credit: Wacom)

As you can see in the screenshot above, I programmed the button to the left of the power button as my right click since it was easy to reach with the pen in hand. As I use multiple desktops throughout my day, I programmed the buttons at the far left and right to easily switch between them. I also stumbled upon Windows Ink Workspace while exploring the options in Wacom’s software and found it was a fun way to get acclimated with using a drawing tablet on PC, so I programmed it to the button to the right of the power button.

With my scrolling problem fixed and a button programmed to right click, it was time to give using a drawing tablet as a mouse replacement a try.

Great for my hand but a hindrance for my daily workflow

Wacom Intuos in use

(Image credit: Future)

Using a drawing tablet as a mouse replacement for a week was great at first. The cramping in my right hand disappeared almost immediately and I was finally writing with a pen again after years of typing on a computer. However, as I made my way through the week, issues began to creep up.

For instance, we often collaborate over video calls at Tom’s Guide, but when it came time to leave a meeting, I was now the last one to do so. While others quickly left a call, I was still fumbling with my pen trying to close the window. While this wasn’t a big problem, it was a bit awkward when others were asked to stay after a meeting and I was still hanging around. Even with scroll up and scroll down mapped to my pen’s buttons, I still had trouble navigating Slack and clicking on the right channel. I also accidentally closed the wrong tabs in Chrome several times as I had right click mapped to the tablet instead of the pen.

These issues weren’t too bad but I constantly found myself reaching for my mouse – especially when I was working on something that was time sensitive. For this reason, I’m going to switch back to using a trackball mouse during my workday. However, I won't be returning my Intuos Small as I plan on using it for casual web browsing at night since it really does help eliminate the strain of using a traditional mouse.

I’m sure if I spent more time with it, a drawing tablet would make a suitable mouse replacement. Also, the pen that ships with the Intuos Pro has three buttons instead of two, so I could have one mapped to right click and use the other two to scroll up and down. Even if things didn’t work out quite as well as I hoped, I’m glad I finally gave using a drawing tablet a chance. Now I just need to relearn how to draw so I can use my drawing tablet for its real purpose instead.

TOPICS
Anthony Spadafora
Managing Editor Security and Home Office

Anthony Spadafora is the managing editor for security and home office furniture at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches to password managers and the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. He also reviews standing desks, office chairs and other home office accessories with a penchant for building desk setups. Before joining the team, Anthony wrote for ITProPortal while living in Korea and later for TechRadar Pro after moving back to the US. Based in Houston, Texas, when he’s not writing Anthony can be found tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home. 

Read more
Palm Hand Therapy Device pictured in use
I just tested this hand massager — and it's a game changer for my pain
An iPad mini 7 on a desk with a finger resting over its power button with Touch ID
I spent two weeks with the iPad mini 7 and it reignited my love for smaller tablets
A GIF demonstrating how the AutoKeybo automatic keyboard system works
This morphing keyboard is the coolest gadget I’ve seen so far this year — and it automatically switches from a keyboard to trackpad
A dual-monitor setup powered by a mini PC
I ditched my ultrawide display for this dual-monitor setup — here's what happened
A pair of prescription blue light blocking glasses
I tried blue light blocking glasses for 2 months — they didn't help my headaches, but these 3 remedies did
A black 3Dconnexion CadMouse Pro Wireless ergonomic mouse
This $119 mouse is fantastic for productivity — but here’s why it doesn’t earn a permanent spot on my desk
Latest in Computing Hardware
Nvidia RTX 5090
Looking for an RTX 5090? Scalpers are happy to sell you one for a shocking price
Intel logo on a sign.
Intel wants to replace traditional laptops and PCs with a more environmentally friendly solution
AMD Ryzen AI Max
AMD claims its Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU outperforms Nvidia’s RTX 4070 laptop GPU — here are the numbers
RTX 50 series GPUs
Nvidia RTX 5090 custom GPU prices leak — the cost is what we all feared
MSI Nvidia GeForce RTX 50-series cards at CES 2025
Nvidia RTX 5080 GPU third-party prices rumored to be up 35% over asking price, and I'm hoping it isn't true
MSI Nvidia GeForce RTX 50-series cards at CES 2025
I wasn’t planning on building a new gaming PC but the RTX 5080 just changed my mind
Latest in Opinion
(L-R) Natasha Lyonne as Rachel, Elizabeth Olsen as Christina and Carrie Coon as Katie in "His Three Daughters" streaming on Netflix in September 2024
I’ve streamed 38 Netflix movies in the last year — here’s the 5 best you’ve (probably) haven’t seen
Michael Keaton, Joan Baez and John Mulaney at "Everybody's Live with John Mulaney" at The Sunset Gower Studios on March 12, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.
John Mulaney's new Netflix live talk show gets this one thing right
LG B4 OLED on stand in living room
I test TVs for a living — and I think the LG B5 OLED could be the value of the year
Adam Scott as Mark S and Britt Lower as Helly R in Severance, standing by an elevator
My 5 biggest 'Severance' questions heading into season 2 episode 9
Stephen Graham as Eddie Miller in "Adolescence"
Netflix just got my favorite show of 2025 so far — you need to binge-watch this crime drama right now
Kelly Marie Tran in "Control Freak" on Hulu (2025)
Hulu’s new dark thriller is now streaming — and it’s one of the most gripping movies of 2025 so far