Apple Pencil Lag in Procreate

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. 1. Turn off Zoom

   Copy steps
   1. Open Settings > Accessibility > Zoom
   2. Switch Zoom off
   3. Reopen Procreate and test again
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. 2. Check Procreate's settings in iPad Settings

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   1. Open the iPad Settings app and scroll to Procreate
   2. Enable the tap assistance option (initial touch location support) if shown
   3. If hover lag is the problem, try toggling Palm Support off to see if it helps
   Did this fix it? Yes No

3. 3. Reduce the load on the canvas

   Copy steps
   1. Tap Actions > Canvas > Canvas information to check layer count and canvas size
   2. Merge or flatten finished layers
   3. Try a simpler brush or lower the brush's Stabilization / StreamLine
   Did this fix it? Yes No

4. 4. Restart, cool down and update

   Copy steps
   1. Force restart the iPad (reports say a restart can help only temporarily)
   2. Let a warm iPad cool down
   3. Keep at least 15% of iPad storage free and update Procreate and iPadOS
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

The line trails behind the Pencil tip, strokes stutter, hovering feels delayed, or strokes are missed at the start.

Why it happens

• Zoom accessibility feature interfering with touch input (reported by several users)
• Large canvas, many layers or heavy brushes at the limit of iPad RAM
• Palm support or touch settings in Procreate's iPad Settings page
• Low storage or an overheated iPad
• iPadOS or Procreate bugs on specific iPad and Pencil Pro combinations

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Other Procreate errors

• Apple Pencil Not Working in Procreate
• Procreate Keeps Crashing on iPad
• Procreate Frozen or Not Responding
• Procreate Brushes Not Importing or Missing
• Procreate Lost Artwork: Recover Deleted or Missing Files
• Procreate Maximum Layers Reached
• Procreate Export Problems: PSD, PNG and Photoshop Not Opening
• Procreate Colors Look Different After Export or Print