Open a photo or Photoshop document (PSD).
- Photoshop User Guide
- Introduction to Photoshop
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- Work with Illustrator artwork in Photoshop
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- Common questions | Photoshop on the web beta
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- Invalid JPEG Marker error | Opening images
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- Adobe Camera Raw
- Camera Raw system requirements
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- Introduction to Camera Raw
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- Feature summary | Adobe Camera Raw | 2018 releases
- New features summary
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- Drawing and painting
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- Text Engine error using Type tool in Photoshop | Windows 8
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New to Photoshop? Want to learn how to use the Type tool? You’ve come to the right place.
Find quick and easy answers, tips, and video tutorials for the most frequently asked questions about the Type tool.

Download sample file and fonts to try
To help you practice and create something nice, here’s a sample file. Download and open this PSD (ZIP, 1.35 MB) and try out all the tasks in your own file. Play with font size, font color, and placement of text to get the results you want.
If you don't have the fonts used in the sample file, you can substitute them with default fonts you have. You can also get the fonts used in the file - Nunito and Roboto. See Activate fonts for details.
Leave a comment in case your question isn’t covered here!
How to add or place text
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From the toolbar, select the Type tool
or simply press ‘T’ to quickly select it. The Horizontal Type Tool with which you can add text horizontally is selected by default. If you want to add text vertically, click the Type tool again and select Vertical Type Tool from the context menu.
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Do you want to add a few words like a heading or title? Click anywhere on the canvas to type it. In Photoshop, this is called point text.
The other type of text in Photoshop is called paragraph text. As the name suggests, this is used when you want to type a paragraph. Click and drag the cursor on the canvas to create a bounding box in which you can type your paragraph. This helps you efficiently edit and align the paragraph later.
Add titles or headings with point text Add paragraphs with paragraph text Note:A type layer gets automatically created when you create point or paragraph text and can be identified in the Layers panel with the T icon.
A type layer in the Layers panel -
Type your text. To save your changes, click
in the options bar or press Esc and you're good to go!
The options bar in macOS The options bar in Windows
- To change the font size and color, see how to resize text and how to change color of text.
- Don't like the Lorem ipsum text while typing? You can turn off the sample text. Simply choose Edit > Preferences > Type, deselect Fill new type layers with placeholder text, and click OK.
How to select text
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Open the Photoshop document with the text you want to edit.
Note:The text must be on a type layer. Don’t see type layers in your document? See steps 2 and 3 in how to add text.
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To select the entire text or paragraph on a type layer, select the Move tool
in the toolbar and double-click the text you want to select.
Note:If you are unable to do this step, you may not have the latest version of Photoshop. In this case, select the Type tool in the toolbar, click the text you want to select, and choose Select > All in the menu bar.
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To select one or more characters on a type layer, simply select the Type tool in the toolbar and then click and drag the cursor over the characters you want to select.
Once you have selected your text, you can edit your text, change color of text, resize text, copy and paste text, and more.
How to edit text
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Open the Photoshop document with the text you want to edit.
Note:The text must be on a type layer. Don’t see type layers in your document? See steps 2 and 3 in how to add text.
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Select the Type tool in the toolbar.
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Select the text you want to edit.
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The options bar in the top has options to edit your font type, font size, font color, text alignment, and text style. For details, see this video tutorial.
Options bar in Photoshop on macOS A. Change horizontal text to vertical text and vice-versa B. Change font style C. Change font size D. Change pixelation of text edge (anti-aliasing) E. Change text alignment F. Change text color G. Warp text H. View Character and Paragraph panel I. Cancel changes J. Save changes
Options bar in Photoshop on Windows A. Change horizontal text to vertical text and vice-versa B. Change font style C. Change font size D. Change pixelation of text edge (anti-aliasing) E. Change text alignment F. Change text color G. Cancel changes H. Save changes
You can also use the Character panel and the Paragraph panel to further edit your text.
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Finally, click
in the options bar to save your edits.
How to copy and paste text
You can copy and paste text in your Photoshop document (PSD) from other documents. For example, from a Word file, a PDF file, a web page, or another Photoshop file (PSD).
Copy and paste text from a non-Photoshop file
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In your non-Photoshop file such as a Word file, PDF, or web page, click and drag the cursor over the text to select it.
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Press Command+C (on macOS) or Control+C (on Windows) to copy the selected text.
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Open the Photoshop document (PSD) in which you want to paste the copied text and then select the Type tool in the toolbar.
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Select the type layer from the Layers panel in which you want to paste the text. If you don't have type layers or want to add another type layer, see steps 2 and 3 in how to add text.
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Choose Edit > Paste or press Command+V (on macOS) or Control+V (on Windows) to paste your text. To undo, choose Edit > Undo Paste Text.
Copy and paste from another Photoshop document (PSD)
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Open the PSD you want to copy the text from.
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Select the text you want to copy and choose Edit > Copy or simply press Command+C (on macOS) or Control+C (on Windows).
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Open the PSD you want to paste the text in and select a type layer. If you don't have type layers or want to add another type layer, see steps 2 and 3 in how to add text.
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Choose Edit > Paste to paste your text in the center of your canvas. You can also choose Edit > Paste Special > Paste in Place to place the text as it was in the PSD from which you had copied.
How to resize text
Struggling to change the size of your text? Here’s how you can easily do it:
Resize the entire text on a type layer
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Open the Photoshop document with the text you want to edit.
Note:The text must be on a type layer. Don’t see type layers in your document? See steps 2 and 3 in how to add text.
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Select the Move tool
in the toolbar.
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In the options bar, do this:
(macOS users) Check that Auto-select: Layer and Show Transform Controls are selected.
Select Auto-Select Layer and Show Transform Controls in macOS (Windows users) Check that Layer and
icon are selected.
Ensure that the highlighted fields are selected in Windows -
Click to select the text you want to resize.
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In the transform box that appears, drag one of the anchor points to resize your text proportionally. You can also do the following when you drag an anchor point:
- Hold down the Shift key to resize your text non-proportionally.
- Hold down the Alt key to keep the center of your text in the same place when you resize text.
- Hold down the Command (on macOS) or Control (on Windows) to explore skewed angles when you resize your text.
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Finally, click
in the options bar to save your edits.
That's it! Your entire text is now resized.
Resize one or more characters on a type layer
To change the size of specific letters, numbers, or words in your text, you can do this:
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Open the Photoshop document with the text you want to edit.
Note:The text must be on a type layer. Don’t see type layers in your document? See steps 2 and 3 in how to add text.
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Select the Type tool in the toolbar.
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Select text that you want to resize.
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In the
field of the options bar, select the text size option you want. You can see the changes in real time.
Note:If you have a paragraph text and are unable to view the entire paragraph after resizing it, drag the corners of the bounding box.
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Click
in the options bar and you're done! To cancel your changes, click
in the options bar.

How to move text
To move your text around on the Photoshop canvas:
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Open the Photoshop document with the text you want to edit.
Note:The text must be on a type layer. Don’t see type layers in your document? See steps 2 and 3 in how to add text.
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Select the type layer that has the text you want to move.
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Select the Move tool
in the toolbar.
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In the options bar, ensure that Auto Select Layer (on macOS) or Layer (on Windows) is selected and then click the text you want to move. You can then view the transform box with the dark arrow.
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Click and move the transform box and then release it to place the text where you want.
How to change color of text
Change the color of your entire text
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Open the Photoshop document with the text you want to edit.
Note:The text must be on a type layer. Don’t see type layers in your document? See steps 2 and 3 in how to add text.
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Select the Type tool in the toolbar and click the text for which you want to change color. The entire text in the type layer is selected.
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Click the Color Picker (Text Color) icon in the options bar.
Click the Color picker icon in the options bar -
Move the color slider as you want and pick your color. You can see your text color change in real time as you pick different colors.
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Once you’re happy with your text color, click OK.
Change the color of one or more characters in your text
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Open the Photoshop document with the text you want to edit.
Note:The text must be on a type layer. Don’t see type layers in your document? See steps 2 and 3 in how to add text.
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Select the Type tool in the toolbar.
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Click and drag the cursor over the characters you want to select.
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Click the Color Picker (Text Color) icon in the options bar.
Click the Color picker icon in the options bar -
Move the color slider as you want and pick your color. You can see your text color change in real time as you pick different colors.
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Once you're happy with the text color, click OK.
Voila! You're done.
How to align and justify text
Unable to align your text properly? Here's how you can justify and align your text:
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Open the Photoshop document with the text you want to edit.
Note:The text must be on a type layer. Don’t see type layers in your document? See steps 2 and 3 in how to add text.
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Select the type layer from the Layers panel that has the paragraph you want to justify. If you want to justify a specific paragraph on a type layer, then select it.
Note:If you have a word or a few words (that is point text), you need to convert it to paragraph text first to justify it. To change point text to paragraph text, select the type layer and choose Type > Convert To Paragraph Text from the menu bar.
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Choose Window > Paragraph to view the Paragraph panel.
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In the Paragraph panel, you can view the various Justify options. Select an option to view the changes in real time.
Align your paragraph text with Justify options in the Paragraph panel -
After you’ve finalized your Justify option, click
in the options bar and you’re set!
How to rotate text
Want to tilt or rotate your text to a certain angle? Here’s how you can do it:
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Open the Photoshop document with the text you want to edit.
Note:The text must be on a type layer. Don’t see type layers in your document? See steps 2 and 3 in how to add text.
-
Select the Move tool
in the toolbar.
-
In the options bar, do this:
(macOS users) Check that Auto-select: Layer and Show Transform Controls are selected.
Select Auto-Select Layer and Show Transform Controls in macOS (Windows users) Check that Layer and
icon are selected.
Select Layer and Show transform controls icon in Windows -
Click the text you want to rotate. You can then view the transform box around your text.
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Hover near the corners of the transform box. The cursor changes to a two‑sided arrow.
Double-sided arrow near the transform box -
Click and drag the curved arrow to rotate the text the way you want. You can also specify values in the options bar to get a more precise rotation.
Enter values to rotate your text in the options bar -
Click
in the options bar and you’re done!
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