Migrate presets from earlier Photoshop versions

Last updated on Oct 4, 2026

Transfer brushes, actions, and settings from older Photoshop installations.

This procedure manually migrates presets when you didn't import them during the Photoshop update or if automatic migration failed. Photoshop can migrate presets from previous versions installed on the same computer. If you need presets from multiple earlier versions, run this command once for each version, starting with the oldest.

The Migrate Presets command transfers your custom preset collections and Photoshop presets to your current version. This includes brushes, actions, swatches, gradients, patterns, workspaces, keyboard shortcuts, and many other customizations you've created or installed.

  • An earlier version of Photoshop (CS3 or later) installed on the same computer
  • Custom presets or settings saved in the previous Photoshop version

Transfer presets to your current version

Select Edit > Presets > Migrate Presets.

Select Yes when prompted to import presets from an earlier version of Photoshop.

Select OK to confirm the migration.

Photoshop automatically detects the most recent previous version installed on your computer and migrates all available presets. After migration completes, your transferred presets appear in their respective panels and menus.

Migrated preset types

The migration process transfers these preset categories:

  • Actions
  • Brushes
  • Black and White, Channel Mixer, Curves, Exposure, HDR Toning, Hue and Saturation, Levels, and Selective Color adjustment presets
  • Color Range and Color Swatches
  • Contours and Custom Shapes
  • Duotone presets (Mono, Duo, Tri, Quad)
  • Gradients and Patterns
  • Keyboard Shortcuts and Menu Customization
  • Styles, Tools, and Workspaces
Note

To migrate presets from multiple Photoshop versions, repeat this procedure for each version sequentially, starting with the oldest version first.