Open your Photoshop document. Linked Smart Objects whose source images have changed are visually highlighted in the Layers panel.
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Update Linked Smart Objects
Last updated on
Oct 27, 2025
Learn how to keep your documents in Adobe Photoshop updated automatically when linked source files change.
Linked Smart Objects update automatically when the Photoshop document is open, provided the source file has changed. If the document is closed, Photoshop highlights the affected Smart Objects in the Layers panel when you reopen the Photoshop document.
- Right-click the highlighted linked Smart Object layer and select Update Modified Content to update only this smart object.
- Select Layer > Smart Objects > Update All Modified Content to update every linked Smart Object in the document at once.
Photoshop only checks the file directly linked to the Smart Object. A linked file won't update automatically if nested inside another Smart Object.
Tip
The Layers panel flags Linked Smart Objects with missing source files. To fix the link, right-click the highlighted layer icon, select Relink to File, browse the file’s new location, and select Place.
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