Repair an area with the Patch tool

Last updated on Oct 27, 2025

Learn how to repair certain areas or replace unwanted content using pixels or patterns sampled from another part of the image in Adobe Photoshop.

Select the Patch tool by holding down the Healing Brush tool in the toolbar and then select Patch from the dropdown.

Drag on the image to draw a selection of areas around which to repair.

In the Options bar, select one of the following:

  • Source: Treat the selection as the area to repair.
  • Destination: Treat the selection as the source of pixels.

Adjust patch settings as required:

Normal patch type:

  • Transparent: Apply texture with transparency; use on simple backgrounds.
  • Use Pattern: Replace the area with a pattern.
  • Diffusion: Adjust how smoothly the patch blends; use lower values for detail, higher for smooth areas.

Content-Aware patch type:

  • Structure: Control how strictly shapes are preserved.
  • Color: Adjust the level of color blending.
  • Sample All Layers: Patch using pixels from all visible layers.
Highlight of Patch tool settings in the Options bar.
Adjust the settings from the Options bar.

Position the pointer inside the selection and drag it:

  • If Source is selected, drag to sample the area.
  • If Destination is selected, drag the area to patch.

Release the pointer to apply the patch.