Create and manage paragraph styles

Last updated on Oct 10, 2026

Apply reusable paragraph formatting that automatically updates text across your document.

Paragraph styles save combinations of character and paragraph formatting attributes so you can apply them consistently throughout a document. When you update a paragraph style, Photoshop automatically updates all text using that style.

Paragraph styles follow a formatting hierarchy:

Manual formatting overrides character styles.
Character styles override paragraph styles.

Every new Photoshop document includes a Basic Paragraph style applied to text by default. You can edit this style, but you can’t rename or delete it.

Before you begin

Ensure that you have:

Photoshop 2023 or later installed.
A document with text layers, or an open document where you plan to add text.
Basic familiarity with the Character and Paragraph panels.

Open the Paragraph Styles panel

Select Window > Paragraph Styles.

If the panel is already open, select the Paragraph Styles tab to make it active.

Create a paragraph style

Select the Horizontal Type tool or Vertical Type tool.

Select the text formatted with the attributes you want to save, or place the insertion point within that text.

In the Paragraph Styles panel, select the menu icon.

Select New Paragraph Style.

The new style, which appears in the Paragraph Styles panel, includes the selected text formatting.

Note

To create a style without existing formatting, select the Create New Style icon in the Paragraph Styles panel.

Edit a paragraph style

Double-click the style name in the Paragraph Styles panel.

In the Style Options dialog, select a formatting category such as Basic Character Formats or Indents and Spacing.

Adjust the formatting settings as needed.

Repeat for additional categories to update multiple formatting settings.

Select OK.

All text using that style updates automatically in the current document.

Note

When specifying a Character Color in the Style Options dialog, you can create a new color by double-clicking the fill or stroke box.

Apply a paragraph style

Select the text layer in the Layers panel, or use a Type tool to select specific paragraphs.

Select the paragraph style name in the Paragraph Styles panel.

The selected text immediately adopts all formatting attributes saved in that style.

Use Format paragraphs for direct paragraph formatting options, such as alignment, indentation, and spacing. Use Format characters to work with character-level formatting and character styles.

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