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Adobe Photoshop

How to Cut, Copy, and Paste in Photoshop on iPad

Photoshop on iPad puts most image clipboard commands under Layer actions. Learn how to cut pixels, copy selections or merged artwork, copy whole layers, paste as new layers, and transfer editable text.

By ThatPainter Team 5 min read
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In Photoshop on iPad, Cut, Copy, and Paste are mainly found under Layer actions, rather than a desktop-style Edit menu. Select the right layer, decide whether you need selected pixels or the visible result of several layers, then choose the matching command:

  • Cut: removes selected pixels from the active layer and places them on the clipboard.
  • Copy selection: copies selected pixels from the active layer.
  • Copy merged: copies the visible composite from all visible layers within the selection.
  • Copy layer: copies an entire selected layer for pasting elsewhere.
  • Paste: inserts clipboard content, commonly as a new layer.

These touch workflows are documented by Adobe.

Choose the right Photoshop iPad command

What you want to do Use
Remove selected pixels and move them Cut
Copy selected pixels from one layer Copy selection
Copy the visible appearance of several layers Copy merged
Copy an entire layer Copy layer
Place clipboard content in Photoshop Paste or Paste as new layer
Copy editable characters Copy while editing a type layer

Before copying pixels, check two things: which layer is selected in the Layers panel, and whether a selection is active. Copy selection works from the active layer; it does not automatically combine every layer beneath the selection. Use Copy merged for that.

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How to cut part of an image

  1. Open the document in Photoshop on iPad.
  2. Select the layer containing the pixels you want to remove.
  3. Choose the Lasso tool, or another suitable selection tool.
  4. Draw around the object or area.
  5. Tap the Layer actions icon.
  6. Choose Cut.

The selected pixels are removed from the active image layer and placed on the clipboard. To put them back into Photoshop, paste them into the same document or another document.

Cutting pixels changes the active raster layer destructively. If you may need the original later, duplicate the layer first or use a layer mask instead.

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How to copy part of an image

  1. Select the source layer in the Layers panel.
  2. Choose a selection tool and draw around the pixels.
  3. Tap Layer actions.
  4. Choose Copy selection.

Only the selected pixels from the active layer are copied. This is the best choice when you want to preserve the source layer’s pixel content without including the appearance of other layers.

How to copy the visible result from multiple layers

  1. Make a selection around the area you need.
  2. Make sure every layer whose appearance should be included is visible.
  3. Open Layer actions.
  4. Choose Copy merged.

Photoshop copies the visible composite within the selection. Hidden layers do not contribute. Use this when you need a finished-looking portion of the artwork; use Copy selection when you need pixels from only the active layer.

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How to copy an entire layer

  1. Select the layer in the Layers panel.
  2. Open Layer actions.
  3. Choose Copy layer.

Switch to the destination document or app, then paste if it supports Photoshop clipboard content. Adobe lists Copy layer separately from other layer operations in its iPad layer guide.

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Do not confuse this with Duplicate layer. Duplicate layer creates another copy inside the current Photoshop document. Copy layer puts the layer or its content on the clipboard so it can be pasted elsewhere.

How to paste into Photoshop on iPad

Use Layer actions

  1. Copy an image or text from another app.
  2. Return to Photoshop.
  3. Open Layer actions.
  4. Choose Paste.

Paste as a new layer

  1. Copy the content to the iPad clipboard.
  2. In Photoshop, tap the + button.
  3. Choose Paste as new layer.

For image content, the documented paste-as-new-layer workflow places the result on a separate layer. Check the Layers panel rather than assuming the content was inserted into the currently selected layer. Use the Move tool to reposition it and transform controls to resize or rotate it.

Copy and paste text

To copy individual characters or lines, you must be editing a type layer rather than an image layer.

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  1. Select the Type tool.
  2. Tap inside the text layer.
  3. Select the text. Adobe documents a single tap for limited options, a double tap to select a line, a triple tap to select the whole line, and a four-times tap to select a text block.
  4. Choose Cut, Copy, Select All, or Paste from the pop-up menu.
  5. Alternatively, use the Cut, Copy, and Paste controls on the virtual keyboard.
  6. Tap Done when finished.

This lets you transfer text between Photoshop and apps such as Notes. Characters copied while editing type remain text when the destination supports text clipboard data. By contrast, copying a screenshot, image, or merged artwork produces pixel-based content, not an editable type layer. See Adobe’s text instructions for Photoshop on iPad.

Keyboard shortcuts

With a connected physical keyboard, use the following iPad shortcuts:

Action Shortcut
Copy from the active layer or selection Command-C
Copy the visible composite Command-Shift-C
Paste Command-V
Select all Command-A
Deselect Command-D
Undo Command-Z
Redo Command-Shift-Z
Lasso tool L
Move tool V
Type tool T

Command-C copies from the active layer or selection. Command-Shift-C copies content from all visible layers. Adobe’s shortcut list is available at Keyboard shortcuts for Photoshop on iPad.

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To view the shortcuts in Photoshop, go to App Settings > Input > View keyboard shortcuts from the Home screen, or choose Help > View keyboard shortcuts in the editing workspace. Labels can vary by app release and localization, so the in-app list is the best reference for your installation.

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Paste from another iPad app

Images

Copy an image in an app such as Notes or Files, return to Photoshop, and use either Layer actions > Paste or + > Paste as new layer. Clipboard behavior depends on what the source app places on the iPad clipboard: an actual image, text object, or file reference.

Text

Activate a Photoshop type layer, tap into the text, and use the text pop-up menu or virtual keyboard’s Paste command. Pasting while an image layer is active does not turn the image layer into an editable text layer.

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Troubleshooting Cut, Copy, and Paste

The command is missing or unavailable

  • Tap the intended layer thumbnail.
  • Exit Type mode if you are copying pixels.
  • Choose the Lasso tool and make a visible selection for selection-specific commands.
  • Reopen Layer actions and choose Copy selection or Copy merged explicitly.
  • Check whether the active layer is locked.
  • For external content, try + > Paste as new layer.

Older releases may not include the same clipboard features. Adobe introduced clipboard Cut, Copy, and Paste for text and images in Photoshop on iPad version 4.4, released in February 2023. Update Photoshop and iPadOS, then confirm that the iPad meets Adobe’s published system requirements. Requirements and supported models can change.

Copy only copied one layer

That is usually expected when the active-layer command was used. Select the desired layers’ visibility and use Copy merged when you need their combined visible appearance.

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The pasted content looks blank

Check that the source layer contains visible pixels, is not hidden, and that the selection does not contain only transparency. Also check whether the pasted layer landed outside the visible canvas. Select it in the Layers panel and use the Move tool to locate it.

The pasted item is in the wrong place or size

Look for a newly created layer, then reposition it with the Move tool. Use transform controls to resize or rotate it. The destination canvas dimensions and the source clipboard content can affect placement and scale.

When to use each workflow

  • Moving an object out of one layer: make a selection and use Cut.
  • Reusing pixels from one layer: use Copy selection.
  • Exporting a finished portion of a layered composition: use Copy merged.
  • Moving a complete layer to another document: use Copy layer.
  • Editing wording: enter Type mode and use the text clipboard commands.
  • Repeating operations with a keyboard: use Command-C, Command-Shift-C, and Command-V.

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