Change Multiple Text Layers in Photoshop

By Corrie Haffly | November 30, 2004 | Web Design Tutorials & Articles

Bob McDonald from Akatombo Media was kind enough to share this trick with Photoshop text layers.

If you have lots of text layers that you want to make the same change to (for example, change the font, color — anything in the options bar), you DO NOT have to go to every text layer and make changes. (Which would take a lot of time.)

Instead, link all the text layers you want to change, then select one of them and use the option bar to make the changes WHILE holding the Shift key.

Thanks, Bob!

Written By:

Corrie Haffly

Corrie is the lead designer and developer for PixelMill and their in-house brand, jgtemplates. This would-be triathlete has a mathematics degree but wishes she had double-majored in computer science and art instead. Maybe next time...

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{ 15 comments }

ms-tutorials July 16, 2011 at 10:36 am

Very Good Helped me out loads!

Anonymous April 22, 2009 at 7:52 pm

dsafdasdfafagagdgas

Jonno March 11, 2009 at 10:18 pm

I have 2 things to say:
1. Linking all text layers is misleading because YOU DO NOT NEED TO LINK ALL LAYERS for this to work. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to do this, but it will be easier to Shift+Click on each text layer which you would like to change. Of course you must have the “Auto Select Layer” box in the top toolbar checked while you are in drag mode.
2. Where the hek is the signup for this place? Is this invite only or something? I would like to register a UN and PW but I couldn’t find the function in this site if I was held at gunpoint. Any help would be appreciated.

-Jonno

Teo January 23, 2009 at 10:09 pm

It is not necessary to link the layers anymore. As long as you are running PS CS4 and you have set the current tool to the text tool, the colors and other properties panel is active.

Shawna Gustin September 13, 2008 at 4:49 am

CHANGE MULTIPLE LAYERS
Courtesy of MyJanee.com

In order to make changes to many Type layers at the same time, here’s what you do:
Click the first of the Type layers in the Layers palette.
Ctrl-click the next ones, or Shift-click the last one — not the thumbnail, but the layer name. This will highlight all of these layers.
Now you can change the Type attributes in the Type Tool Options bar at the top.

Adding a Layer Style is not too much more difficult:
Fix the Layer Style for one of the layers just as you want it.
Right-click the layer name in the Layers palette.
Choose Copy Layer Style.
Highlight all of the other Type layers, by Ctrl-clicking each of them.
Right-click one of these now selected layers and choose Paste Layer Style.

Tada! This should do it for you quickly and painlessly. Have fun!

Always me, Janee

No one else has your vision. No one else can do your art.
myJanee.com for Janee’s Photoshop Tutorials, Art Gallery, Photo Albums, and more.

Go to myJanee.blogspot.com to see what I’m up to!

cs3sux June 12, 2008 at 12:50 pm

doesn’t seem to work in CS3 when the linked text layers are in different groups… grrr! unless someone else has an idea how to do it? I’m assuming you hold shift while clicking the checkmark to accept the text changes on the option bar?

Disco Stu September 27, 2007 at 9:12 am

This just saved me hours of extra clicking. Woohoo!

PS 8.0 Mac OsX

Maxwell July 31, 2007 at 6:38 pm

This was a great help, thanks! I use it when converting Fireworks files to Photoshop. Sometimes Fireworks converts typeface to Myriad for some reason.

Anonymous May 25, 2007 at 11:30 pm

RF May 1, 2007 at 12:00 am

Excellent post, saves me tons of time because I switch between editing with a Mac at work and a PC from home, fonts never quite seem to match even if they have the same font so this makes for a quick change. Thanks!

Bonghi September 1, 2006 at 2:28 am

Darren,

In PS8 It doesn’t work either but you can select all the layers you want to change in the layers palette and then change the properties without any shift pressing…

Hope it works on ps7.

Claudio

Darren May 31, 2006 at 2:55 am

I just tried that and it doesn’t work. Only the text layer which is selcted is changed (I want to change the font). All type layers are linked and I held shift while changing the font face in the options bar. I use PS 7.

Any ideas why this doesn’t work for me?

Scout141 November 30, 2004 at 3:58 pm